Books: Mother Goose in Prose
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L. Frank Baum >> Mother Goose in Prose
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"Are you in need?"
"I am starving, Your Majesty," replied the man, in a whining tone. He
was poorly dressed, but seemed strong and well, and the Prince
examined him carefully for a moment. Then he answered the fellow,
saying,
"Since you are starving, go and sell the gold ring I see you are
wearing upon your finger. I can assist only those who are unable to
help themselves."
At this the man turned away muttering angrily, and the courtiers
murmured their approval of the Prince's wisdom.
The next beggar was dressed in velvet, and the Prince sent him away
with a sharp rebuke. But the third was a woman, old and feeble, and
she blessed the Prince as she hobbled joyfully away with a broad
gold-piece clasped tightly within her withered hand.
The next told so pitiful a story that he also received a gold-piece;
but as he turned away the Prince saw that beneath his robe his shoes
were fastened with silver buckles, and so he commanded the guards to
take away the gold and to punish the man for attempting to deceive his
King.
And so many came to him that were found to be unworthy that he finally
bade the guards proclaim to all who waited that any who should be
found undeserving would be beaten with stripes.
That edict so frightened the imposters that they quickly fled, and
only those few who were actually in want dared to present themselves
before the King.
And lo! The task that had seemed too great for one day was performed
in a few hours, and when all the needy had been provided for but one
of the royal coffers had been opened, and that was scarcely empty!
"What think you, Borland?" asked the Prince, anxiously, "have we done
aright?"
"I have learned, Your Majesty," answered the tutor, "that there is a
great difference between those who beg and those who suffer for lack
of bread. For, while all who needed aid were in truth beggars, not all
the beggars needed aid; and hereafter I shall only give alms to those
I know to be honestly in want."
"It is wisely said, my friend," returned the Prince, "and I feel I was
wrong to doubt the wisdom of my father's councilors. Go, Borland, and
ask the King if he will graciously attend me here."
The King arrived and bowed smilingly before the Prince whom he had set
to reign in his own place, and at once the boy arose and presented his
sire with the scepter and crown, saying,
"Forgive me, oh my King, that I presumed to doubt the wisdom of your
rule. For, though the sun has not yet set, I feel that I am all
unworthy to sit in your place, and so I willingly resign my power to
your more skillful hands. And the coffers which I, in my ignorance,
had determined to empty for the benefit of those unworthy, are still
nearly full, and more than enough remains for the expenses of the
carnival. Therefore forgive me, my father, and let me learn wisdom in
the future from the justness of your rule."
Thus ended the reign of Prince Lilimond as King, and not till many
years later did he again ascend the throne upon the death of his
father.
And really there was not much suffering in the kingdom at any time, as
it was a prosperous country and well governed; for, if you look for
beggars in any land you will find many, but if you look only for the
deserving poor there are less, and these all the more worthy of
succor.
I wish all those in power were as kind-hearted as little Prince
Lilimond, and as ready to help the needy, for then there would be more
light hearts in the world, since it is "better to give than to
receive."
Tom, the Piper's Son
Tom, the Piper's Son
Tom, Tom, the piper's son,
Stole a pig and away he run;
The pig was eat and Tom was beat
And Tom ran crying down the street.
There was not a worse vagabond in Shrewsbury than old Barney the
piper. He never did any work except to play the pipes, and he played
so badly that few pennies ever found their way into his pouch. It was
whispered around that old Barney was not very honest, but he was so
sly and cautious that no one had ever caught him in the act of
stealing, although a good many things had been missed after they had
fallen into the old man's way.
Barney had one son, named Tom; and they lived all alone in a little
hut away at the end of the village street, for Tom's mother had died
when he was a baby. You may not suppose that Tom was a very good boy,
since he had such a queer father; but neither was he very bad, and the
worst fault he had was in obeying his father's wishes when Barney
wanted him to steal a chicken for their supper or a pot of potatoes
for their breakfast. Tom did not like to steal, but he had no one to
teach him to be honest, and so, under his father's guidance, he fell
into bad ways.
One morning
Tom, Tom, the piper's son,
Was hungry when the day begun;
He wanted a bun and asked for one,
But soon found out that there were none.
"What shall we do?" he asked his father
"Go hungry," replied Barney, "unless you want to take my pipes and
play in the village. Perhaps they will give you a penny."
"No," answered Tom, shaking his head; "no one will give me a penny for
playing; but Farmer Bowser might give me a penny to stop playing, if I
went to his house. He did last week, you know."
"You 'd better try it," said his father; "it 's mighty uncomfortable
to be hungry."
So Tom took his father's pipes and walked over the hill to Farmer
Bowser's house; for you must know that
Tom, Tom, the piper's son,
Learned to play when he was young;
But the only tune that he could play
Was "Over the hills and far away."
And he played this one tune as badly as his father himself played, so
that the people were annoyed when they heard him, and often begged him
to stop.
When he came to Farmer Bowser's house, Tom started up the pipes and
began to play with all his might. The farmer was in his woodshed,
sawing wood, so he did not hear the pipes; and the farmer's wife was
deaf, and could not hear them. But a little pig that had strayed
around in front of the house heard the noise, and ran away in great
fear to the pigsty.
Then, as Tom saw the playing did no good, he thought he would sing
also, and therefore he began bawling, at the top of his voice,
"Over the hills, not a great ways off,
The woodchuck died with the whooping-cough!"
The farmer had stopped sawing to rest, just then; and when he heard
the singing he rushed out of the shed, and chased Tom away with a big
stick of wood. The boy went back to his father, and said, sorrowfully,
for he was more hungry than before,
"The farmer gave me nothing but a scolding; but there was a very nice
pig running around the yard."
"How big was it?" asked Barney.
"Oh, just about big enough to make a nice dinner for you and me."
The piper slowly shook his head;
"'T is long since I on pig have fed,
And though I feel it 's wrong to steal,
Roast pig is very nice," he said.
Tom knew very well what he meant by that, so he laid down the pipes,
and went back to the farmer's house.
When he came near he heard the farmer again sawing wood in the
woodshed, and so he went softly up to the pig-sty and reached over and
grabbed the little pig by the ears. The pig squealed, of course, but
the farmer was making so much noise himself that he did not hear it,
and in a minute Tom had the pig tucked under his arm and was running
back home with it.
The piper was very glad to see the pig, and said to Tom,
"You are a good son, and the pig is very nice and fat. We shall have
a dinner fit for a king."
It was not long before the piper had the pig killed and cut into
pieces and boiling in the pot. Only the tail was left out, for Tom
wanted to make a whistle of it, and as there was plenty to eat besides
the tail his father let him have it.
The piper and his son had a fine dinner that day, and so great was
their hunger that the little pig was all eaten up at one meal!
Then Barney lay down to sleep, and Tom sat on a bench outside the door
and began to make a whistle out of the pig's tail with his
pocket-knife.
Now Farmer Bowser, when he had finished sawing the wood, found it was
time to feed the pig, so he took a pail of meal and went to the
pigsty. But when he came to the sty there was no pig to be seen, and
he searched all round the place for a good hour without finding it.
"Piggy, piggy, piggy!" he called, but no piggy came, and then he knew
his pig had been stolen. He was very angry, indeed, for the pig was a
great pet, and he had wanted to keep it till it grew very big.
So he put on his coat and buckled a strap around his waist, and went
down to the village to see if he could find out who had stolen his
pig.
Up and down the street he went, and in and out the lanes, but no
traces of the pig could he find anywhere. And that was no great
wonder, for the pig was eaten by that time and its bones picked clean.
Finally the farmer came to the end of the street where the piper lived
in his little hut, and there he saw Tom sitting on a bench and blowing
on a whistle made from a pig's tail.
"Where did you get that tail?" asked the farmer.
"I found it," said naughty Tom, beginning to be frightened.
"Let me see it," demanded the farmer; and when he had looked at it
carefully he cried out,
"This tail belonged to my little pig, for I know very well the curl at
the end of it! Tell me, you rascal, where is the pig?"
Then Tom fell in a tremble, for he knew his wickedness was discovered.
"The pig is eat, your honor," he answered.
The farmer said never a word, but his face grew black with anger, and,
unbuckling the strap that was about his waist, he waved it around his
head, and whack! came the strap over Tom's back.
"Ow, ow!" cried the boy, and started to run down the street.
Whack! whack! fell the strap over his shoulder, for the farmer
followed at his heels half-way down the street, nor did he spare the
strap until he had give Tom a good beating. And Tom was so scared that
he never stopped running until he came to the end of the village, and
he bawled lustily the whole way and cried out at every step as if the
farmer was still a his back.
It was dark before he came back to his home, and his father was still
asleep; so Tom crept into the hut and went to bed. But he had received
a good lesson and never after that could the old piper induce him to
steal.
When Tom showed by his actions his intention of being honest he soon
got a job of work to do, and before long he was able to earn a living
more easily, and a great deal more honestly, than when he stole the
pig to get a dinner and suffered a severe beating as a punishment.
Tom, Tom, the piper's son
Now with stealing pigs was done,
He 'd work all day instead of play,
And dined on tart and currant bun.
Humpty Dumpty
Humpty Dumpty
Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall,
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.
All the King's horses
And all the King's men
Cannot put Humpty together again.
At the very top of the hay-mow in the barn, the Speckled Hen had made
her nest, and each day for twelve days she had laid in it a pretty
white egg. The Speckled Hen had made her nest in this out-of-the-way
place so that no one would come to disturb her, as it was her
intention to sit upon the eggs until they were hatched into chickens.
Each day, as she laid her eggs, she would cackle to herself; saying,
"This will in time be a beautiful chick, with soft, fluffy down all
over its body and bright little eyes that will look at the world in
amazement. It will be one of my children, and I shall love it dearly."
She named each egg, as she laid it, by the name she should call it
when a chick, the first one being "Cluckety-Cluck," and the next
"Cadaw-Cut," and so on; and when she came to the twelfth egg she
called it "Humpty Dumpty."
This twelfth egg was remarkably big and white and of a very pretty
shape, and as the nest was now so full she laid it quite near the
edge. And then the Speckled Hen, after looking proudly at her work,
went off to the barnyard, clucking joyfully, in search of something to
eat.
When she had gone, Cluckety-Cluck, who was in the middle of the nest
and the oldest egg of all, called out, angrily,
"It 's getting crowded in this nest; move up there, some of you
fellows!" And then he gave CadawCut, who was above him, a kick.
"I can't move unless the others do; they 're crowding me down!" said
Cadaw-Cut; and he kicked the egg next above him. And so they continued
kicking one another and rolling around in the nest until one kicked
Humpty Dumpty, and as he lay on the edge of the nest he was kicked out
and rolled down the hay-mow until he came to a stop near the very
bottom.
Humpty did not like this very well, but he was a bright egg for one so
young, and after he had recovered from his shaking up he began to look
about to see where he was. The barn door was open, and he caught a
glimpse of trees and hedges, and green grass with a silvery brook
running through it. And he saw the waving grain and the tasselled
maize and the sunshine flooding it all.
The scene was very enticing to the young egg, and Humpty at once
resolved to see something of this great world before going back to the
nest.
He began to make his way carefully through the hay, and was getting
along fairly well when he heard a voice say,
"Where are you going?"
Humpty looked around and found he was beside a pretty little nest in
which was one brown egg.
"Did you speak?" he asked.
"Yes," replied the brown egg; "I asked where you were going."
"Who are you?" enquired Humpty; "do you belong in our nest?"
"Oh, no!" answered the brown egg; "my name is Coutchie-Coulou, and the
Black Bantam laid me about an hour ago."
"Oh," said Humpty proudly; "I belong to the Speckled Hen myself."
"Do you, indeed!" returned Coutchie-Coulou. "I saw her go by a little
while ago, and she 's much bigger than the Black Bantam."
"Yes, and I 'm much bigger than you," replied Humpty. "But I 'm going
out to see the world, and if you like to go with me I 'll take good
care of you."
"Is n't it dangerous for eggs to go about all by themselves?" asked
Coutchie, timidly.
"Perhaps so," answered Humpty; "but it 's dangerous in the nest, too;
my brothers might have smashed me with their kicking. However, if we
are careful we can't come to much harm; so come along, little one, and
I 'll look after you."
Coutchie-Coulou gave him her hand while he helped her out of the nest,
and together they crept over the hay until they came to the barn
floor. They made for the door at once, holding each other by the hand,
and soon came to the threshold, which appeared very high to them.
"We must jump," said Humpty.
"I 'm afraid!" cried Coutchie-Coulou. "And I declare! there 's my
mother's voice clucking, she 's coming this way."
"Then hurry!" said Humpty. "And do not tremble so or you will get
yourself all mixed up; it does n't improve eggs to shake them. We will
jump but take care not to bump against me or you may break my shell.
Now,--one,--two,--three!"
They held each other's hand and jumped, alighting safely in the
roadway. Then, fearing their mothers would see them, Humpty ran as
fast as he could go until he and Coutchie were concealed beneath a
rosebush in the garden.
"I 'm afraid we 're bad eggs," gasped Coutchie, who was somewhat out
of breath.
"Oh, not at all," replied Humpty; "we were laid only this morning, so
we are quite fresh. But now, since we are in the world, we must start
out in search of adventure. Here is a roadway beside us which will
lead us somewhere or other; so come along, Coutchie-Coulou, and do not
be afraid."
The brown egg meekly gave him her hand, and together they trotted
along the roadway until they came to a high stone wall, which had
sharp spikes upon its top. It seemed to extend for a great distance,
and the eggs stopped and looked at it curiously.
"I 'd like to see what is behind that wall," said Humpty, "but I do
n't think we shall be able to climb over it."
"No, indeed," answered the brown egg, "but just before us I see a
little hole in the wall, near the ground; perhaps we can crawl through
that."
They ran to the hole and found it was just large enough to admit them.
So they squeezed through very carefully, in order not to break
themselves, and soon came to the other side.
They were now in a most beautiful garden, with trees and bright-hued
flowers in abundance and pretty fountains that shot their merry sprays
far into the air. In the center of the garden was a great palace, with
bright golden turrets and domes, and many windows that glistened in
the sunshine like the sparkle of diamonds.
Richly dressed courtiers and charming ladies strolled through the
walks, and before the palace door were a dozen prancing horses, gaily
caparisoned, awaiting their riders.
It was a scene brilliant enough to fascinate anyone, and the two eggs
stood spellbound while their eyes feasted upon the unusual sight.
"See!" whispered Coutchie-Coulou, "there are some birds swimming in
the water yonder. Let us go and look at them, for we also may be birds
someday."
"True," answered Humpty, "but we are just as likely to be omelets or
angel's-food. Still, we will have a look at the birds."
So they started to cross the drive on their way to the pond, never
noticing that the King and his courtiers had issued from the palace
and were now coming down the drive riding upon their prancing steeds.
Just as the eggs were in the middle of the drive the horses dashed by,
and Humpty, greatly alarmed, ran as fast as he could for the grass.
Then he stopped and looked around, and behold! There was poor
Coutchie-Coulou crushed into a shapeless mass by the hoof of one of
the horses, and her golden heart was spreading itself slowly over the
white gravel of the driveway!
Humpty sat down upon the grass and wept grievously, for the death of
his companion was a great blow to him. And while he sobbed, a voice
said to him,
"What is the matter, little egg?"
Humpty looked up, and saw a beautiful girl bending over him.
"One of the horses has stepped upon Coutchie-Coulou," he said; "and
now she is dead, and I have no friend in all the world."
The girl laughed.
"Do not grieve," she said, "for eggs are but short-lived creatures at
best, and Coutchie-Coulou has at least died an honorable death and
saved herself from being fried in a pan or boiled in her own shell. So
cheer up, little egg, and I will be your friend--at least so long as
you remain fresh. A stale egg I never could abide."
"I was laid only this morning," said Humpty, drying his tears, "so you
need have no fear. But do not call me 'little egg,' for I am quite
large, as eggs go, and I have a name of my own."
"What is your name?" asked the Princess.
"It is Humpty Dumpty," he answered, proudly. "And now, if you will
really be my friend, pray show me about the grounds, and through the
palace; and take care I am not crushed."
So the Princess took Humpty in her arms and walked with him all
through the grounds, letting him see the fountains and the golden fish
that swam in their waters, the beds of lilies and roses, and the pools
where the swans floated. Then she took him into the palace, and showed
him all the gorgeous rooms, including the King's own bed-chamber and
the room where stood the great ivory throne.
Humpty sighed with pleasure.
"After this," he said, "I am content to accept any fate that may
befall me, for surely no egg before me ever saw so many beautiful
sights."
"That is true," answered the Princess; "but now I have one more sight
to show you which will be grander than all the others; for the King
will be riding home shortly with all his horses and men at his back,
and I will take you to the gates and let you see them pass by."
"Thank you," said Humpty.
So she carried him to the gates, and while they awaited the coming of
the King the egg said,
"Put me upon the wall, Princess, for then I be able to see much better
than in your arms."
"That is a good idea," she answered; "but you must be careful not to
fall."
Then she sat the egg gently upon the top of the stone wall, where
there was a little hollow; and Humpty was delighted, for from his
elevated perch he could see much better than the Princess herself.
"Here they come!" he cried; and, sure enough, the King came riding
along the road with many courtiers and soldiers and vassals following
in his wake, all mounted upon the finest horses the kingdom could
afford.
As they came to the gate and entered at a brisk trot, Humpty,
forgetting his dangerous position, leaned eagerly over to look at
them. The next instant the Princess heard a sharp crash at her side,
and, looking downward, perceived poor Humpty Dumpty, who lay crushed
and mangled among the sharp stones where he had fallen.
The Princess sighed, for she had taken quite a fancy to the egg; but
she knew it was impossible to gather it up again or mend the matter in
any way, and therefore she returned thoughtfully to the palace.
Now it happened that upon this evening several young men of the
kingdom, who were all of high rank, had determined to ask the King for
the hand of the Princess; so they assembled in the throne room and
demanded that the King choose which of them was most worthy to marry
his daughter.
The King was in a quandary, for all the suitors were wealthy and
powerful, and he feared that all but the one chosen would become his
enemies. Therefore he thought long upon the matter, and at last said,
"Where all are worthy it is difficult to decide which most deserves
the hand of the Princess. Therefore I propose to test your wit. The
one who shall ask me a riddle I cannot guess, can marry my daughter."
At this the young men looked thoughtful, and began to devise riddles
that his Majesty should be unable to guess. But the King was a shrewd
monarch, and each one of the riddles presented to him he guessed with
ease.
Now there was one amongst the suitors whom the Princess herself
favored, as was but natural. He was a slender, fair-haired youth, with
dreamy blue eyes and a rosy complexion, and although he loved the
Princess dearly he despaired of finding a riddle that the King could
not guess.
But while he stood leaning against the wall the Princess approached
him and whispered in his ear a riddle she had just thought of.
Instantly his face brightened, and when the King called, "Now, Master
Gracington, it is your turn," he advanced boldly to the throne.
"Speak your riddle, sir," said the King, gaily; for he thought this
youth would also fail, and that he might therefore keep the Princess
by his side for a time longer.
But Master Gracington, with downcast eyes, knelt before the throne and
spoke in this wise:
"This is my riddle, oh King:
Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall,
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall
All the King's horses
And all the King's men
Cannot put Humpty together again!"
"Read me that, sire, an' you will!"
The King thought earnestly for a long time, and he slapped his head
and rubbed his ears and walked the floor in great strides; but guess
the riddle he could not.
"You are a humbug, sir!" he cried out at last; "there is no answer to
such a riddle."
"You are wrong, sire," answered the young man; "Humpty Dumpty was an
egg."
"Why did I not think of that before!" exclaimed the King; but he gave
the Princess to the young man to be his bride, and they lived happily
together.
And thus did Humpty Dumpty, even in his death, repay the kindness of
the fair girl who had shown him such sights as an egg seldom sees.
The Woman Who Lived in a Shoe
The Woman Who Lived in a Shoe
There was an old woman
Who lived in a shoe,
She had so many children
She did n't know what to do;
She gave them some broth
Without any bread,
And whipped them all soundly
And sent them to bed.
A long time ago there lived a woman who had four daughters, and these
in time grew up and married and went to live in different parts of the
country. And the woman, after that, lived all alone, and said to
herself, "I have done my duty to the world, and now shall rest quietly
for the balance of my life. When one has raised a family of four
children and has married them all happily, she is surely entitled to
pass her remaining days in peace and comfort."
She lived in a peculiar little house, that looked something like this
picture.
It was not like most of the houses you see, but the old woman had it
built herself, and liked it, and so it did not matter to her how odd
it was. It stood upon the top of a little hill, and there was a garden
at the back and a pretty green lawn in front, with white gravel paths
and many beds of bright colored flowers.
The old woman was very happy and contented there until one day she
received a letter saying that her daughter Hannah was dead and had
sent her family of five children to their grandmother to be taken care
of.
This misfortune ruined all the old woman's dreams of quiet; but the
next day the children arrived--three boys and two girls--and she made
the best of it and gave them the beds her own daughters had once
occupied, and her own cot as well; and she made a bed for herself on
the parlor sofa.
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