Aunt Kitty's Stories

Excerpt

Little Bo-peep has lost her sheep,
And cannot tell where to find ’em;
Leave them alone, and they’ll come home,
And bring their tails behind ’em.

Little Bo-peep fell fast asleep,
And dreamt she heard them bleating;
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 their tails behind them.

It happen’d 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 shepherdess should,
That each tail should be properly placed.

Hickety, pickety, my black hen,
She lays good eggs for gentlemen;
Gentlemen come every day,
To see what my black hen doth lay.

Dickery, dickery, dare,
The pig flew up in the air,
The man in brown soon brought him down.
Dickery, dickery, dare.

Driddlety drum, driddlety drum,
There you see the beggars are come:
Some are here and some are there,
And some are gone to Chidley fair.

A little pig found a fifty dollar note,
And purchased a hat and a very fine coat,
With trowsers, and stockings, and shoes;
Cravat, and shirt-collar, and gold-headed cane;
Then proud as could be, did he march up the lane,
Says he, I shall hear all the news.

This is the way the ladies go—
Nim, nim, nim.
This is the way the gentlemen go—
Trot, trot, trot.
This is the way the hunters go—
Gallop, gallop, gallop.

THE MARRIAGE OF COCK ROBIN AND JENNY WREN.

It was on a merry time, when Jenny Wren was young,
So neatly as she danced, and so sweetly as she sung,—

Robin Redbreast lost his heart—he was a gallant bird;
He doff’d his hat to Jenny, and thus to her he said:—

“My dearest Jenny Wren, if you will but be mine,
You shall dine on cherry-pie, and drink nice currant-wine.

“I’ll dress you like a Goldfinch, or like a Peacock gay;
So if you’ll have me, Jenny, let us appoint the day.”

Jenny blushed behind her fan, and thus declared her mind,
“Then let it be to-morrow, Bob; I take your offer kind.

“Cherry pie is very good! so is currant-wine!
But I will wear my brown gown, and never dress too fine.”

Robin rose up early, at the break of day;
He flew to Jenny Wren’s house, to sing a roundelay.

He met Cock and Hen, and bade the Cock declare,
This was his wedding-day with Jenny Wren the fair.

The Cock then blew his horn, to let the neighbors know,
This was Robin’s wedding-day, and they might see the show.

And first came Parson Rook, with his spectacles and band;
And one of Mother Goose’s books, he held within his hand.

Then follow’d him the Lark, for he could sweetly sing,
And he was to be clerk at Cock Robin’s wedding.

He sung of Robin’s love for little Jenny Wren;
And when he came unto the end, then he began again.

The Bullfinch walk’d by Robin, and thus to him did say,
“Pray, mark, friend Robin Redbreast, that Goldfinch dress’d so gay;—

“What though her gay apparel becomes her very well;
Yet Jenny’s modest dress and look must bear away the bell!”

Then came the Bride and Bridegroom; quite plainly was she dress’d,
And blush’d so much, her cheeks were as red as Robin’s breast.