Carolyn Sherwin Bailey

The Story of the Three Little Pigs

T HERE were once three little pigs, and they all started out in the world to seek their fortunes. The first little pig had not gone very far when he met a man with a bundle of straw, and he said to the man:

"Please, sir, give me that straw that I may build me a house."

Which the man did, and the little pig built him a house of the straw. Very soon along came an old wolf, and he knocked at the door and he said:

"Little pig, little pig, let me come in." But the little pig answered:

"No, no, by the hair of my chinny-chin-chin."

Then the old wolf said: "I'll huff and I'll puff, and I'll blow your house in."

So he huffed and he puffed, and he blew down the house of straw, and he ate up the little pig.

Now, the second little pig had not gone very far when he met a man with a bundle of furze, and he said to the man: "Please, man, give me that furze that I may build me a house." Which the man did, and the little pig built him a house of the furze.

Very soon along came the same old wolf, and he knocked at the door and said: "Little pig, little pig, let me come in."

But the little pig answered: "No, no, by the hair of my chinny-chin-chin."

Then the old wolf said: "I'll huff and I'll puff, and I'll blow your house in."

So he huffed and he puffed, and he blew down the house of furze, and he ate up the little pig.

Now, the third little pig had not gone very far when he met a man with a wheelbarrow full of bricks, and he said to the man: "Please, man, give me those bricks that I may build me a house." Which the man did, and the little pig built him a house of the bricks.

Very soon along came the old wolf, and he knocked at the door, and he said: "Little pig, little pig, let me come in."

But the little pig answered: "No, no, by the hair of my chinny-chin-chin."

Then the old wolf said: "I'll huff and I'll puff, and I'll blow your house in."

So the old wolf huffed and he puffed, and he huffed and he puffed, and he huffed and he puffed again; but he could not get the house down. Now, why was that? Because it was a little house made all of bricks.

When the old wolf found he could not blow down the house, he said: "Little pig, will you come with me to a new turnip field?"

"Where?" asked the little pig, poking his head out of his upstairs window.

"In Mr. Smith's home-field," said the wolf. "If you will be ready to-morrow morning at six o'clock we will go together and fetch home some turnips for dinner."

"Very well," said the little pig. "I will be ready."

Now, the little pig arose at five and got the turnips before the old wolf came (which he did promptly at six) and said: "Little pig, are you ready?"

But the little pig said: "Ready, indeed! I have been and come back again, and I have a potful of turnips over the fire for dinner."

Then the old wolf was very angry, but he said to the little pig: "Little pig, I can show you a nice apple tree."

"Where?" asked the pig.

"Down at Merry-Garden," said the old wolf. "I will come for you at five o'clock to-morrow, and we will get a basketful of apples."

Well, the little pig bustled around the next morning, and he got up at four o'clock and went to Merry-Garden, and was just coming back with a peck of apples, when whom should he see in the road just ahead of him but the old wolf. "Little pig, little pig, what! Did you get there first? Are they sweet apples?"

"Nice and sweet," said the little pig. "I will throw you one."

Then the little pig threw an apple to the wolf, and he threw it so wide and so far that the wolf had to run a long way to catch it, so the little pig got past him and safe home, after all.

The next day the old wolf came again and he said to the little pig: "Little pig, will you go to the fair at Shanklin this afternoon?"

"Oh, yes," said the little pig. "What time will you be ready?"

"At two," said the wolf.

Well, the little pig went off to Shanklin at one o'clock, and he got him a new butter churn which he needed very much. He was just going home with it when he saw the wolf coming. Oh! but he was frightened, and he could not think what to do. So he got into his butter-churn to hide, and he turned it round by so doing, and it went rolling, rolling down the hill, which frightened the wolf so much that he went under a bush to hide.

The churn went rolling, rolling along and the wolf peeped out from under the bush to see where it would stop. And the churn rolled on and on, and never stopped until it came to the little pig's house, when out jumped the little pig and hurried inside and shut the door.

Then the wolf was very angry indeed, and he said he would eat up the little pig without further ado. So he came down the hill and got up on the roof and started down the chimney, but the little pig heard him. So the little pig hung his dinner-pot over the fire, and when the wolf came down the chimney the pig took off the cover, and that was the end of the old wolf, for the little pig had him for dinner.