LITTLE SIR CAT
Little Sir Cat and Little Boy Blue
"Little Boy Blue,
Come blow your horn,
Your cows are eating
Farmer Green's corn,"
sang Robbie Redbreast as Little Sir Cat passed through a meadow in new Mother Goose Land. And just then a little boy dressed in blue jumped out from behind a haystack and began to blow on his silver horn.
Goodness me! Dapple Gray was so startled that he stood up on his hind legs and nearly upset his small rider.
LITTLE SIR CAT AND LITTLE BOY BLUE
"Don't blow it again till I get out of the meadow," said Little Sir Cat, and he rode away. By-and-by, after a while, he came to a neat-looking cottage with a red chimney and pink blinds. So he knocked on the door, and who do you suppose opened it? You'll never guess, so I'll tell you right away. Why, Old Mother Hubbard and her dog. Wasn't that strange? For the last time Little Sir Cat had seen them was in Old Mother Goose Country, and of course he was surprised to meet them. All of a sudden, the Dog began to sing:
"Old Mother Hubbard never goes to the cupboard
To get me a bone any more;
For she has an excuse, so what is the use?
She remembers what happened before.
So now we both go to a nice movie show,
And then to a restaurant fine,
Where we order a stew of giblets for two,
And the orchestra plays while we dine."
"Hurray!" cried Little Sir Cat, "things are certainly very different in this country." And pretty soon he told them he must be on his way. So off he went through the woods, and by-and-by he came to a deep pool under a great oak tree. But he didn't know that a Frog Prince lived in it. No, Siree. And perhaps it was just as well that he didn't, for the Frog Prince didn't like cats at all.
Well, as soon as he saw Little Sir Cat, he gave a dreadful loud croak and hopped out on the bank.
"Shall I kick him?" asked Dapple Gray with a toss of his head, for he wasn't afraid of that croaky old frog, not the least little bit.
"Of course not," answered Little Sir Cat. "Are you really a frog, or an enchanted prince?" he asked, turning to the Frog Prince.
And, would you believe it, the tears came to that poor frog's eyes, as he answered:
"A wicked witch has cast a spell over me. I was once a handsome prince."
"I will help you," answered Little Sir Cat, and, jumping off Dapple Gray, he hunted through the grass until he found a tiny, little flower, blue as the summer sky.
"Tomorrow morning when the cock crows eat this flower," he said, handing it to the Frog Prince, "and you will once more be your natural self." And before the happy frog could thank him he jumped on Dapple Gray and rode away to the next story.
Peter, Peter, pumpkin eater,
Had a wife and couldn't keep her;
He made a car of the pumpkin shell,
And there he kept her very well.
[MAY DAY FROLICS IN MERRY OLD ENGLAND]
Suppose we "go a-Maying" among old traditions and see with what ceremonies our English ancestors welcomed the "merry month." We do not celebrate the first day of May to any extent in this country, but in England, where the season is much earlier than ours, and the earth is already covered with wild flowers, May-day is more fitly celebrated; but even in England the old customs have sadly fallen away.
Once upon a time every village had its annual setting up of the May-pole, which was consecrated to the Goddess of Flowers, and early on May morning the young people went out to "gather the May." The first thing was to select the May-pole. The landed gentry allowed the villagers the choice of a suitable tree on their domains. A tall, straight sapling having been selected, it was speedily cut down and dragged to the village green by oxen gayly decorated with flowers and bright colored ribbons. Following after came the youths and maidens with wreaths of flowers, which they twined around cottage doorways on their way to the green, where they were to choose from among their number a Lord and Lady of May.
After a bower was built for them and the May-pole set up, there were merry dances, the revellers donning mask and costume to represent Robin Hood, Friar Tuck, Maid Marian, Much the Miller's Son, Little John, Will Scarlet and all the other famous characters of merry Sherwood. Pantomime was also indulged in, for this was a simple age, when simple pleasures satisfied the country people. Into the ring would come a hobby-horse and a dragon, the former ambling and prancing about, while the latter hissed and shook his wings, to the great delight of the spectators. There were also morris-dancers, with bells attached to their knees and elbows, who danced and capered musically. After this came trials of skill in archery by Robin Hood and his fellows, and when all these amusements grew tiresome, the villagers thronged about the May-pole and spent the remainder of the day in dancing.
But these May-day observances were not confined only to the country. In London at one time tall poles were erected on May morning, and green arbors and branches decorated the streets. It was a great day for the milkmaids and chimney-sweeps, who paraded the streets in companies, begging a trifle from their customers.
The leader of the chimney-sweeps, called "Jack in the Green," was covered, with the exception of his legs, with green boughs, garlands and nosegays. He looked like a dancing bouquet, as he moved up and down the street. Many a penny the sweeps collected from the admiring bystanders. This was a custom up to about one hundred years ago, and will perhaps remind some of my little readers of the ragamuffins who parade the streets of New York on Thanksgiving Day, begging a penny from every passer-by.
Finally, many abuses arose in the observance of the day. In 1644 Parliament passed an act forbidding the erection of May-poles. Later, during the restoration of the gay Charles the Second, the May-poles came back and flourished for a long time. Gradually, however, as the ancient simplicity of manners departed from the lower orders of the people, who were its chief upholders, the May-day festival fell into disuse, and now there are neither May-poles nor morris-dancers nor Jacks in the Green.
[THE SPIDER AND THE FLY]
A big Black Spider was spinning away,
Spinning her lacey web all day;
And when she had finished it, close to the wall
She curled herself up in a round black ball.
Lazily buzzing, buzzing away,
A little Blue Fly was buzzing all day.
Into the open window he flew
And close to the Spider's web he drew.
"Oh, what a pretty piece of lace
Swinging away in the window space!"
The little Blue Fly remarked to himself,
As he carefully crawled on the narrow shelf.
Then he brushed the dirt from his gauzy wing
And watched the spider web swing and swing.
Now this little Fly was a mischievous Fly,
And there wasn't a bit of green in his eye!
So, as he watched it swing and swing,
He thought 'twould be fun to cut the string.
Then Mrs. Spider's hammock would fall
Down with a somersault off the wall.
Creeping up to her hiding place,
He gave a pull on the flimsy lace.
Down one end of the hammock fell,
While the Big Black Spider gave a yell.
Out thro' the window the little Fly flew;
'Twas safer out there for him, he knew.
And he said, as he winked his little blue eye:
"Good-by, Mrs. Spider; good-by, good-by!"
I hate to go to bed at night, Or get up when again it's light— It's funny that I love to do 'Most anything between these two. |
Bennie's Easter Dream
Bennie woke up on Easter morning and saw a little rabbit with a big bow of blue ribbon around his neck standing in the doorway.
"Come along!" he said. "I'm going to give you a ride on my back."
In a few minutes Bennie had on his clothes and tiptoeing down the stairs, they slipped out of the front door.
"Hold on to my ears!" said the rabbit, and away they went down the garden walk. When they reached the barnyard the rabbit stopped before the haystack, and pulling out a small basket and a big silver spoon, said to Bennie:
"Take this basket and come with me to the hen-house. If we get there before the fairies we will find the pretty colored eggs which the hens lay for Easter. But hurry, for we must get there first."
They opened the door quietly, just as the big Red Rooster began to crow. "Lift up the eggs with the silver spoon," said the rabbit, as they peeped into the nests; "don't touch one with your hand or it will lose its lovely color." Soon the basket was full. "Come on," cried the rabbit; "hurry up and get on my back; it's getting late." Bennie jumped on, but just as they started off four little chickens ran out of their coop and screamed:
Cock-a-doodle doo!
You've got my egg of blue;
My yellow one, my purple one,
My little green one, too!
Suddenly he found himself in his own little bed, while outside the happy Easter bells were ringing. He wondered where his little friend the rabbit had disappeared to, and the four little chickens.
Then he looked down at the counterpane, and what do you suppose he saw. A whole nest full of beautiful, painted Easter eggs with the funniest faces and the brightest colors. Bennie gave a squeal of delight and hopped out of bed to dress so that he could show his treasure to all the other children he knew, but in his excitement forgot all about the dear little bunny.
[A LITTLE GIRL'S DIARY]
Sunday
I love her on a Sunday,
As she goes to church with me,
With her little gilt-edged Bible
Held close and reverently.
Sunday morning Father and I start off for church before the rest of the family, because Father wants his early walk, and I love to go with him. Through the park we go, watching the pretty little squirrels who run up to us, for they seem to know that Father will let me wait a few minutes to give them some nuts or little pieces of cracker which I have almost always in my pocket. I call one squirrel the "Little Minister" because he looks so solemn, and walks up so quietly and slowly to me, and then holds his nut between his paws and looks it over, as if it were a book, before he starts to open the cover and eat the inside. After church we all come home and have early dinner. In the afternoon, brother and I go for a long walk in the park. After supper, the nicest part of all the day, we sing hymns and Brother Jack and I say a piece of poetry, which we learn for each Sunday. Then we kiss everybody good night.