Boys and Girls Bookshelf; a Practical Plan of Character Building Part 36

Soon they met a Snake with no legs at all. He had caught his tail in his teeth and was rolling along loopity-loop, loopity-loop. The Snake said:

"h.e.l.lo, Little Half Chick, where are you going so fast?"

"I am going to Madrid to see the Good King," said Little Half Chick.

"May I go, too?" said the Snake.

"Yes," said Little Half Chick, "fall in behind."

So the Snake fell in behind. Hoppity-hop, hoppity-hop went Little Half Chick. Hippity-hip, hippity-hip went the Two-legged Cat. Humpity-hump, humpity-hump went the Three-legged Dog. Jumpity-jump, jumpity-jump went the One-legged Crow. Loopity-loop, loopity-loop went the Snake with no legs at all.

Soon they came to Madrid and saw the Good King. With the King was his little daughter Margaret. They both laughed as all these funny animals came up. The King said to Little Margaret:

"Do you want to see us all go out to the Animal Farm?"

"Yes," said Little Margaret, "I will lead the way."

So she led the way along the street to the Animal Farm. Behind Margaret came the One-legged King. Next came the Little Half Chick, next the Two-legged Cat, next the Three-legged Dog, next the One-legged Crow, and last of all the Snake with no legs at all. So they all went out to the Animal Farm. And there they lived happily ever after.

EARLY AND LATE

BY W. S. REED

Go to bed early--wake up with joy; Go to bed late--cross girl or boy.

Go to bed early--ready for play; Go to bed late--moping all day.

Go to bed early--no pains or ills; Go to bed late--doctors and pills.

Go to bed early--grow very tall; Go to bed late--stay very small.

The Little Pink Pig and the Big Road.

BY JASMINE STONE VAN DRESSER

Once there was a little pink pig with five little spotted brothers and sisters. They had a nice home in the wood lot with their mama, and a nice yard with a little white fence around it. The little pigs were very happy playing in the yard. They made mud pies and baked them in the sun.

One day the little pink pig asked his mama to let him go out of the gate into the big road.

"You are too little and do not know enough yet," said his mama. "When you grow bigger I shall teach you about the big road, and then you may go. Now, be a good little pig, and run and play with your brothers and sisters."

But the little pink pig would not play with his brothers and sisters. He ran off in a corner by himself and would not make mud pies.

[Ill.u.s.tration: "THE BLACK AND WHITE THING ROLLED HIM OVER IN THE DUST."]

Pretty soon the milkman came in his wagon to bring the milk for dinner.

He carried it in and knocked at the back door, and poured it in a pail for mama. Then he ran out as fast as he could and hopped up in his wagon and drove away.

But he forgot to close the gate.

The little pink pig saw the gate was open, and he ran right out into the big road.

"I will show my mama how much I know," he said. And he trotted down the big road as fast as his little pink legs would carry him.

He had not gone very far when he saw a big black and white thing. The black and white thing ran after the little pig, and rolled him over in the dust.

[Ill.u.s.tration: "AND HE TOOK THE LITTLE PINK PIG HOME."]

The little pig squealed and squealed, and the black and white thing rolled him and rolled him over, and kept saying "Bow wow!" But by and by he turned and went away.

The little pig got up and tried to shake off the dust, but he couldn't shake it all off. He wanted to go home, but he had rolled over and over so much, that he couldn't tell where home was. So he ran into a cornfield to hide, till he was sure the black and white thing was gone.

Pretty soon a man came along and found him in the cornfield and said:

"h.e.l.lo, pink pig, are you eating my corn?"

"Oh, no!" said the little pig. "I would not eat your corn."

"Then you should keep out of my cornfield," said the man. "I will take you home and shut you in a pen."

And he took the little pink pig home and shut him up in a pen.

"I do not want to be shut up. Please let me out," said the little pink pig.

But the man did not let him out. It was not a nice pen, and the little pig got all muddy and dirty in it. He wished he was at home in his own little house with his mama, and his spotted brothers and sisters.

[Ill.u.s.tration: "THE BIG RED THING TOSSED THE LITTLE PINK PIG IN THE AIR."]

He ran round and round till he found a little hole in the fence. He was such a tiny pig that he squeezed through the hole and got out, though he had a hard time, for the b.u.t.tons on his jacket got caught, and he could hardly get loose. He did not know which way to go to find his home, but he ran as fast as he could to get away from the pen.

He ran through a fence into a big place where there was plenty of gra.s.s.

There were some very big red things in there, and one saw the little pig and ran after him.

"Oh, dear!" said the little pink pig (only he was not pink any more because he was all covered with mud), "are you a big pig?"

The big red thing shook its head and said "Moo!" and tossed the little pig up in the air. The little pig fell on the ground with a hard b.u.mp.

He lay still till the red thing went away. Then he got up and ran as fast as he could.

He ran out in the road, and right into a black and white speckled thing with two legs. The speckled thing puffed up and said "Squawk!"

The little pig ran as fast as he could because he thought the speckled thing was chasing him. But it wasn't.

The little pig did not know where he was running, and he did not have time to find out. The first thing he knew he almost ran into a lot of two-legged things. They had big yellow mouths.

[Ill.u.s.tration: "'HISS!' IT SAID, AND IT NIPPED THE LITTLE PIG'S LEG."]