A nursery story I loved as a kid.
An
old woman was sweeping her house, and she found a little
crooked sixpence. "What," said she, "shall I do with this little
sixpence? I will go to
market, and buy a little
pig."
As she was coming
home, she came to a
stile: but the piggy wouldn't
go over the stile.
She went a little
further, and she met a
dog. So she said to him: "Dog! dog!
bite pig; piggy won't go over the stile; and I shan't get home
tonight." But the dog wouldn't.
She went a little further, and she met a
stick. So she said: "Stick! stick!
beat dog; dog won't bite pig; piggy won't get over the stile; and I shan't get home tonight." But the stick wouldn't.
She went a little further, and she met a
fire. So she said: "Fire! fire!
burn stick; stick won't beat dog; dog won't bite pig; piggy won't get over the stile; and I shan't get home tonight." But the fire wouldn't.
She went a little further, and she met some
water. So she said: "Water! water!
quench fire; fire won't burn stick; stick won't beat dog; dog won't bite pig; piggy won't get over the stile; and I shan't get home tonight." But the water wouldn't.
She went a little further, and she met an
ox. So she said: "Ox! ox!
drink water; water won't quench fire; fire won't burn stick; stick won't beat dog; dog won't bite pig; piggy won't get over the stile; and I shan't get home tonight." But the ox wouldn't.
She went a little further, and she met a
butcher. So she said: "Butcher! butcher!
kill ox; ox won't drink water; water won't quench fire; fire won't burn stick; stick won't beat dog; dog won't bite pig; piggy won't get over the stile; and I shan't get home tonight." But the butcher wouldn't.
She went a little further, and she met a
rope. So she said: "Rope! rope!
hang butcher; butcher won't kill ox; ox won't drink water; water won't quench fire; fire won't burn stick; stick won't beat dog; dog won't bite pig; piggy won't get over the stile; and I shan't get home tonight." But the rope wouldn't.
She went a little further, and she met a
rat. So she said: "Rat! rat!
gnaw rope; rope won't hang butcher; butcher won't kill ox; ox won't drink water; water won't quench fire; fire won't burn stick; stick won't beat dog; dog won't bite pig;
piggy won't get over the stile; and I shan't get home tonight." But the rat wouldn't.
She went a little further, and she met a
cat. So she said: "Cat! cat! kill rat; rat won't gnaw rope; rope won't hang butcher; butcher won't kill ox; ox won't drink water; water won't quench fire; fire won't burn stick; stick won't beat dog; dog won't bite pig; piggy won't get over the stile; and I shan't get home tonight." But the cat said to her, "If you go to
yonder cow, and
fetch me a saucer of
milk, I will kill the rat." So away went the old woman to the
cow.
But the cow said to her: "If you will go to yonder
haystack, and fetch me a handful of
hay, I'll give you the milk." So away went the old
woman to the haystack; and she brought the hay to the cow.
As soon as the cow had
eaten the hay, she
gave the old woman the milk; and away she went with it in a saucer to the cat.
As soon as the cat had
lapped up the milk, the cat
began to kill the rat; the rat began to gnaw the rope; the rope began to hang the butcher; the butcher began to kill the ox; the ox began to drink the water; the water began to quench the fire; the fire began to burn the stick; the stick began to beat the dog; the dog began to bite the pig; the
little pig in a
fright jumped
over the stile; and so the woman got home that night.