T

S up the stairs to bed I go,
A tiger chases me;
He's somewhere in the dark, I know,
Although I cannot see.
From step to step I quickly jump,
But oh, how slow I seem!
And I can feel my heart go 'Thump!
It nearly makes me scream.
The tiger can go faster, much,
He gains at every stride;
He's sure to get me in his clutch—
He's almost at my side!
I dare not give a look behind,
I fear his savage glare;
His cruel teeth I hear him grind,
A-tingle goes my hair!
At last I reach the landing wide—
I'm at the nursery door;
I shut it tight, and, safe inside,
I pant upon the floor.
But Mother often laughs at me
For getting such a scare;
And, somehow, when she goes to see,
The tiger's never there!