Page 8—Little Children's Stories

Tom Thumb's Alphabet
A was an archer, who shot at a frog;
B was a butcher, who had a great dog;
C was a captain, all covered with lace;
D was a drunkard, and had a red face;
E was an esquire, with pride on his brow;
F was a farmer, who followed the plough;
G was a gamer, who had but ill luck;
H was a hunter, and hunted a buck;
I was an innkeeper, who loved to bouse;
J was a joiner, and built up a house;
K was King William, once governed this land;
L was a lady, who had a white hand;
M was a miser, and hoarded up gold:
N was a nobleman, gallant and bold;
O was an oyster girl, and went about town;
P was a parson, and wore a black gown;
Q was a queen, who wore a silk slip;
R was a robber, and wanted a whip;
S was a sailor, and spent all he got;
T was a tinker, and mended a pot;
U was an usurer, a miserable elf;
V was a vintner, who drank all himself;
W was a watchman, and guarded the door;
X was expensive, and so became poor;
Y was a youth, that did not love school;
Z was a Zany, a poor harmless fool;
Sing a Song-a-Sixpence
Sing a song-a-sixpence,
A pocket full of rye;
Four-and-twenty blackbirds
Baked in a pie;
When the pie was opened
The birds began to sing:
Was that not a dainty dish
To set before the king?
The king was in his counting-house,
Counting out his money,
The queen was in the parlour,
Eating bread and honey;
The maid was in the garden,
Hanging out the clothes;
Down came a blackbird,
And snapt off her nose.
Old Chairs to Mend
If I'd as much money as I could spend,
I never would cry old chairs to mend;
Old chairs to mend, old chairs to mend;
I never would cry old chairs to mend.
If I'd as much money as I could tell,
I never would cry old clothes to sell;
Old clothes to sell, old clothes to sell;
I never would cry old clothes to sell.
Dad's gane to Ploo
Cock-a-doodle-doo,
My dad's gane to ploo;
Mammy's lost her pudding-poke
And knows not what to do.
Hot Cross Buns
Hot-cross buns! Hot-cross buns!
One a penny, two a penny,
Hot-cross buns!
Hot-cross buns! Hot-cross buns!
If you have no daughters,
Give them to your sons.
Rabbit Pie
Rabbit, rabbit, rabbit-pie!
Come, my ladies, come and buy;
Else your babies they will cry.
A—Apple-Pie
A apple pie;
B bit it;
C cut it;
D danced for it;
E eat it;
F fought for it;
G got it;
H had it;
I ignored it;
J jumped for it;
K kept it;
L longed for it;
M mourned for it;
N nodded at it;
O opened it;
P peeped in it;
Q quartered it;
R ran for it;
S stole it;
T took it;
U uncovered it;
V viewed it;
W wanted it;
X ax'ed for it;
Y yawned for it:
Z cried, "Zounds! let's eat it up."
Three Men in a Tub
Rub a dub, dub,
Three men in a tub;
And who do you think they were?
The butcher, the baker, the candlestick maker,
They all came out of a rotten potato.
Dinner
Hey ding a ding, what shall I sing?
How many holes in a skimmer?
Four-and-twenty, my stomach is empty;
Pray mamma, give me some dinner.
The Barber
Barber, barber, shave a pig,
How many hairs will make a wig?
"Four-and-twenty, that's enough,"
Give the barber a pinch of snuff.
Punch and Judy
Punch and Judy fought for a pie;
Punch gave Judy a blow on the eye.
Pease Pudding
Pease pudding hot,
Pease pudding cold,
Pease pudding in the pot,
Nine days old.
Porridge
A little bit of powdered beef,
And a great net of cabbage,
The best meal I have to-day
Is a good bowl of porridge.
Shaving
The barber shaved the mason,
As I suppose cut of his nose,
And popp'd it in a basin.
Captain Duck
I saw a ship a-sailing,
A-sailing on the sea;
And, oh! it was all laden
With pretty things for thee.
There were comfits in the cabin,
And apples in the holds;
The sails were made of silk,
And the masts were made of gold.
The four-and-twenty sailors
That stood between the decks,
Were four-and-twenty white mice,
With chains about their necks.
The captain was a duck,
With a packet on his back;
And when the ship began to move,
The captain said "Quack quack!"
Little Tee Wee
Little Tee Wee' he went to sea
In an open boat; and while afloat
The little boat bended,
And my story's ended.

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