Cleverness

March is so angry, with winds he goes raging, Making bare trees bend and groan in their plight. Showers come soaking chilled earth in the daytime, While in the nighttime the frost grips her tight. Clouds gather thick from all…

Once upon a time there was a sparrow. And he would have been a fine enough sparrow, except that, unfortunately, he was rather foolish. He hadn’t learned a thing from the time he broke out of his egg. He wasn’t…

Mr. and Mrs. Vinegar lived in a vinegar bottle. Now, one day, when Mr. Vinegar was from home, Mrs. Vinegar, who was a very good housewife, was busily sweeping her house, when an unlucky thump of the broom brought the…

There was an old soldier who had been long in the wars—so long, that he was quite out-at-elbows, and he did not know where to go to find a living. So he walked up moors, down glens, till at last…

The Mouse went to visit the Cat, and found her sitting behind the hall door, spinning. MOUSE. What are you doing, my lady, my lady, What are you doing, my lady? CAT (sharply). I’m spinning old breeches, good body, good…

Titty Mouse and Tatty Mouse both lived in a house, Titty Mouse went a leasing and Tatty Mouse went a leasing, So they both went a leasing. Titty Mouse leased an ear of corn, and Tatty Mouse leased an ear…

Once upon a time there was an old man, and an old woman, and a little boy. One morning the old woman made a Johnny-cake, and put it in the oven to bake. “You watch the Johnny-cake while your father…

A girl once went to the fair to hire herself for servant. At last a funny-looking old gentleman engaged her, and took her home to his house. When she got there, he told her that he had something to teach…

THE ENGLISH FAIRY TALES ARE NOW CLOSED LITTLE BOYS AND GIRLS MUST NOT READ ANY FURTHER…

Once upon a time there was a woman, and she baked five pies. And when they came out of the oven, they were that overbaked the crusts were too hard to eat. So she says to her daughter: “Darter,” says…

Once upon a time there was a farmer and his wife who had one daughter, and she was courted by a gentleman. Every evening he used to come and see her, and stop to supper at the farmhouse, and the…

Once upon a time there was a man and a wife had too many children, and they could not get meat for them, so they took the three youngest and left them in a wood. They travelled and travelled and…

Lady Mary was young, and Lady Mary was fair. She had two brothers, and more lovers than she could count. But of them all, the bravest and most gallant, was a Mr. Fox, whom she met when she was down…

Once upon a time there was a boy whose name was Jack, and he lived with his mother on a common. They were very poor, and the old woman got her living by spinning, but Jack was so lazy that…

The night after the violent flirtation between Daddy Jack and ‘Tildy, the latter coaxed and bribed the little boy to wait until she had finished her work about the house. After she had set things to rights in the dining-room…

” We er sorter bin a-waitin’ fer Sis Tempy,” Uncle Remus remarked when the little boy made his appearance the next night; “but somehow er n’er look lak she fear’d she hatter up en tell some mo’ tales. En yit…

‘Tildy, the house-girl, made such a terrible report of the carryings on of Daddy Jack that the little boy’s mother thought it prudent not to allow him to visit Uncle Remus so often. The child amused himself as best he…

Daddy Jack, thus appealed to, turned half round in his seat, winked his bright little eyes very rapidly, and said, with great animation: “Hoo! me bin yeddy one sing-tale; me yeddy um so long tam ‘go. One tam dere bin…