Excerpt
Once upon a time there was an old pig with three little pigs, and, as she had not enough to keep them, she sent them out to seek their fortunes.
The first that went off met a man with a bundle of straw, and said to him, "Please, man, give me that straw to build me a house;" which the man did, and the little pig built a house with it.
Presently a wolf came along and knocked at the door, and said, "Little pig, little pig, let me come in!"
To which the pig answered, "No, no, by the hair on my chinny-chin-chin!"
This made the wolf angry, and he said, "Then I'll huff, and I'll puff, and I'll blow your house in!"
So he huffed, and he puffed, and he blew his house in, and ate up the little pig.
The second little pig met a man who was chopping wood, and said, "Please, man, give me some of that wood to build me a house;" which the man did, and the pig built his house with it.
Then along came the wolf, and said:
"Little pig, little pig, let me come in!"
"No, no, by the hair on my chinny-chin-chin!"
"Then I'll puff, and I'll huff, and I'll blow your house in!"
So he huffed, and he puffed, and he puffed and he huffed, and at last he blew the house down and then ate up the little pig.
The third little pig met a man with a load of bricks, and said, "Please, man, give me those bricks to build a house with;" so the man gave him the bricks, and he built his house with them.
Then the wolf came, as he did to the other little pigs, and said, "Little pig, little pig, let me come in!"
"No, no, by the hair on my chinny-chin-chin!"
"Then I'll huff, and I'll puff, and I'll blow your house in."
Well, he huffed and he puffed, and he huffed and puffed, and he puffed and huffed; but he could not get the house down.
When he found that he could not with all his huffing and puffing, blow the house down, he said, "Little pig, I know where there is a nice field of turnips."
"Where?" said the little pig.
"Oh, in Mr. Smith's homefield, and if you will be ready to-morrow morning, I will call for you, and we will go together, and get some for dinner."
"Very well," said the little pig, "I will be ready. What time do you mean to go?"
"Oh, at six o'clock."
Well, the little pig got up at five, and got the turnips before the wolf came—which he did about six—and said, "Little pig, are you ready?"
The little pig said, "Ready! I have been, and come back again, and got a nice potful for dinner!"
The wolf felt very angry at this, but thought he would be up to the little pig somehow or other, so he said, "Little pig, I know where there is a nice pear tree."
"Where?" said the pig.
"Down at Merry-Garden," replied the wolf, "and if you will not deceive me, I will come for you at five o'clock to-morrow, and we will go together and get some pears."
Well, the little pig bustled up the next morning at four o'clock, and went off for the pears, hoping to get back before the wolf came.
But he had further to go, and had to climb the tree, so that, just as he was getting down from it, he saw the wolf coming, which, as you may suppose, frightened him very much.
When the wolf came up he said, "What!...