The Old Woman And Her Pig
: LITTLE STORIES that GROW BIG: Boys And Girls Bookshelf
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
to-night." 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 to-night." 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 to-night." 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
to-night." 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 to-night." But the ox wouldn't.
So 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 to-night." 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 to-night!"
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 to-night." 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 to-night." But the cat said to her: "If
you will 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 hay-stack, and fetch
me a handful of hay, I'll give you the milk." So away went the old woman
to the hay-stack; 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 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.
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