ONE fine summer morning a hen was picking peas in a farm-yard under a pea-stack, when a pea fell on her head such a thump that she thought the sky had fallen. And she thought she would go to the court and tell the king that the sky was falling: so she gaed, and she gaed, and she gaed, and she met a Cock, and the Cock said,— "Where are you going to-day, Henny-penny?" And she said, "Oh, Cocky-locky, the sky is falling, and I am going to tell the king." And Cockylocky said,- "I will go with you, Henny-penny." So Cocky-locky and Henny-penny, they gaed, and they gaed, and they gaed, till they met a Duck. So the Duck said,- "Where are you going to-day, Cockylocky and Henny-penny?" And they said, "Oh, Ducky-daddles, the sky is falling, and we are going to tell the king.' And Ducky-daddles said, "I will go with you, Cocky-locky and Henny-penny." So Ducky-daddles, and Cocky-locky, and Hennypenny, they gaed, and they gaed, and they gaed, till they met a Goose. So the Goose said,Where are you going to-day, Ducky-daddles, Cocky-locky, and Hennypenny?" And they said, "Oh, Goosie-poosie, the sky is falling, and we are going to tell the king." And Goosie-poosie said,—“I will -"I will go with you, Duckydaddles, Cocky-locky, and Henny-penny." So Goosie-poosie, and Ducky-daddles, and Cockylocky, and Henny-penny, they gaed, and they gaed, and Ducky-daddles, Cocky-locky, and Henny - penny ?” And they said, "Oh, Turkey-lurky, the sky is falling, and we are going to tell the king.” And Turkeylurky said, "I will with go you, Goosie-poosie, Ducky-daddles, Cocky-locky, and Henny-penny." So Turkey-lurky, and Goosie-poosie, and Duckydaddles, and Cocky-locky, and Henny-penny, they gaed, and they gaed, and they gaed, till they met a Fox. So the Fox said,- -"Where are you going to-day, Turkey-lurky, Goosie-poosie, Ducky-daddles, Cocky-locky, and Henny-penny?" And they said,— "Oh, Mr. Fox, the sky is falling, and we are going to tell the king." And the Fox said,—" Come with me, Turkey-lurky, Goosie-poosie, Ducky-daddles, Cockylocky, and Henny-penny, and I will show you the road to the king's house." So they all gaed, and they gaed, and they gaed, till they came to the Fox's hole, and the Fox took them all into his hole; and he and his young cubs ate up first poor Henny-penny, then poor Cocky-locky, then poor Ducky-daddles, then poor Goosie-poosie, and then poor Turkey-lurky and so they never got to the king to tell him that the clouds had fallen on the head of poor |