The Old Goose and Her Goslings

HE old Goose lay on her deathbed,

ΤΗ

And to her Goslings three she said:
"Brick houses build with roofs of tile,
If you would thwart the Fox's guile."

The youngest gosling, Gliss by name,
To build no house of brick would aim.
But had recourse to pine-wood base,
And boxed him up a dwelling place.

The Fox came prowling from the wood,
Quoth he, "I smell my evening food,
No meat is half so sweet to me,

As tender gosling meat," quoth he.

Then from the wood-build house he tore,
Its helpless inmate, and him bore

Unto the callous rocks and stones,

And there devoured him body and bones.

Then Gloss, the second Gosling said:

Give me no paltry wooden shed,

With brick I'll build for my defense,
And thatch my house to save expense."

He thatched his house and in it lay.
The Fox came down at break of day,
With burning torch of birch-tree sprays,
And set the straw roof all a-blaze.

And as his victim in the smoke,
Went flying over the glades of oak,
He followed him until he fell,
Then ate him up in a tangly dell.

And the third Gosling sad was he,
His only name was Number Three,
To whom there came a friendly Drake
With "Tile your house all safe to make."

He tiled his house all safe to make,
And from the window, wide awake,
Mocked at the Fox's wily prayer,
"Oh! come with me unto the fair."

But when the Fox had sneaked away,

Then Number Three took heart to play,
And gaily to the fair went he,

The beast and beastesses for to see.

And there, behind a wood-ware stand,
He saw the Elephant so grand,
Among whose goods he took a turn,
And of him bought a bass-wood churn.

Then homeward hied he merrily, till
He spied the red Fox under the hill,
When straight into the churn he slipped,
And past old Reynard rolled and skipped.

Next morn the hounds were on their game, And, hot with haste, old Reynard came, "Oh, hide me somewhere, quick," cried he; "Get into my churn," said Number Three.

And in the churn when him he'd got,
He filled it with water, piping hot,
"Oh! now," said he, "his tricks I've spoil'd,"
And he sat on the lid till the Fox was boil'd.

A

A Little Cock Sparrow

LITTLE cock sparrow sat on a green tree,

And he chirruped, he chirruped, so merry was he; And a naughty boy came with a wee bow and arrow, Determined to shoot this little cock sparrow.

"This little cock sparrow shall make me a stew,
And his giblets shall make me a little pie too."
"Oh, no!" said the sparrow, "I won't make a stew,"
And he flapped his wings and away he flew!

Old Woman, Old Woman

"OLD

LD woman, old woman, shall we go a shearing?" "Speak a little louder, sir, I am very

thick of hearing,"

you dearly?"

"Thank you, kind sir, I hear you very clearly."