burn stick; stick won't
beat dog; dog won't bite pig; piggy won't get over the stile, and I
shan't get home to-night." But the ox would not.

She went a little farther, and she met a butcher. So she said, "Butcher!
butcher! kill ox; ox won't drink water; water won't quench fire; fire
won't burn stick; stick won't beat dog; dog won't bite pig; piggy won't
get over the stile, and I shan't get home to-night." But the butcher
would not.

She went a little father, and she met a rope. So she said, "Rope! rope!
hang butcher; butcher won't kill ox; ox won't drink water; water won't
quench fire; fire won't burn stick; stick won't beat dog; dog won't bite
pig; piggy won't get over the stile, and I shan't get home to-night."
But the rope would not.

So she went a little farther, and she met a rat. So she said, "Rat!
rat! gnaw rope; rope won't hang butcher; butcher won't kill ox; ox won't
drink water; water won't quench fire; fire won't burn stick; stick
won't beat dog; dog won't bite pig; piggy won't get over the stile and I
shan't get home to-night." But the rat would not.

So she went a little farther, and she met a cat. So she said, "Cat! cat!
kill rat; rat won't gnaw rope; rope won't hang butcher; butcher won't
kill ox; ox won't drink water; water won't quench fire; fire won't burn
stick; stick won't beat dog; dog won't bite pig; piggy won't get over
the stile, and I shan't get home to-night." 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.

End of Project Gutenberg's The History of Tom Thumb, and Others, by Anonymous

*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK HISTORY OF TO