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Bye, Baby bunting,
Father's gone a-hunting,
Mother's gone a-milking,
Sister's gone a-silking,
And Brother's gone to buy a skin,
To wrap the Baby bunting in.
THREE LITTLE KITTENS
Three little kittens, they lost their mittens,
And they began to cry:
"O mother dear,
We very much fear,
That we have lost our mittens."
Lost your mittens!
You naughty kittens!
Then you shall have no pie.
"Mee-ow, mee-ow, mee-ow,"
No, you shall have no pie.
"Mee-ow, mee-ow, mee-ow."
The three little kittens, they found their mittens,
And they began to cry:
"O mother dear,
See here, see here!
See! we have found our mittens."
Put on your mittens
You silly kittens,
And you may have some pie.
"Purr-r, purr-r, purr-r,
O let us have the pie.
Purr-r, purr-r, purr-r."
The three little kittens put on their mittens,
And soon ate up the pie;
"O mother dear,
We greatly fear,
That we have soiled our mittens."
Soiled your mittens!
You naughty kittens!
Then they began to sigh,
"Mee-ow, mee-ow, mee-ow."
Then they began to sigh,
"Mee-ow, mee-ow, mee-ow."
The three little kittens, they washed their mittens.
And hung them out to dry;
"O mother dear,
Do you not hear,
That we have washed our mittens?"
Washed your mittens!
Oh, you're good kittens.
But I smell a rat close by;
Hush! Hush! "Mee-ow, mee-ow.
We smell a rat close by,
Mee-ow, mee-ow, mee-ow."
TOM WAS A PIPER'S SON
Tom, Tom was a piper's son,
He learned to play when he was young,
And all the tune that he could play
Was "Over the hills and far away."
Over the hills, and a great way off,
The wind will blow my top-knot off.
Now, Tom with his pipe made such a noise
That he well pleased both the girls and boys,
And they always stopped to hear him play
"Over the hills and far away."
DAFFY-DOWN-DILLY
Daffy-down-dilly is new come to town,
With a petticoat green, and a bright yellow gown,
And her white blossoms are peeping around.
BILLY BOY
Oh, where have you been, Billy Boy, Billy Boy,
Oh, where have you been, charming Billy?
"I have been to seek a wife,
She's the joy of my life,
She's a young thing and cannot leave her mother."
What work can she do, Billy Boy, Billy Boy,
What work can she do, charming Billy?
"She can brew and she can bake,
She can make a wedding cake--
She's a young thing and cannot leave her mother."
Can she make a cherry pie, Billy Boy, Billy Boy,
Can she make a cherry pie, charming Billy?
"She can make a cherry pie
Quick's cat can wink her eye--
She's a young thing and cannot leave her mother."
How old is she, Billy Boy, Billy Boy,
How old is she, charming Billy?
"She is three times six, four times seven,
Twenty-eight and eleven--
She's a young thing and cannot leave her mother."
THREE WISE MEN OF GOTHAM
Three wise men of Gotham
Went to sea in a bowl,
And if the bowl had been stronger
My song had been longer.
LITTLE TOMMY TUCKER
"Little Tommy Tucker,
Sing for your supper."
"What shall I sing?"
"White bread and butter."
"How shall I cut it
Without any knife?
How shall I marry
Without any wife?"
PUSSY AND THE MICE
Nine little mice sat down to spin;
Pussy passed by, and she peeped in.
"What are you at, my little men?"
"Making coats for gentlemen."
"Shall I come in and bite off your threads?"
"No, no, Miss Pussy, you'll snip off our heads."
WHEN I WAS A LITTLE BOY
When I was a little boy, I lived by myself,
And all the bread and cheese I got I put upon a shelf;
The rats and the mice, they made such a strife,
I was forced to go to London to buy me a wife.
The streets were so broad, and the lanes were so narrow,
I was forced to bring my wife home in a wheelbarrow;
The wheelbarrow broke, and my wife had a fall,
And down came the wheelbarrow, wife, and all.
CHINESE MOTHER-GOOSE RHYMES
BY PROF ISAAC TAYLOR HEADLAND
LITTLE FAT BOY
What a bonny little fellow is this fat boy of mine!
He makes people die of joy!
What a fine little fellow is this fat boy of mine!
Now whose is this loving little boy?
[Illustration: THE LITTLE FAT BOY.]
Do you want to buy a beauty?
Do you want to buy a beauty?
If you buy him he will watch your house,
And do it as his duty.
And no matter as to servants,
You may have them or may not,
But you'll never need to lock your door,
Or give your house a thought.
[Illustration: A FINGER TEST.]
A FINGER TEST
You strike three times on the top, you see,
And strike three times on the bottom for me,
Then top and bottom you strike very fast,
And open a door in the middle at last.
[Illustration: "OUR BABY," IN CHINESE CHARACTERS.]
OUR BABY
Mrs. Chang, Mrs. Lee,
Mama has a small babee;
Stands up firm,
Sits up straight,
Won't eat milk,
But lives on cake.
[Illustration: OUR BABY.]
[Illustration: THE LITTLE GOLDEN SISTER.]
THE LITTLE GOLDEN SISTER
My little golden sister
Rides a golden horse slow,
And we'll use a golden whip
If the horse doesn't go.
A little gold fish
In a gold bowl we see,
And a gold-colored bird
On a gold-blossomed tree.
A gold-plated god
In a gold temple stands,
With a gold-plated baby
In his gold-plated hands.
TEN FINGERS
(_A Chinese finger-play_)
Three horses are drinking,
Three horses are feeding,
The two men are fighting,
The old woman pleading,
The baby is crying,
But no one is heeding.
[Illustration: TEN FINGERS.]
[Illustration: "TEN FINGERS," IN CHINESE CHARACTERS.]
A RIDDLE
A plum blossom foot,
And a pudding face sweet;
He's taller when he's sitting
Than when standing on his feet.
[Illustration: A RIDDLE.]
THE FIVE FINGERS
(_Another finger-play_)
A great big brother,
And a little brother so,
A big bell-tower,
And a temple and a show,
And little baby wee, wee,
Always wants to go.
[Illustration: THE FIVE FINGERS.]
LADYBUG
Ladybug, ladybug,
Fly away, do;
Fly to the mountain,
And feed upon dew.
Feed upon dew,
And sleep on a rug,
And then run away
Like a good little bug.
[Illustration: "LADYBUG," IN CHINESE CHARACTERS.]
[Illustration: LADYBUG.]
THE SPIDER
Oh, my dear brother spider,
With your body big and red,
From the eaves you are hanging
On a single little thread.
[Illustration: THE SPIDER.]
[Illustration: "THE GREAT WALL," IN CHINESE CHARACTERS.]
THE GREAT WALL
The wily Emperor Tsin Chi-hwang
He built a wall both great and strong.
The steps were narrow, but the wall was stout,
So it kept the troublesome Tartars out.
#MOTHER GOOSE CONTINUED#
BY ANNA MARION SMITH
"Pussy cat, Pussy cat"
"Pussy cat, pussy cat, where have you been?"
"I've been to London, to see the Queen."
"Pussy cat, pussy cat, what did you there?"
"I frightened a little mouse under the chair."
"What did you say when you'd made your best bow?"
"I opened my mouth and remarked '_miaow_.'"
"What did the Queen say in answer to that?"
"She screamed a little, and then she said, 'SCAT!'"
Little Boy Blue
"Little boy Blue, come blow your horn,
The sheep's in the meadow, the cow's in the corn.
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