his time by a man from the west.
When the mistress returned, she again scolded the servant, after which
she sang:
"A basin of water, another beside,
I water the flowers, they're opening wide."
This was continued until all the flowers were gone. One had been taken
by a carter, another by a donkey-driver, another by a muleteer, another
by a man on a camel, and finally the last little sprig was eaten by a
chicken. The servant was soundly berated each time and cautioned to be
more careful, which she always promised but never performed, and was
finally dismissed in disgrace without either a recommendation, or the
wages she had been promised when hired.
The game furnishes large opportunity for invention on the part of the
servant, depending upon the number of those to be stolen. This little
girl seemed to be at her wit's end when she gave as the excuse for the
loss of the last one that it had been eaten by a chicken.
This game suggested to our little friend another which proved to be the
sequel to the one just described, and she called out:
"The flower-seller."
The girl who had just been dismissed appeared from behind the corner of
the house with all the stolen "flowers," each holding to the other's
skirts. At the same time she was calling out:
"Flowers for sale,
Flowers for sale,
Come buy my flowers
Before they get stale."
The original owner hereupon appeared and called to her:
"Hey! come here, flower-girl, those flowers look like mine," and she
took one away.
The flower-seller did not stop to argue the question but hurried off
crying:
"Flowers for sale," etc.
The original owner again called to her:
"Ho! flower-seller, come here, those flowers are certainly mine,"
whereupon she took them all and whipped the flower-seller who ran away
crying.
As the little flower-seller ran away crying in her sleeve, she stumbled
over an old flower-pot that lay in the school court. This accident
seemed to act as a reminder to our little leader for she called out,
"Flower-pot."
The girls divided themselves into companies of three and stood in the
form of a triangle, each with her left hand holding the right hand of
the other, their hands being crossed in the centre.
Then by putting the arms of two back of the head of the third she was
brought into the centre (steps into the well), and by stepping over two
other arms, she goes out o
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