54

THE OLD WOMAN AND THE PIG (Concluded)

milk

please

began

But the rat ran away and said, "No,

I won't."

Then on went the old woman.

And by and by she saw a cat.

66

.

'Oh, cat, cat," she said, "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 put out 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 shan't get home to-night."

She said, "Please, cow, give me some

milk for the cat."

The cow said,

"Give me some hay."

So away went the old woman to the hay-cock.

She said, "Please give me some hay

for the cow."

"Here it is," said the hay-cock.

So the old woman took it to the cow.

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

put out the fire,

The fire began to

burn the stick,

The stick began to
beat the dog,

The dog began to bite the pig,
And the pig jumped over the stile.
So away went the old woman and the
pig.

And they both got home that night.

He found a crooked sixpence upon a crooked stile;

He bought a crooked cat, which caught a crooked mouse,

And they all lived together in a little