English Fairy Tales
THE OLD WOMAN AND HER PIGAn
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 the dog: "Dog!
bite pig; piggy won't go over the stile; and I shan't get home
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. 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 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 old woman got home
that night.
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