Once upon a time, when pigs could talk and no one had ever heard of
bacon, there lived an old piggy mother with her three little sons.
They had a very pleasant home in the middle of an oak forest, and were
all just as happy as the day was long, until one sad year the acorn
crop failed; then, indeed, poor Mrs. Piggy-wiggy often had hard work
to make both ends meet.
One day she called her sons to her, and, with tears in her eyes, told
them that she must send them out into the wide world to seek their
fortune.
She kissed them all round, and the three little pigs set out upon
their travels, each taking a different road, and carrying a bundle
slung on a stick across his shoulder.
The first little pig had not gone far before he met a man carrying a
bundle of straw; so he said to him: "Please, man, give me that straw
to build me a house?" The man was very good-natured, so he gave him
the bundle of straw, and the little pig built a pretty little house
with it.
No sooner was it finished, and the little pig thinking of going to
bed, than a wolf came along, knocked at the door, and said: "Little
pig, little pig, let me come in."
But the little pig laughed softly, and answered: "No, no, by the hair
of my chinny-chin-chin."
Then said the wolf sternly: "I will _make_ you let me in; for I'll
huff, and I'll puff, and I'll blow your house in!"
So he huffed and he puffed, and he blew his house in, because, you
see, it was only of straw and too light; and when he had blown the
house in, he ate up the little pig, and did not leave so much as the
tip of his tail.
The second little pig also met a man, and _he_ was carrying a bundle
of furze; so piggy said politely: "Please, kind man, will you give me
that furze to build me a house?"
The man agreed, and piggy set to work to build himself a snug little
house before the night came on. It was scarcely finished when the wolf
came along, and said: "Little pig, little pig, let me come in."
"No, no, by the hair of my chinny-chin-chin," answered the second
little pig.
"Then I'll huff, and I'll puff, and I'll blow your house in!" said the
wolf. So he huffed and he puffed, and he puffed, and he huffed, and at
last he blew the house in, and gobbled the little pig up in a trice.
Now, the third little pig met a man with a load of bricks and mortar,
and he said: "Please, man, will you give me those bricks to build a
house with?"
So the man gave him the bricks and mortar, and a little trowel as
well, and the little pig built himself a nice strong little house. As
soon as it was finished the wolf came to call, just as he had done to
the other little pigs, and said: "Little pig, little pig, let me in!"
But the little pig answered: "No, no, by the hair of my
chinny-chin-chin."
"Then," said the wolf, "I'll huff, and I'll puff, and I'll blow your
house in."
Well, he huffed, and he puffed, and he puffed, and he huffed, and he
huffed, and he puffed; but he could _not_ get the house 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 awhile.
Presently he called out: "Little pig, I know where there is a nice
field of turnips."
"Where?" said the little pig.
"Behind the farmer's house, three fields away, and if you will be
ready to-morrow morning I will call for you, and we will go together
and get some breakfast."
"Very well," said the little pig; "I will be sure to be ready. What
time do you mean to start?"
"At six o'clock," replied the wolf.
Well, the wise little pig got up at five, scampered away to the field,
and brought home a fine load of turnips before the wolf came. At six
o'clock the wolf came to the little pig's house and said: "Little pig,
are you ready?"
"Ready!" cried the little pig. "Why, I have been to the field and
come back long ago, and now I am busy boiling a potful of turnips for
breakfast."
The wolf was very angry indeed; but he made up his mind to catch the
little pig somehow or other; so he told him that he knew where there
was a nice apple-tree.
"Where?" said the little pig.
"Round the hill in the squire's orchard," the wolf said. "So if
you will promise to play me no tricks, I will come for you tomorrow
morning at five o'clock, and we will go there together and get some
rosy-cheeked apples."
The next morning piggy got up at four o'clock and was off and away
long before the wolf came.
But the orchard was a long way off, and besides, he had the tree to
climb, which is a difficult matter for a little pig, so that before
the sack he had brought with him was quite filled he saw the wolf
coming towards him.
He was dreadfully frightened, but he thought it better to put a good
face on the matter, so when the wolf said: "Little pig, why are you
here before me? Are they nice apples?" he replied at once: "Yes, very;
I will throw down one for you to taste." So he picked an apple and
threw it so far that whilst the wolf was running to fetch it he had
time to jump down and scamper away home.
The next day the wolf came again, and told the little pig that there
was going to be a fair in the town that afternoon, and asked him if he
would go with him.
"Oh! yes," said the pig, "I will go with pleasure. What time will you
be ready to start?"
"At half-past three," said the wolf.
Of course, the little pig started long before the time, went to the
fair, and bought a fine large butter-churn, and was trotting away with
it on his back when he saw the wolf coming.
He did not know what to do, so he crept into the churn to hide, and by
so doing started it rolling.
Down the hill it went, rolling over and over, with the little pig
squeaking inside.
The wolf could not think what the strange thing rolling down the hill
could be; so he turned tail and ran away home in a fright without ever
going to the fair at all. He went to the little pig's house to tell
him how frightened he had been by a large round thing which came
rolling past him down the hill.
"Ha! ha!" laughed the little pig; "so I frightened you, eh? I had been
to the fair and bought a butter-churn; when I saw you I got inside it
and rolled down the hill."
This made the wolf so angry that he declared that he _would_ eat up
the little pig, and that nothing should save him, for he would jump
down the chimney.
But the clever little pig hung a pot full of water over the hearth
and then made a blazing fire, and just as the wolf was coming down the
chimney he took off the cover and in fell the wolf. In a second the
little pig had popped the lid on again.
Then he boiled the wolf, and ate him for supper, and after that he
lived quietly and comfortably all his days, and was never troubled by
a wolf again.
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