|
|
O NCE upon a time there was an old mother pig and three little pigs and they lived in the middle of an oak forest. While the children were still quite small the acorn crop failed. That made it difficult for Mrs. Piggy-wiggy to find enough for her children to eat, and the little pigs had to go hungry. So at last the mother pig sent the little pigs off to seek their fortunes.
The first little pig to go walked on and on until he met a man carrying a bundle of straw, and the little pig said, "Please, man, give me that straw to build me a house."
So the man gave the little pig the straw, and the little pig built a house of it. In this house of straw the little pig lived very comfortably; but one day a wolf came along and rapped at the door. "Little pig, little pig, let me come in," said the wolf.
"No, no, by the hair of my chinny, chin, chin," said the little pig.
"Then I'll huff and I'll puff and I'll blow your house down," said the wolf.
So he huffed and he puffed and he blew the house down and carried the little pig off to his den.
The second little pig that left the mother pig walked on and on until he met a man carrying a bundle of brush, and the little pig said, "Please, man, give me that brush to build me a house."
So the man gave the little pig the brush, and the little pig built a house of it. In this house of brush the little pig lived very comfortably; but one day the wolf came along and rapped at the door. "Little pig, little pig, let me come in," said the wolf.
"No, no, by the hair of my chinny, chin, chin," said the little pig.
"Then I'll huff and I'll puff and I'll blow your house down," said the wolf.
So he huffed and he puffed, and he puffed and he huffed, and at last he blew the house down and carried off the little pig.
The third little pig, after he left the mother pig, walked on and on until he met a man with a load of bricks, and the little pig said, "Please, man, give me those bricks to build me a house."
So the man gave the little pig the bricks and the little pig built a house of them. In this house of bricks the little pig lived very comfortably; but one day the wolf came along and rapped at the door. "Little pig, little pig, let me come in," said the wolf.
"No, no, by the hair of my chinny, chin, chin," said the little pig.
"Then I'll huff and I'll puff and I'll blow your house down," said the wolf.
So he huffed and he puffed, and he huffed and he puffed, and he puffed and he huffed; but the house was built of bricks and he could not blow it down. At last he had no breath left to huff and puff with, so he sat down outside the little pig's house and thought for a while. Presently he said, "Little pig, I know where there is a nice field of turnips."
"Where?" asked the little pig.
"Not half a mile from here, at Farmer Smith's," replied the wolf. "If you will be ready to-morrow morning I will call for you and we will go together and get some turnips for dinner."
"At what time do you mean to go?" said the little pig.
"Oh, at six o'clock," the wolf answered.
"Very well," said the little pig, "I will be ready."
But the little pig got up at five o'clock and he went off to Farmer Smith's and filled a basket with turnips and returned home before the wolf came. He had locked the door and was busy about his housework when he heard the wolf rapping outside.
"Little pig, are you ready?" the wolf said.
"Ready!" exclaimed the little pig, "I have been to the turnip field and got back, and I'm paring the turnips for dinner now."
The wolf was very angry at this, but he was bound to catch the little pig in some way or other. So he thought a moment and then he said, "Little pig, I know where there is a nice apple-tree loaded with apples."
"Where?" asked the little pig.
"Down in the valley at Farmer Brown's," replied the wolf. "If you will be ready to-morrow morning I will call for you at five o'clock and we will go together and get some apples for dinner."
"Very well," said the little pig, "I will be ready."
But the next morning the little pig was up at four o'clock and he hurried down to Farmer Brown's in the valley. He hoped to return home before the wolf arrived; but he had farther to go than the day before, and he had to climb the tree to fill the bag he had brought with the apples. So the wolf got to the little pig's house while the little pig was gone for the apples, and found the house empty. Then the wolf ran to Farmer Brown's as fast as he could go, and when he came to the apple-tree the little pig was just preparing to climb down from among the branches.
"Little pig," said the wolf, "you treat me very badly. You should have waited for me."
The little pig was much frightened, but he said, "These are splendid apples. I will throw you down one;" and he threw the apple so far that while the wolf was gone to pick it up the little pig jumped to the ground and ran home.
Early the next day the wolf came to the little pig's house again and said, "Little pig, there is a fair at the town in the valley this afternoon. Will you go?"
"Oh, yes," replied the little pig. "I will go. At what time do you want to start?"
"At three," said the wolf.
But the little pig went off before the time, as usual, and got to the fair and bought a churn. He was carrying the churn home when he saw the wolf coming. Then he could not tell what to do. So he crawled into the churn to hide. But he happened to be near the top of a hill, and no sooner was he in the churn than it began to roll and bump down the hill with the little pig squealing and kicking inside; for he was badly scared and thought he would be bumped to death, or, if not that, he was sure the wolf would get him.
![[Illustration]](http://www.gatewaytotheclassics.com/bronze/books/johnson/oak/johnson_oak_zpage207.gif)
The wolf, however, imagined the churn was some strange beast that meant him harm. He had never seen or heard the like in all his life, and he was so terrified he turned about and ran home without going to the fair. He did not venture out again till toward evening. Then he went to the little pig's house and said, "Little pig, did you go to the fair?"
"Oh, yes," said the little pig, "I went to the fair, and why didn't you go?"
"I started to go," replied the wolf, "but when I was nearly there a great howling round thing chased me. It had its mouth wide open and could easily have swallowed me whole. I had to run with all my might or it would have caught me."
"Ha, ha!" laughed the little pig, "it was I who frightened you. I had been to the fair and bought a churn, and when I saw you I crawled into it and rolled down the hill."
Then the wolf was so angry that he declared he would eat up the little pig without any more delay. "You can't keep me out, even if you have locked the door," shouted the wolf. "I will come down the chimney!"
The little pig had a big pot of water boiling on the fire, and when he heard the wolf scrambling up the roof he took the cover off the pot. A minute later the wolf came down the chimney and fell right into the pot, and the little pig put the cover on and that was the last of the wicked wolf. After that the little pig lived very happily in his house of bricks and there he is to this day.