Part 8 (1/2)

THE WIND

Arthur O'Bower has broken his band, He comes roaring up the land-- A King of Scots, with all his power, Cannot turn Arthur of the Bower.

ONCE I SAW A LITTLE BIRD

Once I saw a little bird Come hop, hop, hop, So I said, ”Little bird, Will you stop, stop, stop?”

I was going to the window To say, ”How do you do?”

But he shook his little tail And far away he flew.

RING-A-RING-A-ROSES

Ring-a-ring-a-roses, A pocket full of posies; Hus.h.!.+ hus.h.!.+ hus.h.!.+ hus.h.!.+

We're all tumbled down.

CROSS PATCH

Cross patch, Draw the latch, Sit by the fire and spin;

Take a cup, And drink it up, And call your neighbors in.

HAPPY LET US BE

Merry are the bells, and merry would they ring; Merry was myself, and merry could I sing; With a merry ding-dong, happy, gay, and free, And a merry sing-song, happy let us be!

Merry have we met, and merry have we been; Merry let us part, and merry meet again; With our merry sing-song, happy, gay, and free, And a merry ding-dong, happy let us be!

THE OLD WOMAN IN THE BASKET

There was an old woman tossed up in a basket, Nineteen times as high as the moon; Where she was going I couldn't but ask it For in her hand she carried a broom.

”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.”

[Ill.u.s.tration: _From a Drawing by Arthur Rackham_ ”Where she was going I couldn't but ask it, For in her hand she carried a broom.”]

THE FOX AND THE OLD GRAY GOOSE

The fox and his wife they had a great strife, They never ate mustard in all their whole life; They ate their meat without fork or knife, And loved to be picking a bone, e-ho!

The fox jumped up on a moonlight night, The stars they were s.h.i.+ning, and all things bright.

Oh, ho! said the fox, it's a very fine night For me to go through the town, e-ho!