Johnny-Cake

Once upon a time, there was an old man. He lived with an old woman and a little boy. One morning, the old woman made a Johnny-cake and put it in the oven to bake.

“Watch the Johnny-cake, and I will go to work in the garden,” she said to the little boy. Then the old man and the old woman went out.

But the little boy didn’t watch the Johnny-cake, and suddenly, he heard a noise. He looked up and saw how the oven door opened. Out of the oven^[33] jumped Johnny-cake and went towards the door of the house.

“Stop, stop!” cried the little boy, but Johnny-cake was very quick and ran away. The boy called his parents for help, but they could not catch Johnny-cake. Soon, he was out of sight^[34].

Johnny-cake was going along the road, and soon he came to two well-diggers who were digging a well. They saw him and asked, “Where are you going, Johnny-cake?”

He said, “I outran an old man, and an old woman, and a little boy, and I can outrun you too-o-o!”

“Really? You can, can you? We’ll see!” they said and threw down their picks and ran after him^[35]. But they could not catch him, and soon they sat down by the road to rest.

Johnny-cake was going along the road, and soon he came to two ditchdiggers who were digging a ditch.

“Where are you going, Johnny-cake?” said they.

He said, “I outran an old man, and an old woman, and a little boy, and two well-diggers, and I can outrun you too-o-o!”

“You can, can you? We’ll see!” they said, and threw down their spades and ran after him. But Johnny-cake soon was very quick, and when they saw that they could never catch him, they sat down to rest.

Johnny-cake was going along the road, and soon he came to a bear. The bear said, “Where are you going, Johnny-cake?”

He said, “I outran an old man, and an old woman and a little boy, two well-diggers and two ditch-diggers, and I can outrun you too-o-o!”

“You can, can you?” growled the bear, “We’ll see!” and tried to catch Johnnycake. But Johnny-cake did not stop and ran away. The bear was very tired and lay down to rest.

Johnny-cake was going along the road, and he came to a wolf. The wolf said, “Where are you going, Johnny-cake?”

He said, “I outran an old man, an old woman, a little boy, two well-diggers, two ditch-diggers, and a bear, and I can outrun you too-o-o!”

“You can, can you?” snarled the wolf. “We’ll see!” And he began to run after Johnny-cake, but Johnny-cake was so quick that the wolf saw that there was no hope to catch him, and he lay down to rest.

Johnny-cake was going along the road, and soon he came to a fox that was lying quietly near the fence. The fox asked him gently, “Where are you going, Johnny-cake?”

He said, “I outran an old man, an old woman, a little boy, two well-diggers, two ditch-diggers, a bear, and a wolf, and I can outrun you too-o-o!”

The fox said, “I can’t hear you, Johnny-cake, please come a little closer.”

Johnny-cake stopped and went a little closer and said in a very loud voice, ”I outran an old man, an old woman, a little boy, two well-diggers, two ditchdiggers, a bear, and a wolf, and I can outrun you too-o-o!”

“Oh, I can’t hear you; can you come a little closer?” said the fox in a weak voice.

Johnny-cake came closer and screamed, “I OUTRAN AN OLD MAN, AN OLD WOMAN, A LITTLE BOY, TWO WELLDIGGERS, TWO DITCH-DIGGERS, A BEAR, AND A WOLF, AND I CAN OUTRUN YOU TOO-O-O!!!!”

“You can, can you?” yelped the fox and caught Johnny-cake with his paw and threw him in his sharp teeth.

The Mouse and the Cat

The Mouse went to visit the Cat. The Cat was sitting behind the hall door and spinning.

MOUSE. What are you doing, my lady, my lady,

What are you doing, my lady?

CAT. I’m spinning old breeches, my dear, my dear,

I’m spinning old breeches, my dear.

MOUSE. I was sweeping my room, my lady, my lady,

I was sweeping my room, my lady.

CAT. It will be cleaner, my dear, my dear,

It will be cleaner, my dear.

MOUSE. I found a silver sixpence, my lady, my lady,

I found a silver sixpence, my lady.

CAT. You’ll be richer, my dear, my dear,

You’ll be richer, my dear.

MOUSE. I went to the market, my lady, my lady,

I went to the market, my lady.

CAT. You went so far, my dear, my dear,

You went so far, my dear.

MOUSE. I bought me a pudding, my lady, my lady,

I bought me a pudding, my lady.

CAT. You’ll have more food, my dear, my dear,

You’ll have more food, my dear.

MOUSE. I put it in the window to cool, my lady,

I put it in the window to cool.

CAT. You’ll eat it faster, my dear, my dear,

You’ll eat it faster, my dear.

MOUSE. The cat came and ate it, my lady, my lady,

The cat came and ate it, my lady.

CAT. And I’ll eat you too, my dear, my dear,

And I’ll eat you too, my dear.

Jack the Buttermilk

Jack was a boy who sold buttermilk. One day he met a witch. She asked him to give her some of his buttermilk for free^[36]. “If you don’t give me some buttermilk,” said the witch, “I’ll put you into my bag and carry away^[37]”. Jack refused to give the witch any of his buttermilk, so the witch put him into a bag that she carried over her shoulders.

She walked home with him. But on her way she suddenly remembered that she forgot a pot of fat that she bought in the town. Jack was very heavy, and the witch did not want to carry him back to the town, so she asked some men who were brushing the hedge by the road to take care^[38] of her bag till she came back.

When the witch went away, Jack cried to the men, “If you take me out^[39] of this bag and fill it full of thorns^[40], I will give you some of my buttermilk.”

So the men took Jack out of the bag and filled it with thorns, and then Jack gave them some buttermilk and ran home.

When the witch came back from town, she picked up her bag and walked home. But the thorns began to prick her back. When she came home, she emptied the bag on a clean white table. But when she found that there was nothing in the bag but thorns, she was very angry and said, “I’ll catch you tomorrow, Jack, and I’ll boil you.”

Next day she met Jack again and asked him for some buttermilk and told him, “If you do not give me some buttermilk, I’ll put you into the bag again.” But Jack said, “I’ll give you no buttermilk.” So the witch put him into her bag, and again she remembered that she forgot something in the town.

This time she left the bag with some men who were mending the road.

When the witch went away, Jack cried to the men, “If you will take me out and fill this bag full of stones, I will give you some of my buttermilk.”

Then the men took Jack out of the bag, and he gave them the buttermilk.

When the witch came back from town, she picked up her bag and walked home. But the bag was very heavy. So she chuckled and said, “Indeed, Jack, you must eat less.”

When she came home, she emptied the bag on the white table again. But when she saw the stones, she was very angry and cried, “I swear, Jack, that I’ll boil you when I catch you!”

Next day she met Jack again and asked for some buttermilk. But Jack said, “No,” again, so she put him into her bag and went straight home with him and threw him out on the white table.

When she did this, she saw she did not have enough water to boil the boy. So she put Jack back in the bag and went away. But she forgot to tie the bag. So while she was away, Jack crept out of it, opened all the cupboards in the house, and filled the bag with all the pots that he could find. After that he went away, and soon he was safely home.

When the witch came back, she emptied the bag on the table again and broke all the pots that she had. After this she never caught Jack any more.

Teeny-Tiny

Once upon a time, there was a teeny-tiny woman. She lived in a teeny-tiny house in a teeny-tiny village. Now, one day this teeny-tiny woman put on her teeny-tiny bonnet and went out of her teeny-tiny house to take a teeny-tiny walk. And when this teeny-tiny woman went a teeny-tiny way, she came to a teeny-tiny gate. So the teeny-tiny woman opened the teeny-tiny gate and went into a teeny-tiny churchyard. And when this teeny-tiny woman got into the teeny-tiny churchyard, she saw a teeny-tiny bone on a teeny-tiny grave, and the teeny-tiny woman said to her teeny-tiny self, “This teeny-tiny bone will make me some teeny-tiny soup for my teeny-tiny supper.” So the teeny-tiny woman put the teeny-tiny bone into her teeny-tiny pocket and went home to her teeny-tiny house.

Now, when the teeny-tiny woman got home to her teeny-tiny house, she was a teeny-tiny bit tired. So she went up her teeny-tiny stairs to her teeny-tiny bed and put the teeny-tiny bone into a teeny-tiny cupboard. And when this teeny-tiny woman was teeny-tiny sleeping, she was awakened^[41] by a teeny-tiny voice from the teeny-tiny cupboard which said, “Give me my bone!”

And this teeny-tiny woman was a teeny-tiny frightened, so she hid her teeny-tiny head under the teeny-tiny clothes and went to sleep again. And when she was again teeny-tiny sleeping, the teeny-tiny voice again cried out from the teeny-tiny cupboard a teeny-tiny louder, “Give me my bone!”

The teeny-tiny woman was a teeny-tiny bit more frightened, so she hid her teeny-tiny head a teeny-tiny further under the teeny-tiny clothes. And when she was again teeny-tiny sleeping, the teeny-tiny voice from the teeny-tiny cupboard said again a teeny-tiny louder, “Give me my bone!”

And this teeny-tiny woman was a teeny-tiny bit more frightened, but she put her teeny-tiny head out^[42] of the teeny-tiny clothes and said in her loudest teeny-tiny voice, “TAKE IT!”

The Glass Ball

There was once a woman who had two daughters. She gave each of them a beautiful glass ball, and they liked them very much.

One day, they were playing together, and one of the girls tossed her ball over the wall into the next garden. The house in that garden belonged to a fox who never talked to his neighbours.

The girl that tossed her ball over the wall was afraid of this fox, but she liked the glass ball very much, so she said to herself, “I must not lose my ball and I’ll get it back.^[43]”

So she bravely walked to the fox’s house, but she knocked at the door very timidly. The fox opened the door, and the girl told him how she lost her glass ball in his garden.

“You can have your ball,” said the fox, “if you become my housekeeper for a year.”

The girl agreed to live in the fox’s house for a year. She did not see the fox very often because he went out early every morning and came back late at night.

Now, before the fox went out as usual^[44] one morning, he called the girl to him and said to her, “I am going away for a little time^[45]. While I am away,^[46] there are five things you must not do: you must not wash up the dishes or sweep the floor or dust the chairs or look into the cupboard, and you must not look under my bed.”

And the fox went away. But the girl decided to disobey him, and she said to herself, “I will see what happens if I don’t do as he tells me.”

So first of all, she washed up the dishes. Suddenly, a great bag full of copper fell down before her.

“Very good,” said the girl.

Next, she swept the floor. This time^[47], a great bag full of silver fell down before her.

“Better still^[48],” said the girl.

Next, she dusted the chairs when a great bag full of gold fell down before her.

“That’s just what I want,” said the girl.

Next, she looked into the cupboard, and there was her glass ball!

“Oh, you don’t know how glad I am,” she said and clapped her hands.

Finally, she went upstairs and looked under the bed, and there was the fox! She was awfully frightened and ran downstairs, through the garden and up the town street. She came to a lane, and at the top of the lane she met a horse and said to the horse:

 
“Horse of mine, horse of thine^[49],
If you meet a fox today,
Do not tell I passed this way.”
 

And the horse neighed and said, “I will not.”

A little further she met a cow and said:

 
“Cow of mine, cow of thine,
If you meet a fox today,
Do not tell I passed this way.”
 

And the cow mooed and said, “I will not.”

A little further she met a mule and said:

 
“Mule of mine, mule of thine,
If you meet a fox today,
Do not tell I passed this way.”
 

And the mule brayed and said, “I will not.”

A little further she met a dog and said:

 
“Dog of mine, dog of thine,
If you meet a fox today,
Do not tell I passed this way.”
 

And the dog barked and said, “I will not.”

A little further on she met a cat and said:

 
“Cat of mine, cat of thine,
If you meet a fox today,
Do not tell I passed this way.”
 

And the cat mewed and said, “I will not.”

Finally, she met an owl and said:

 
“Owl of mine, owl of thine,
If you meet a fox today,
Do not tell I passed this way.”
 

And the owl hooted and said, “I will not.”

The fox followed the girl, and now he came to the same lane where he met the horse and sang to him with such a lovely voice:

 
“Horse of mine, horse of thine,
Did you meet a maid of mine?”
 

And the horse said, “She passed me by.^[50]”

Next he met the same cow and sang to her:

 
“Cow of mine, cow of thine,
Did you meet a maid of mine?”
 

And the cow said, “She passed me by.”

A little further on he met the same mule and sang:

 
“Mule of mine, mule of thine,
Did you meet a maid of mine?”
 

And the mule said, “She passed me by.”

A little further he met the same dog and sang:

 
“Dog of mine, dog of thine,
Did you meet a maid of mine?”
 

And the dog said, “She passed me by.”

A little further he met the same cat and sang:

 
“Cat of mine, cat of thine,
Did you meet a maid of mine?”
 

And the cat said, “She passed me by.”

Finally, he met the owl and sang:

 
“Owl of mine, owl of thine,
Did you meet a maid of mine?”
 

And the owl said, “She passed me by.”

“Which way did she go?” said the fox.

The owl answered, “You must go over that gate^[51] and across that field, and you will find her behind the wood.”

The fox ran away, over the gate and across the field and into the wood, but he did not find neither the girl nor the glass ball.

The Three Sillies

Once upon a time, there was a farmer and his wife who had one daughter. And a gentleman courted this girl. He came every evening to see her and stopped to supper at the farmhouse, and the daughter went down into the cellar to bring the beer for supper. So one evening she went down to bring the beer, and she saw a mallet that was hanging on the ceiling. She did not notice it before. She thought it was very dangerous to have that mallet there, and she said to herself, “If we marry, and we have a son, and he grows up and comes down into the cellar to bring the beer, the mallet will fall on his head and kill him. How awful!” And she sat down and began to cry.

Her father and the gentleman were wondering upstairs where the girl disappeared, and her mother went down to look for^[52] her. She saw that the girl was sitting and crying, and the beer was running all over the floor^[53].

“What’s the matter?” said her mother.

“Oh, mother!” says she. “Look at that horrid mallet! If we marry, and we have a son, and he grows up and comes down into the cellar to bring the beer, the mallet will fall on his head and kill him. How awful! How awful!”

“Dear, dear! That’s really terrible!” said the mother, and she sat down and started to cry, too. Then the father began to wonder that they didn’t come back, and he went down into the cellar. They were sitting and crying, and the beer was running all over the floor.

“What’s the matter?” says he.

“Oh,” says the mother, “look at that horrid mallet. Just think: if our daughter and her sweetheart marry, and they have a son, and he grows up and comes down into the cellar to bring the beer, the mallet will fall on his head and kill him. How awful! How awful!”

“Dear, dear, dear! It is so dreadful!” said the father, and he sat down and started to cry, too.

Now the gentleman went down into the cellar too, to see what they were doing there. They three were sitting and crying side by side^[54], and the beer was running all over the floor. And he ran and turned the tap.

Then he said, “What are you three doing? Why are you sitting and crying?”

“Oh!” says the father, “look at that horrid mallet! Just think: if you and our daughter marry, and you have a son, and he grows up and comes down into the cellar to bring the beer, the mallet will fall on his head and kill him. How awful! How awful!” And then they all started to cry worse than before.

But the gentleman smiled and took the mallet, and then he said, “I travelled many miles, and I never met such big sillies as you three before. Now I shall start my travels again, and when I can find three bigger sillies than you three, then I’ll come back and marry your daughter.” So he wished them good-bye and went away. The three sillies were all crying because the girl lost her sweetheart.

Well, he travelled a long way, and at last^[55] he came to a woman’s cottage. It had some grass on the roof. And the woman was trying to get her cow to go up a ladder^[56] to the grass. So the gentleman asked the woman what she was doing. “Look at all that beautiful grass,” she said, “I’m going to feed my cow with it.” “Oh, you poor silly!” said the gentleman, “you must cut the grass and throw it down^[57] to the cow!”

Well, that was one big silly.

Then the gentleman came to an inn. In the morning he saw a strange man. He hang his trousers on the knobs of the chest of drawers^[58] and ran across the room and tried to jump into them. At last, he stopped and wiped his face with his handkerchief. “Trousers,” he says, “are the most terrible kind of clothes in the world. Who could invent such things?! I usually spend an hour to get into my trousers every morning!” So the gentleman laughed, and showed him how to put the trousers on^[59].

So that was another big silly.

Then the gentleman came to a village. Outside the village there was a pond, and round the pond was a crowd of people. And they had rakes, and brooms, and pitchforks, and they were piercing the water of the pond. The gentleman asked what was the matter. “Don’t you see^[60],” they say, “Moon fell down into the pond, and we can’t catch it!” So the gentleman laughed and told them to look up into the sky and that it was only the shadow in the water. But they didn’t listen to him and abused him.

And he saw more and more sillies, even more than three. So the gentleman came back home again and married the farmer’s daughter. And if they didn’t live happily, that’s nothing to do with you or me^[61].