“Nimmy nimmy not,
My name’s Tom Tit Tot.”
When the girl heard this, she became very happy, but she didn’t say a word.
Next day, that little impet looked very maliceful when he came for the flax. And when the night came, she heard the knock. She opened the window, and the impet came into the room. He was grinning, and his tail was twirling very fast.
“What’s my name?” he asked when he was giving her the skeins.
“Is that Solomon[18]?” she says.
“No, it isn’t,” he said and came further into the room.
“Well, is that Zebedee[19]?” says she again.
“No, it isn’t,” says the impet. And then he laughed and twirled his tail like a wheel.
“Take time[20], woman,” he says, “next guess, and you’re mine.” And he lifted his black hands.
The girl smiled and said:
“NIMMY NIMMY NOT,
YOUR NAME’S TOM TIT TOT!”
When the impet heard her, he cried awfully and flew away into the dark, and she never saw him any more.
How Jack Went to Seek His Fortune[21]
Once on a time, there was a boy named Jack[22], and one morning he decided to go and seek his fortune.
He did not go very far, and he met a cat.
“Where are you going, Jack?” said the cat.
“I am going to seek my fortune.”
“May I go with you?”
“Yes,” said Jack, “the more the merrier[23].”
So on they went.[24]
They went a little further, and they met a dog.
“Where are you going, Jack?” said the dog.
“I am going to seek my fortune.”
“May I go with you?”
“Yes,” said Jack, “the more the merrier.”
So on they went.
They went a little further, and they met a goat.
“Where are you going, Jack?” said the goat.
“I am going to seek my fortune.”
“May I go with you?”
“Yes,” said Jack, “the more the merrier.”
So on they went.
They went a little further, and they met a bull.
“Where are you going, Jack?” said the bull.
“I am going to seek my fortune.”
“May I go with you?”
“Yes,” said Jack, “the more the merrier.”
So on they went.
They went a little further, and they met a rooster.
“Where are you going, Jack?” said the rooster.
“I am going to seek my fortune.”
“May I go with you?”
“Yes,” said Jack, “the more the merrier.”
So on they went.
The day was over, and they began to think of some place where they could spend the night. They found a house, and Jack told his friends to keep still[25] while he went up and looked in through the window[26]. There were some robbers; they were counting their money. Then Jack went back and told his friends to wait till he gave the word[27] and then to make all the noise they could. So when they were all ready, Jack gave the word, and the cat mewed, and the dog barked, and the goat bleated, and the bull bellowed, and the rooster crowed, and all together they made such a dreadful noise that it frightened the robbers, and they ran away.
And then our friends came in. Jack was afraid that the robbers could come back in the night. So when it came time to go to bed, he put the cat in the chair, and he put the dog under the table, and he put the goat upstairs, and he put the bull down cellar, and the rooster flew up on to the roof[28], and Jack went to bed.
The robbers saw that it was all dark, and they sent one man back to the house to look after[29] the money. But he came back in a great fright and told them his story.
“I went back to the house,” said he, “and went in and tried to sit down in the chair, and there was an old woman; she was knitting, and she stuck her knitting-needles into me.” That was the cat, you know.
“Then I went to the table to look after the money, and there was a shoemaker under the table, and he stuck his awl into me.” That was the dog, you know.
“Then I started to go upstairs, and there was a man up there; he was threshing, and he knocked me down with his flail.” That was the goat, you know.
“Then I started to go down cellar, and there was a man down there; he was chopping wood, and he knocked me up with his axe.” That was the bull, you know.
“But the most dreadful thing was that little boy on top of the house. He was crying, ‘Chuck him up[30] to me-e! Chuck him up to me-e!’” Of course[31] that was the cock-a-doodle-do[32].
Johnny-Cake
Once upon a time, there was an old man. He lived with an old woman and a little boy. One morning, the old woman made a Johnny-cake and put it in the oven to bake.
“Watch the Johnny-cake, and I will go to work in the garden,” she said to the little boy. Then the old man and the old woman went out.
But the little boy didn’t watch the Johnny-cake, and suddenly, he heard a noise. He looked up and saw how the oven door opened. Out of the oven[33] jumped Johnny-cake and went towards the door of the house.
“Stop, stop!” cried the little boy, but Johnny-cake was very quick and ran away. The boy called his parents for help, but they could not catch Johnny-cake. Soon, he was out of sight[34].
Johnny-cake was going along the road, and soon he came to two well-diggers who were digging a well. They saw him and asked, “Where are you going, Johnny-cake?”
He said, “I outran an old man, and an old woman, and a little boy, and I can outrun you too-o-o!”
“Really? You can, can you? We’ll see!” they said and threw down their picks and ran after him[35]. But they could not catch him, and soon they sat down by the road to rest.
Johnny-cake was going along the road, and soon he came to two ditchdiggers who were digging a ditch.
“Where are you going, Johnny-cake?” said they.
He