mother who had a daughter named Pitidda.
She said to her: "Go sweep the house." "Give me some bread first." "I
cannot," she answered. When her mother saw that she would not sweep the
house, she called the wolf. "Wolf, go kill Pitidda, for Pitidda will not
sweep the house." "I can't," said the wolf. "Dog, go kill the wolf,"
said the mother, "for the wolf will not kill Pitidda, for Pitidda will
not sweep the house." "I can't," said the dog. "Stick, go kill the dog,
for the dog will not kill the wolf, for the wolf won't kill Pitidda, for
Pitidda won't sweep the house." "I can't," said the stick. "Fire, burn
stick, for stick won't kill dog, for dog won't kill wolf, for wolf won't
kill Pitidda, for Pitidda won't sweep the house." "I can't," said the
fire. "Water, quench fire, for fire won't burn stick, for stick won't
kill dog, for dog won't kill wolf, for wolf won't kill Pitidda, for
Pitidda won't sweep the house." "I can't." "Cow, go drink water, for
water won't quench fire, for fire won't burn stick, for stick won't kill
dog, for dog won't kill wolf, for wolf won't kill Pitidda, for Pitidda
won't sweep the house." "I can't," said the cow. "Rope, go choke cow,"
etc.

[Then the mother calls on the mouse to gnaw the rope, the cat to eat the
mouse, and the story ends.]

The cat runs and begins to eat the mouse, the mouse runs and begins to
gnaw the rope, the rope to choke the cow, the cow to drink the water,
the water to quench the fire, the fire to burn the stick, the stick to
kill the dog, the dog to kill the wolf, the wolf to kill Pitidda,
Pitidda to sweep the house, and her mother runs and gives her some
bread.[7]

* * * * *

The Italian story, it will be seen, has a moral. The animals, etc., are
invoked to punish a disobedient child. In the Neapolitan version a
mother sends her son to gather some fodder for the cattle. He does not
wish to go until he has had some macaroni that his mother has just
cooked. She promises to keep him some, and he departs. While he is gone
the mother eats up all the macaroni, except a small bit. When her son
returns, and sees how little is left for him, he begins to cry and
refuses to eat; and his mother calls on stick, fire, water, ox, rope,
mouse, and cat to make her son obey, and eat the macaroni.[8] The
disobedient son is also found in two Tuscan versions, one from Siena,
and one from Florence, which are almost identical.[9]

In the Venetian version, a