Nursery Rhyme. DXCVI. Accumulative Stories.

"An old woman was sweeping her house, and she found a little crooked sixpence. 'What,' said she, 'shall I do with this little sixpence? I will go to market, and buy a little pig.' As she was coming home, she came to a stile: the piggy would not go over the stile.     "She went a little further, and she met a dog. So she said to the dog, 'Dog! bite pig; piggy won't go over the stile; and I shan't get home to-night.' But the dog would not.     "She went a little further, and she met a stick. So she said, 'Stick! stick! beat dog; dog won't bite pig; piggy won't get over the stile; and I shan't get home to-night.' But the stick would not.     "She went a little further, and she met a fire. So she said, 'Fire! fire! burn stick; stick won't beat dog; dog won't bite pig,' ( and so forth, always repeating the foregoing words.) But the fire would not.     "She went a little further, and she met some water. So she said, 'Water! water! quench fire; fire won't burn stick,' & c. But the water would not.     "She went a little further, and she met an ox. So she said, 'Ox! ox! drink water; water won't quench fire' & c. But the ox would not.     "She went a little further, and she met a butcher. So she said, 'Butcher! butcher! kill ox; ox won't drink water,' & c. But the butcher would not.     "She went a little further, and she met a rope. So she said, 'Rope! rope! hang butcher; butcher won't kill ox,' & c. But the rope would not.     "She went a little further, and she met a rat. So she said, 'Rat! rat! gnaw rope; rope won't hang butcher,' & c. But the rat would not.     "She went a little further, and she met a cat. So she said, 'Cat! cat! kill rat; rat won't gnaw rope,' & c. But the cat said to her, 'If you will go to yonder cow, and fetch me a saucer of milk, I will kill the rat.' So away went the old woman to the cow.     "But the cow said to her, 'If you will go to yonder haystack,[*] and fetch me a handful of hay, I'll give you the milk.' So away went the old woman to the haystack; and she brought the hay to the cow.     "As soon as the cow had eaten the hay, she gave the old woman the milk; and away she went with it in a saucer to the cat.     "As soon as the cat had lapped up the milk, the cat began to kill the rat; the rat began to gnaw the rope; the rope began to hang the butcher; the butcher began to kill the ox; the ox began to drink the water; the water began to quench the fire; the fire began to burn the stick; the stick began to beat the dog; the dog began to bite the pig; the little pig in a fright jumped over the stile; and so the old woman got home that night."