_THE ROLY-POLY BOOK_
Books by
LAURA ROUNTREE SMITH
Bear and Bunny Book, The
Bunny Boy and Grizzly Bear
Bunny Bright Eyes
Bunny Cotton-Tail Junior
Candy-Shop Cotton-Tails, The
Children’s Favorite Stories
Circus Book, The
Circus Cotton-Tails, The
Cotton-Tail First Reader, The
Cotton-Tail Primer, The
Cotton-Tails in Toyland, The
Drills and Plays for Patriotic Days
Games and Plays
Hawk-Eye, An Indian Story Reader
Language Lessons from Every Land
Little Bear
Little Eskimo
Merry Little Cotton-Tails, The
Mother Goose Stories
Primary Song Book
Roly-Poly Book, The
Runaway Bunny, The
Seventeen Little Bears
Snubby Nose and Tippy Toes
Tale of Bunny Cotton-Tail, The
Three Little Cotton-Tails
Published by
A. FLANAGAN COMPANY
CHICAGO
The
Roly-Poly Book
BY
LAURA ROUNTREE SMITH
1923
A. FLANAGAN COMPANY
CHICAGO
[Illustration]
If you will come and read with me,
Our Roly-Poly friends you’ll see.
You’ll often laugh, if you will look
Inside the Roly-Poly Book!
COPYRIGHT, 1910, 1923
BY A. FLANAGAN COMPANY
Printed in the United States of America
The Roly-Poly Book
CHAPTER I
“What’s that?” asked Mama Roly-Poly.
“What’s that?” asked Papa Roly-Poly.
“What’s that?” asked Teddie and Freddie Roly-Poly.
Then Humpty Dumpty called out, “It’s only I. I am falling down-stairs
again!”
Thump, thump! bump, bump! Humpty Dumpty fell all the way down-stairs.
Mama Roly-Poly went to pick him up, and she said, “Some day you will get
hurt if you are not careful.”
[Illustration: THUMP, THUMP! BUMP, BUMP!]
Then—what do you suppose happened?
Teddie and Freddie Roly-Poly shouted:
“Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall.
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.
All the king’s horses and all the king’s men
Can not put Humpty Dumpty together again.”
Then the Roly-Poly family began to eat their breakfast.
“Oh, ow!” cried Humpty Dumpty.
“Oh, ow!” cried Teddie and Freddie.
What do you suppose was the matter this time?
All the little Roly-Polys had burned their mouths because their oatmeal
was so hot.
“Never mind,” said Papa. “You must eat your breakfast or you will be late
for school.”
Sure enough, the first bell for school was ringing that very minute.
Teddie looked at Freddie and Freddie looked at Teddie.
Any one could have told they were twins, they looked so much alike.
Teddie said, “How can I go to school with a sore mouth?”
Freddie said, “My mouth is sore, too.”
Humpty Dumpty said, “I have a lame back because I fell down-stairs.”
Mama Roly-Poly looked over her spectacles and said, “If you are not able
to go to school, I will put you all to bed!”
Then Teddie dried his eyes on the corner of his napkin, and Freddie
said, “I feel much better.”
Humpty Dumpty said, “I can go to school if the twins will draw me in the
cart.”
The children got down from their seats at the table and began to get
ready for school.
“Where is my red cap?” cried Teddie.
“Where is my red cap?” shouted Freddie.
Mama and Papa looked in every nook and corner, but they could not find
the red caps.
Humpty Dumpty stood looking out of the window. Suddenly, he began to
dance a jig. He danced so hard that he spun around like a top.
“Stop him! stop him!” cried Mama Roly-Poly. “Stop him, or he will hurt
his back.”
Teddie went and whispered something in his right ear and Freddie
whispered something in his left ear, and Humpty Dumpty stopped.
The twins asked, “What made you spin around that way?”
Humpty Dumpty said:
“I know something I shan’t tell,
Three little nuts in a pea-nut shell.”
“He knows where our caps are,” cried the twins. “O Ma, make him tell! O
Pa, make him tell!”
Then Humpty Dumpty led the twins to the window and pointed to the caps
lying under the maple tree.
It had rained the night before and the caps were wet.
The twins were in such a hurry to get to school that they put on their
wet caps and ran merrily along, and Humpty Dumpty forgot all about
wishing to ride in a cart and ran merrily after them.
When they reached the school all the children set up a shout.
Teddie’s face was all streaked with red, and Freddie’s face was all
streaked with red.
The water from their wet caps had run down their cheeks.
The teacher sent them out to the pump to wash their faces.
Then school opened, and Humpty Dumpty began to cry.
He cried so hard that a little stream of tears ran out of each eye.
The teacher asked, “What is the matter, Humpty Dumpty?”
The little fellow was crying so hard that he could not answer.
Then Freddie raised his hand and asked, “Please, may I speak?” and Teddie
raised his hand and asked, “Please, may I speak?”
The teacher nodded, and the twins said, “Perhaps Humpty Dumpty is hurt,
for he fell down-stairs this morning.”
Then the teacher said that the twins might put Humpty Dumpty into a
wheel-barrow and take him home.
The teacher said, “Say your tables and count numbers all the way.”
The twins put Humpty Dumpty into a wheel-barrow, and they put their wet
caps by his side and started homeward.
Then they began to count: “One, two, three, four.”
“See that squirrel,” cried Teddie.
“Nine, ten, seven,” said Humpty Dumpty.
“See that robin,” said Freddie.
“Eight, four, sixteen, twelve,” counted Humpty Dumpty.
The children went on counting and talking in the funniest way.
When they got home they found that Papa and Mama had gone away.
[Illustration: THE TWINS SANG HIM A NONSENSE SONG]
Humpty Dumpty began to cry. “I want my ma,” he said.
Teddie said, “Don’t cry and we will sing you a song.”
Freddie said, “Indeed we will.”
Mama had left a note on the table, and the note said:
I have left your dinner in the pantry. If we do not come home
to-night Grandpa Grimes will stay with you.
Humpty Dumpty lay down on the sofa and the twins sang him a nonsense
song, in hopes that he would soon be better.
They sang:
“Oh, beets and carrots are good to eat,
And pears and apples are nice and sweet;
But Mrs. Potato of all is most wise,
For she has such a number of eyes!”
Then they drew a picture of Mrs. Potato and soon Humpty Dumpty fell
asleep.
Then the twins went to the window to see whether or not Grandpa Grimes
was coming.
[Illustration]
If Humpty Dumpty now should fall
From other places than the wall,
He might get a crack or two,
And that would never, never do.