But
just before the ship sank to the water-line, the Captain had a bright
thought: he threw the Little Mill overboard!
It fell right down to the bottom of the sea. _And it has been grinding
salt ever since._
BILLY BEG AND HIS BULL[1]
[Footnote 1: Adapted from _In Chimney Corners_, by Seumas McManus. I have
ventured to give this in the somewhat Hibernian phraseology suggested by
the original, because I have found that the humour of the manner of it
appeals quite as readily to the boys and girls of my acquaintance as to
maturer friends, and they distinguish as quickly between the savour of it
and any unintentional crudeness of diction.]
Once upon a time, there was a king and a queen, and they had one son,
whose name was Billy. And Billy had a bull he was very fond of, and the
bull was just as fond of him. And when the queen came to die, she put it
as her last request to the king, that come what might, come what may, he'd
not part Billy and the bull. And the king promised that, come what might,
come what may, he would not. Then the good queen died, and was buried.
After a time, the king married again, and the new queen could not abide
Billy; no more could she stand the bull, seeing him and Billy so thick. So
she asked the king to have the bull killed.
Pages:
184
185
186
187
188
189
190
191
192
193
194
195
196
197
198
199
200
201
202
203
204
205
206
207
208