Adventure | Science Fiction | Ghost stories | Poetry | Children | History BookOpen Original Text the stile; and so the old woman got home
that night.
[H] From "English Fairy Tales," collected by Joseph Jacobs; used by
permission of the publishers, G. P. Putnam's Sons.
THE LAMBIKIN[I]
Once upon a time there was a wee, wee Lambikin, who frolicked about on
his little tottery legs, and enjoyed himself amazingly. Now one day he
set off to visit his Granny, and was jumping with joy to think of all
the good things he should get from her, when whom should he meet but a
Jackal, who looked at the tender young morsel and said: "Lambikin!
Lambikin! I'LL EAT YOU!"
But Lambikin only gave a little frisk, and said:
"To Granny's house I go,
Where I shall fatter grow,
Then you can eat me so."
The Jackal thought this reasonable, and let Lambikin pass.
By and by he met a Vulture, and the Vulture, looking hungrily at the
tender morsel before him, said: "Lambikin! Lambikin! I'LL EAT YOU!"
But the Lambikin only gave a little frisk, and said:
"To Granny's house I go,
Where I shall fatter grow,
Then you can eat me so."
The Vulture thought this reasonable, and let Lambikin pass.
And by and by he met a Tiger, and then a Wolf, and a Dog, and an Eagle;
and all these, when they saw the tender little morsel, said: "Lambikin!
Lambikin! I'LL EAT YOU!"
But to all of them Lambikin replied, with a little frisk:
"To Granny's house I go,
Where I shall fatter grow,
Then you can eat me so."
At last he reached his Granny's house, and said, all in a great hurry,
"Granny dear, I've promised to get very fat, so, as people ought to keep
their promises, please put me into the corn-bin at once."
So his Granny said he was a good boy, and put him into the corn-bin, and
there the greedy little Lambikin stayed for seven days, and ate, and
ate, and ate, until he could scarcely waddle, and his Granny said he was
fat enough for anything, and must go home. But cunning little Lambikin
said that would never do, for some animal would be sure to eat him on
the way back, he was so plump and tender.
"I'll tell you what you must do," said Master Lambikin; "you must make
a little drumikin out of the skin of my little brother who died, and
then I can sit inside and trundle along nicely, for I'm as tight as a
drum myself."
So his Granny made a nice little drumikin out of his brother's skin,
with the wool inside, and Lambikin curled himself up snug and warm in
the middle, and trundled away gayly. Soon he met with the Eagle, who
called out:
"Drumikin! Drumikin!
Have you seen Lambikin?"
And Mr. Lambikin, curled up in his soft, warm nest, replied:
"Fallen into the fire, and so will you,
On little Drumikin! Tum-pa, tum-too!"
"How very annoying!" sighed the Eagle, thinking regretfully of the
tender morsel he had let slip.
Meanwhile Lambikin trundled along, laughing to himself, and singing.
"Tum-pa, tum-too;
Tum-pa, tum-too!"
Every animal and bird he met asked him the same question:
"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
Cocky-locky. "Where are you going, Henny-penny?" says Cocky-locky. "Oh!
I'm going to tell the king the sky's a-falling," says Henny-penny. "May
I come with you?" says Cocky-locky. "Certainly," says Henny-penny. So
Henny-penny and Cocky-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 Cocky-locky?"
says Ducky-daddles. "Oh! we're going to tell the king the sky's
a-falling," says Henny-penny and Cocky-locky. "May I come with you?"
says Ducky-daddles. "Certainly," says Henny-penny and Cocky-locky. So
Henny-penny, Cocky-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 the Previous Next |