Lisa M. Ripperton

The Bun

O NCE upon a time there was an old man, and one day he wanted something nice to eat, so he said to his wife: "My dear, please make me a bun."

But she answered: "What am I to make it of? We have no flour."

"What nonsense," he said, "of course we have! You've only got to scrape the sides of the bin and sweep its floor and you'll get plenty!"

So his wife took a feather brush, and scraped the sides and swept the floor of the bin, and got a little flour together. Then she kneaded the dough with cream, rolled out the bun, spread it over with butter and put it in the oven.

And the bun turned out simply splendid! She took it out of the oven and put it on the window-sill to get cold.

And there the bun lay and lay, and he began to feel lonely, so he just took and rolled off!

From the window-sill he rolled down on to the bench, from the bench on to the floor, and over the floor to the door.

Then he rolled right over the threshold into the lobby, and out of the lobby on to the front door steps, and down the steps right out of doors, and rolled straight along the road into the field.

Suddenly he met a hare, and the hare said to him: "Mr. Bun, Mr. Bun, I shall eat you up!"  "No, you shan't, Mr. Hare, for I'll sing you a song." And he started singing: "I'm Mr. Bun, I'm Mr. Bun. I was scraped from the sides and swept from the floor of the bin, I was kneaded with cream and fried in butter, and was put to cool on the window-sill, but I got away from gaffer and I got away from grannie, and I shan't find it hard to get away from you!"

And when he had finished his song he went on rolling farther, and was out of sight before Mr. Hare had time to look.

And he went on rolling, and by and by he met a wolf, and the wolf said to him: "Mr. Bun, Mr. Bun, I shall eat you up!"  "No, you shan't Mr. Wolf, for I'll sing you a song." And he started singing: "I'm Mr. Bun, I'm Mr. Bun, I was scraped from the sides and swept from the floor of the bin, I was kneaded with cream and fried in butter, and was put to cool on the window-sill, but I got away from gaffer and I got away from grannie, and I got away from Mr. Hare, and I shan't find it hard to get away from you!"

And he went on rolling farther, when suddenly he met a bear. And the bear said to him: "Mr. Bun, Mr. Bun, I shall eat you up!"  "Indeed you shall not, you old crooked-paws, you couldn't if you tried." And he started singing: "For I'm Mr. Bun, I'm Mr. Bun, I was scraped from the sides, and swept from the floor of the bin, I was kneaded with cream and fried in butter, and was put to cool on the window-sill, but I got away from gaffer and I got away from grannie, I got away from Mr. Hare, and got away from Mr. Wolf—Good-bye, Bruin!"

And he went on rolling farther, when suddenly he met a fox, and the fox said to him, "How do you do, Mr. Bun, how pretty you are, and how well-baked you are!"

And Mr. Bun was pleased at being praised, and he started singing: "I'm Mr. Bun, I'm Mr. Bun, I was scraped from the sides and swept from the floor of the bin, I was kneaded with cream and fried in butter, and was put to cool on the window-sill, but I got away from gaffer and I got away from grannie, I got away from Mr. Hare, and got away from Mr. Wolf, I got away from Bruin and I'll get away from you!"

"That's  a fine song," said the fox, "please sing it me again; but come and sit on my nose, I've got so deaf lately."

So Mr. Bun jumped up on Mr. Fox's nose and sang his song again. And the fox said: "Thank you, Mr. Bun, but please sing it just once again. And come and sit on my tongue, then I shall hear still better." And Mr. Fox put out his tongue, and Mr. Bun jumped on to it, and Mr. Fox just closed his mouth and ate Mr. Bun up.