_In which a gingerbread man has some adventures, but finally comes
to grief._
A little old woman had no man of her own and so she decided to make
one of gingerbread. So one day she made a gingerbread man. She put
on a chocolate coat, with cinnamon buttons. She made his eyes out
of caraway seed, and a cap out of a lump of sugar.
“Now, my little man, I shall bake you until you are done,” said the
old woman, and put the gingerbread man into the oven.
After a while it smelled so good the old woman opened the stove
door to see how her little man was getting on. But he was quite
done by this time, and while the old woman was pulling out the pan,
the gingerbread man jumped out and ran down the road.
The little old woman ran after him, but the gingerbread man laughed
and called out: “Run! run! as fast as you can! You can’t catch me!
I’m the gingerbread man.”
And sure enough, she could not catch him.
The gingerbread man ran past a pasture where there was a horse.
“Stop!” said the horse. “You look good to eat.” But the gingerbread
man laughed and said: “Run! run! as fast as you can. The old woman
can’t catch me, and you can’t catch me, for I am the gingerbread
man.” And sure enough, the horse could not catch him.
He ran on down the road and soon he met a cow.
“Stop!” said the cow. “I want to eat you.” But the gingerbread man
laughed again and said:
“Run run! as fast as you can! The old woman, and the horse and you
can’t catch me, for I am the gingerbread man.” And sure enough, the
cow could not catch him.
By and by the gingerbread man ran past a field where the men were
cutting hay. They smelled the gingerbread and tried to lay hold of
the little man. But he laughed and said:
“Run! run! as fast as you can! The old woman and the horse and the
cow and you can’t catch me, for I am the gingerbread man.” And sure
enough, the men could not catch him.
Then he met a fox just as he came to a river. “Run! run! as fast as
you can,” said the gingerbread man. “Why?” said the fox. “Because
they will catch you,” said the gingerbread man.
“Jump on my back and I will take you across the river,” said the
fox, and the little man jumped on his shoulders.
“Jump on my head,” said the fox, and the little man jumped on his
head.
“Jump on my nose,” said the fox, and the gingerbread man jumped on
the fox’s nose. Just then they reached the shore and the fox opened
his mouth, and snap! went the gingerbread man into the fox’s mouth.
The old fox chewed a while and then said:
“That was a very nice little gingerbread man!”