Boys and Girls Bookshelf; a Practical Plan of Character Building Part 26

"Drumikin! Drumikin!

Have you seen Lambikin?"

And to each of them the little slyboots replied:

"Fallen into the fire, and so will you, On little Drumikin! Tum-pa, tum-too; Tum-pa, tum-too; Tum-pa, tum-too!"

Then they all sighed to think of the tender little morsel they had let slip.

At last the Jackal came limping along, for all his sorry looks as sharp as a needle, and he, too, called out:

"Drumikin! Drumikin!

Have you seen Lambikin?"

And Lambikin, curled up in his snug little nest, replied gayly:

"Fallen into the fire, and so will you, On little Drumikin! Tum-pa----"

But he never got any farther, for the Jackal recognized his voice at once, and cried "Hullo! you've turned yourself inside out, have you?

Just you come out of that!"

Whereupon he tore open Drumikin and gobbled up Lambikin.

[I] From "Indian Fairy Tales," edited by Joseph Jacobs; used by permission of the publishers, G. P. Putnam's Sons.

THE CAT AND THE MOUSE[J]

The cat and the mouse Played in the malt-house:

The cat bit the mouse's tail off. "Pray, puss, give me my tail." "No,"

says the cat, "I'll not give you your tail, till you go to the cow, and fetch me some milk."

First she leaped, and then she ran, Till she came to the cow, and thus began:

"Pray, Cow, give me milk, that I may give cat milk, that cat may give me my own tail again." "No," said the cow, "I will give you no milk, till you go to the farmer, and get me some hay."

First she leaped, and then she ran, Till she came to the farmer, and thus began:

"Pray, Farmer, give me hay, that I may give cow hay, that cow may give me milk, that I may give cat milk, that cat may give me my own tail again." "No," said the farmer, "I'll give you no hay, till you go to the butcher and fetch me some meat."

First she leaped, and then she ran, Till she came to the butcher, and thus began:

"Pray, Butcher, give me meat, that I may give farmer meat, that farmer may give me hay, that I may give cow hay, that cow may give me milk, that I may give cat milk, that cat may give me my own tail again." "No,"

says the butcher, "I'll give you no meat, till you go to the baker and fetch me some bread."

First she leaped, and then she ran, Till she came to the baker, and thus began:

"Pray, Baker, give me bread, that I may give butcher bread, that butcher may give me meat, that I may give farmer meat, that farmer may give me hay, that I may give cow hay, that cow may give me milk, that I may give cat milk, that cat may give me my own tail again."

"Yes," says the baker, "I'll give you some bread, But if you eat my meal, I'll cut off your head."

Then the baker gave mouse bread, and mouse gave butcher bread, and butcher gave mouse meat, and mouse gave farmer meat, and farmer gave mouse hay, and mouse gave cow hay, and cow gave mouse milk, and mouse gave cat milk, and cat gave mouse her own tail again.

[J] From "English Fairy Tales," collected by Joseph Jacobs; used by permission of the publishers, G. P. Putnam's Sons.

HENNY-PENNY[K]

One day Henny-penny was picking up corn in the cornyard when--whack!--something hit her upon the head. "Goodness gracious me!"

says Henny-penny; "the sky's a-going to fall; I must go and tell the king."

So she went along, and she went along, and she went along till she met c.o.c.ky-locky. "Where are you going, Henny-penny?" says c.o.c.ky-locky. "Oh!

I'm going to tell the king the sky's a-falling," says Henny-penny. "May I come with you?" says c.o.c.ky-locky. "Certainly," says Henny-penny. So Henny-penny and c.o.c.ky-locky went to tell the king the sky was falling.

They went along, and they went along, and they went along till they met Ducky-daddles. "Where are you going to, Henny-penny and c.o.c.ky-locky?"

says Ducky-daddles. "Oh! we're going to tell the king the sky's a-falling," says Henny-penny and c.o.c.ky-locky. "May I come with you?"

says Ducky-daddles. "Certainly," says Henny-penny and c.o.c.ky-locky. So Henny-penny, c.o.c.ky-locky, and Ducky-daddles went to tell the king the sky was a-falling.

So they went along, and they went along, and they went along till they met Goosey-poosey. "Where are you going to, Henny-penny, c.o.c.ky-locky, and Ducky-daddles?" says Goosey-poosey. "Oh! we're going to tell the king the sky's a-falling," says Henny-penny, and c.o.c.ky-locky and Ducky-daddles. "May I come with you?" says Goosey-poosey. "Certainly,"

says Henny-penny, c.o.c.ky-locky, and Ducky-daddles. So Henny-penny, c.o.c.ky-locky, Ducky-daddles, and Goosey-poosey went to tell the king the sky was a-falling.

So they went along, and they went along, and they went along till they met Turkey-lurkey. "Where are you going, Henny-penny, c.o.c.ky-locky, Ducky-daddles, and Goosey-poosey?" says Turkey-lurkey. "Oh! we're going to tell the king the sky's a-falling," says Henny-penny, c.o.c.ky-locky, Ducky-daddles, and Goosey-poosey. "May I come with you, Henny-penny, c.o.c.ky-locky, Ducky-daddles, and Goosey-poosey?" says Turkey-lurkey. "Oh, certainly, Turkey-lurkey," says Henny-penny, c.o.c.ky-locky, Ducky-daddies, and Goosey-poosey. So Henny-penny, c.o.c.ky-locky, Ducky-daddies, Goosey-poosey, and Turkey-lurkey all went to tell the king the sky was a-falling.

So they went along, and they went along, and they went along till they met Foxy-woxy, and Foxy-woxy says to Henny-penny, c.o.c.ky-locky, Ducky-daddles, Goosey-poosey, and Turkey-lurkey: "Where are you going, Henny-penny, c.o.c.ky-locky, Ducky-daddles, Goosey-poosey, and Turkey-lurkey?" And Henny-penny, c.o.c.ky-locky, Ducky-daddles, Goosey-Poosey, and Turkey-lurkey says to Foxy-woxy: "We're going to tell the king the sky's a-falling." "Oh! but this is not the way to the king, Henny-penny, c.o.c.ky-locky, Ducky-daddles, Goosey-poosey, and Turkey-lurkey," says Foxy-woxy; "I know the proper way; shall I show it you?" "Oh, certainly, Foxy-woxy," says Henny-penny, c.o.c.ky-locky, Ducky-daddles, Goosey-poosey, and Turkey-lurkey. So Henny-penny, c.o.c.ky-locky, Ducky-daddles, Goosey-poosey, Turkey-lurkey, and Foxy-woxy all went to tell the king the sky was a-falling.

So they went along, and they went along, and they went along till they came to a narrow and dark hole. Now this was the door of Foxy-woxy's cave. But Foxy-woxy says to Henny-penny, c.o.c.ky-locky, Ducky-daddies, Goosey-poosey, and Turkey-lurkey: "This is the short way to the king's palace; you'll soon get there if you follow me. I will go first and you come after, Henny-penny, c.o.c.ky-locky, Ducky-daddles, Goosey-poosey, and Turkey-lurkey," "Why, of course, certainly, without doubt, why not?"

says Henny-penny, c.o.c.ky-locky, Ducky-daddles, Goosey-poosey, and Turkey-lurkey.

So Foxy-woxy went into his cave, and he didn't go very far, but turned round to wait for Henny-penny, c.o.c.ky-locky, Ducky-daddles, Goosey-poosey, and Turkey-lurkey. So at last Turkey-lurkey went through the dark hole into the cave. He hadn't got far when "Hrumph!" Foxy-woxy snapped off Turkey-lurkey's head and threw his body over his left shoulder. Then Goosey-poosey went in, and "Hrumph!" off went her head and Goosey-poosey was thrown beside Turkey-lurkey. Then Ducky-daddles waddled down, and "Hrumph!" snapped Foxy-woxy, and Ducky-daddles's head was off, and Ducky-daddles was thrown alongside Turkey-lurkey and Goosey-poosey. Then c.o.c.ky-locky strutted down into the cave, and he hadn't gone far when "Snap, Hrumph!" went Foxy-woxy, and c.o.c.ky-locky was thrown alongside of Turkey-lurkey, Goosey-poosey, and Ducky-daddles.

[Ill.u.s.tration: "THIS IS THE SHORT WAY"]

But Foxy-woxy had made two bites at c.o.c.ky-locky, and when the first snap only hurt c.o.c.ky-locky, but didn't kill him, he called out to Henny-penny. But she turned tail and off she ran home, so she never told the king the sky was a-falling.

[K] From "English Fairy Tales," collected by Joseph Jacobs; used by permission of the publishers, G. P. Putnam's Sons.

THREE GOATS IN THE RYEFIELD

ADAPTED BY CECILIA FARWELL

Once upon a time there was a little boy whose task it was to drive the goats to and from the hills. One morning, as they went along the road, the first goat saw a hole in the fence which shut off a field of rye.

"Oh," said the first goat, "here is a chance to get into that field. I do not think that we want to eat rye--there is plenty of gra.s.s on the hill. But we can go in and see what it is like, just the same."

With that he turned aside from the road and went through the hole into the ryefield, and the others followed after him.

"Here," cried the boy, "come out of that!"