She went a little further till she met

a rat, and she said:

Pray, rat, gnaw rope;
Rope won't hang butcher,
Butcher won't kill ox,

Ox won't drink water,
Water won't quench fire,
Fire won't burn stick,
Stick won't beat dog,
Dog won't bite pig,

Pig won't get over the stile,
And I sha'n't get home to-night."

But the rat would not.

She met a cat, and she said:

“Pray, cat, kill rat;

Rat won't gnaw rope,
Rope won't hang butcher,
Butcher won't kill ox,

Ox won't drink water,

Water won't quench fire,

Fire won't burn stick,
Stick won't beat dog,

Dog won't bite pig,

Pig won't get over the stile,
And I sha'n't get home to-night."

The cat said: "If you will get me a saucer of milk from the cow in yonder field, I will kill the rat.'

So the old woman went to the cow, and said: "Cow, cow, will you give me a saucer of milk?'

And the cow said: "If you will get me a bucket of water from yonder brook, I will give you the milk."

And the old woman took the bucket to the brook, but all the water rushed out through the holes in the bottom.

So she filled up the holes with stones, got the water, and took it to the cow, who at once gave her the saucer of

milk. Then the old woman gave the cat the milk, and when she had lapped up the milk,

The cat began to kill the rat,
The rat began to gnaw the rope,

The rope began to hang the butcher,
The butcher began to kill the ox,
The ox began to drink the water,
The water began to quench the fire,
The fire began to burn the stick,
The stick began to beat the dog,

The dog began to bite the pig,
The pig jumped over the stile,
And so the old woman got home
that night with her pig.

LITTLE BO-Peep has

lost her sheep,

And can't tell where to find

Leave them alone, and they'll come home,

And bring their tails behind them.

Little Bo-Peep fell fast asleep,

And dreamt she heard them bleating; But when she awoke she found it a

joke,

For still they all were fleeting.

Then up she took her little crook,
Determined for to find them;

She found them indeed, but it made her
heart bleed,

For they'd left all their tails behind 'em!

It happened one day, as Bo-Peep did stray

Unto a meadow hard by,

There she espied their tails side by side,
All hung on a tree to dry.

She heaved a sigh and wiped her eye,
And over the hillocks she raced;

And tried what she could, as a shep-
herdess should,

That each tail should be properly placed.