"Old woman, old woman, old woman," quoth I, "O whither, O whither, O whither, so high?" "To brush the cobwebs off the sky!" "Shall I go with thee?" "Aye, by and by." • 105 There was an old woman who lived in a shoe, Three blind mice! see, how they run! She had so many children, she didn't They all ran after the farmer's wife, know what to do. She gave them some broth without any bread, Then whipped them all soundly, and put them to bed. 106 There was an owl lived in an oak, Was fiddle, faddle, feedle. A gunner chanced to come that way, Wisky, wasky, weedle; Says he, "I'll shoot you, silly bird," Fiddle, faddle, feedle. 107 This is the way the ladies ride; Tri, tre, tre, tree, tri, tre, tre, tree! This is the way the gentlemen ride; Gallop-a-trot, gallop-a-trot! This is the way the gentlemen ride, Gallop-a-trot-a-trot! This is the way the farmers ride; Hobbledy-hoy, hobbledy-hoy! This is the way the farmers ride, Hobbledy-hobbledy-hoy! Who cut off their tails with the carving knife! Did you ever see such a thing in your life? Three blind mice! IIO Three wise men of Gotham If the bowl had been stronger, III To market, to market, to buy a fat pig, I 12 Tom, Tom, the piper's son, 113 Two-legs sat upon three-legs, And runs away with one-leg; Throws it after four-legs, And makes him bring one-leg back. (One-leg is a leg of mutton; two-legs, a man; three-legs, a stool; four-legs, a dog.) 114 The following is another good "tongue twister” (see No. 77). It is recommended for the little lisper, and in former days it was recommended as a sure cure for the hiccoughs. When a twister a-twisting would twist him a twist, For twisting a twist three twists he will twist; But if one of the twists untwists from the twist, The twist untwisting untwists the twist. 115 "Willy boy, Willy boy, where are you going? I will go with you, if I may." "I am going to the meadow to see them a-mowing, I am going to see them make the hay." 116 No. 116 and the two rhymes following are by Miss Wilhelmina Seegmiller. (By permission of the publishers, Rand McNally & Co., Chicago.) Their presence will allow teachers to compare some widely and successfully used modern efforts with the traditional jingles in the midst of which they are placed. MILKWEED SEEDS As white as milk, As soft as silk, And hundreds close together: 117 AN ANNIVERSARY Pop! fizz! bang! whizz! Fizz! bang! whizz! pop! 118 TWINK! TWINK! Twink, twink, twink, twink, Twinkety, twinkety, twink! The fireflies light their lanterns, Then put them out in a wink. Twink, twink, twink, twink, They light their light once more, Then twinkety, twinkety, twink, twink, They put them out as before. Nos. 119-146 are in the main the longer nursery favorites and may somewhat loosely be called the novels and epics of the nursery as the former group may be called the lyrics and short stories. All of them are marked by dramatic power, a necessary element in all true classics for children whether in verse or prose. Nos. 119 and 120 are two of the favorite jingles used in teaching the alphabet. Each letter suggests a distinct image. In No. 119 the images are all of actions, and connected by the direction of these actions upon a single object. In No. 120 the images are each complete and independent. Here it may be noticed that some of the elements of the pictures are determined by the exigencies of rhyme, as, for instance, what the archer shot at, and what the lady had. The originator doubtless expected the child to see the relation of cause and consequence between Y and Z 119 WHERE ARE YOU GOING Where are you going, my pretty maid? "I'm going a-milking, sir," she said. May I go with you, my pretty maid? "You're kindly welcome, sir," she said. What is your father, my pretty maid? "My father's a farmer, sir," she said. What is your fortune, my pretty maid? "My face is my fortune, sir," she said. Then I can't marry you, my pretty maid. "Nobody asked you, sir," she said. 122 MOLLY AND I Molly, my sister, and I fell out, And that was the reason we couldn't agree. But Molly, my sister, and I made up, For Molly drinks coffee, and I drink tea, 123 LONDON BRIDGE London bridge is broken down, Dance o'er my lady Lee; London bridge is broken down, With a gay lady. How shall we build it up again? Dance o'er my lady Lee; How shall we build it up again? With a gay lady. Build it up with silver and gold, Dance o'er my lady Lee; Build it up with silver and gold, With a gay lady. Silver and gold will be stole away, Dance o'er my lady Lee; Silver and gold will be stole away, With a gay lady. Build it again with iron and steel, Dance o'er my lady Lee; Build it up with iron and steel, With a gay lady. Iron and steel will bend and bow, Dance o'er my lady Lee; Iron and steel will bend and bow, With a gay lady. Build it up with wood and clay, Dance o'er my lady Lee; Build it up with wood and clay, With a gay lady. Wood and clay will wash away, Dance o'er my lady Lee; Wood and clay will wash away, With a gay lady. Build it up with stone so strong, Dance o'er my lady Lee; Huzza! 'twill last for ages long, With a gay lady. 124 I SAW A SHIP I saw a ship a-sailing, With pretty things for thee! There were comfits in the cabin, And apples in the hold; 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!" 125 THERE WAS AN OLD WOMAN There was an old woman, as I've heard tell, She went to market her eggs for to sell; She went to market all on a market-day, And she fell asleep on the king's highway. By came a pedlar whose name was Stout, He cut her petticoats all round about; He cut her petticoats up to her knees, Which made the old woman to shiver and freeze. When this little woman first did wake, She began to shiver and she began to shake, She began to wonder, and she began to cry, "Lauk a mercy on me, this is none of I! "But if it be I, as I do hope it be, I've a little dog at home, and he'll know me; |