BOBBY AND BETTY GO TO THE MEAT MARKET
“Bobby! Betty!” called Mother one morning.
Bobby and Betty came in from their play.
“What is it, Mother?” asked Bobby. “What do you want?”
“I want you to go to the meat market and buy a pound of ham.”
“I’ll buy it,” said Bobby.
“Let me buy it,” said Betty.
“You may buy the ham today, Bobby,” said Mother. “Here is the money. Bring me the change.”
Bobby and Betty went down the street.
They were soon in front of the meat market.
“O Betty!” cried Bobby. “Look at those birds.”
“They are not birds,” said a lady. “They are chickens.”
Bobby and Betty looked at the chickens.
They were poking their heads out of a cage.
“The chickens want to get out of the cage,” said Betty.
“I wish they were out,” said Bobby. “I want to see them run.”
“Let’s go into the meat market,” said Betty.
They went in and waited their turn.
While they were waiting, they saw a rabbit hanging on a hook.
“What’s that?” asked Betty.
“I think it’s a rabbit,” answered Bobby.
“I wish I had one,” said Betty.
“Good morning,” said the big man behind the counter. “What can I do for you today?”
“I want a pound of ham,” said Bobby.
The man took a ham from a hook and cut off three slices.
He put the slices of ham on the scales.
“That is just one pound,” he said. “What next?”
“That is all,” said Bobby. “Here is the money.”
Bobby put the change in his pocket.
“Let me carry the ham, Bobby,” said Betty.
“No,” said Bobby. “Mother told me to buy it.”
“Let me carry it, I say!” cried Betty.
“No, no, no!” cried Bobby. “You bought the bananas. It’s my turn to buy today.”
For study and play:
To market, to market, to buy a fat pig,
Home again, home again, jiggety jig.
To market, to market, to buy a fat hog,
Home again, home again, jiggety jog.
To market, to market, a-gallop, a-trot,
To buy some meat to put in the pot.
To market, to market, trittity-trot,
To buy one mutton to put in the pot.
Jack Sprat could eat no fat,
His wife could eat no lean;
And so between them both, you see,
They licked the platter clean.
Chicky! chicky! chick!
Oh, come quick!
From my little fingers
A crumb you may pick.
Pork is the flesh of the ⸺.
Beef is the flesh of the ⸺.
Mutton is the flesh of the ⸺.
Ham is the ⸺ of a ⸺ cured by salting and smoking.
