The Gingerbread Boy & Joyful Jingle Play Stories (Illustrated Edition). Laura Rountree Smith

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СКАЧАТЬ tapping at the door

      Of the oven, as before!”

      Sure enough, Polly heard a rapping, tapping, and when she opened the oven door she heard the cookies call in a happy chorus:

      “We’re brown and pretty as any toy,

      Hurrah, hurrah for the Gingerbread Boy!”

      As Polly took the cookies out of the pan, she saw one was shaped like a regular boy, and before she could say a word, out he jumped and sat down on the ice box, fanning himself with a geranium leaf.

      Polly said, “I must go and call Peter. I must introduce him to the Gingerbread Boy!”

      Peter had been thinking about the picnic, but he tried to amuse the baby by playing ball, and at this very minute in came Polly to tell about the Gingerbread Boy.

      To their surprise the Gingerbread Boy said,

      “If you will eat my hands and feet

      You’ll find you’ve something very sweet.”

      “Oh, oh,” cried the children, “It would not be polite to eat you!” But all this time they crept nearer and nearer.

      The Gingerbread Boy said:

      “Come, nibble my fingers; come nibble my toes!

      I can run—that’s the way the Fairy Tale goes!”

      Peter nibbled the toes and Polly nibbled the fingers, while the baby stood by and clapped his hands with delight.

       Peter Nibbled His Toes, Polly Nibbled His Fingers and Baby Stood By and Clapped

      The Gingerbread Boy said;

      “Molasses is used to sweeten, sweeten,

      I was made to be eaten, eaten!”

      The children nibbled away until only the Gingerbread Boy’s voice was left, but he sang gaily:

      “To be happy and good I try,

      Dear boys and girls, good bye, good bye.”

      So he was all gone!

      All this time the gingerbread cookies looked out of their large currant eyes, and Fairy Help-You-Out came into the kitchen and whispered into Polly’s ear and Peter’s ear and the baby’s ear something about a picnic.

      The children clapped their hands with delight as three little baskets sailed down on the kitchen floor.

      Each basket was full of good things to eat, and the baby’s basket had a bottle of milk in it, of course!

      They were having the finest kind of a picnic right at home, in their own kitchen, when a voice called:

      “I would like to come—I don’t wish to annoy,

      Have you any room for the Gingerbread Boy?”

       Three Little Baskets Sailed Down on the Kitchen Floor

      The children rubbed their eyes to see if they were awake, and the Gingerbread Boy jumped in the window and sat on the ice box, fanning himself with a nasturtium leaf.

      He laughed until his sides shook, saying:

      “Don’t wake your mother, don’t make a noise,

      The woods are full of Gingerbread Boys.”

      Fairy Help-You-Out faded away, because she was no longer needed. For all I know, the Gingerbread Boy is with the children yet.

      The Easter Bunny

       Table of Contents

      Mother Tiny-Tail sat in her little red plush rocking chair rocking to and fro singing:

      “Alas! alack! I am old and gray,

      And have no eggs for Easter Day.”

       He Went to the Little Brown Hen Who Lives in the Lane

      Just then a Funny Bunny came by with a hop, and a skip, and a bound and said, “Oh, Mother Tiny-Tail, no eggs for Easter, no eggs for the Tiny-Tails? That will never do!” So saying, he borrowed Mother Tiny-Tail’s market basket, and went hippety-hop to the Little Brown Hen who lives in the lane, saying:

      “Please give me eggs now that I ask it,

      Enough to fill my market basket.”

      The Little Brown Hen said:

      “If you will bring me an ear of corn,

      I’ll fill your basket by Easter morn.”

      Then Funny Bunny went with a hop, and a skip, and a jump to the little old Farmer who lived in the field and said:

      “Please give me corn, now that I ask it,

      Enough to fill my market basket.”

      The Farmer replied:

      “Bring me a sack of meal all ground,

      I will fill your basket safe and sound.”

       Please Give Me Corn

      Funny Bunny went with a pitter, patter, pitter, patter, until he came to the Miller, and said:

      “Please give me a meal-bag, since I ask it,

      Enough to fill my market basket.”

      The Miller laughed until his old fat sides shook and answered:

      “Your request sounds rather funny,

      I will give you meal for money.”

      Then Funny Bunny sat down on a stone to think.

      How was he going to get some money?

      It was getting dark, and the Little Hill Men came out one by one, digging for fairy gold.

      When Funny Bunny saw them he cried:

      “Please give me money, since I ask it,

      Enough to fill my market СКАЧАТЬ