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The variation between “wasn’t” and “wan’t” appears to be intentional,and has not been changed. A few decorative lines 
wereadded by the transcriber at a page break when there was no interveningillustration.
Missing punctuation is marked like this ... (larger type and lighter color) without furtherexplanation. Almost all omissions seem to have been for reasons ofspace.
Index of First Lines (added by transcriber)
HEAR WHAT MA’AM GOOSE SAYS!
My dear little Blossoms, there arenow in this world, and always will be, a great many granniesbesides myself, both in petticoats and pantaloons, some a deal youngerto be sure; but all monstrous wise, and of my own family name. These oldwomen, who never had chick nor child of their own, but who always knowhow to bring up other people’s children, will tell you with very longfaces, that my enchanting, quieting, soothing volume, my all-sufficientanodyne for cross, peevish, won’t-be-comforted little bairns, ought tobe laid aside for more learned books, such as they could selectand publish. Fudge! I tell you that all their batterings can’tdeface my beauties, nor their wise pratings equal my wiser prattlings;and all imitators of my refreshing songs might as well write a new BillyShakespeare as another Mother Goose—we two great poets were borntogether, and we shall go out of the world together.
No, no, my Melodies will never die,
While nurses sing, or babies cry.
3
[Copyright secured.]
HISTORY OF THE GOOSE FAMILY.
[From the Boston Transcript.]
COTTON MATHER AND MOTHER GOOSE.
Mr. Editor:—Your correspondent, N.B.S., has sodecisively given a quietus to the question as to the birthplaceof Cotton Mather, that there is no danger of its ever being revivedagain. But there is another question of equal importance to many, to theliterary world in particular, which should in like manner be put torest. Who was Mother Goose? and when were her melodiesfirst given to the world? These are questions which have been oftenasked, but have never been satisfactorily answered. The recentpublication of a book called “Mother Goose for Old Folks” has again4revived these questions, which serves to show that the subject has notyet lost its interest.<