The Cock, The Mouse and the Little Red Hen / an old tale retold

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The original (printed) book came in at least two versions. In the edition used for this e-text, some full-color illustrations had a red frame and the others were unframed. The line drawings alternated between reddish magenta and blue-green. In another version, all color illustrations had the same black frame, and all line drawings were black-and-white. In this e-text, red frames are as printed; black frames were added by the transcriber to make illustrations look cleaner.

running mouse from endpaper Thumbnails
Title Page Text
Note on Colors
running hen from endpaper

THE COCK, THE MOUSE
AND THE LITTLE RED HEN

rooster, mouse, hen

 
title page


To My Nieces
CECILIA GARRY and NELLY MELVILLE
and
to my little friend
HARFORD LURY
this book is dedicated
with my love

 
 

4511
NINETEENTH PRINTING
Manufactured in the United States of America

THE COCK, THE MOUSE
AND THE LITTLE RED HEN


Once upon a time there was
a hill, and on the hill there
was a pretty little house.

It had one little green
door, and four little windows
with green shutters,
and in it there lived

the pretty house

a rooster

A Cock

a mouse with a belt and A Mouse

and
 A Little
   Red
    Hen
little red hen

On another hill close by
there was another little
house. It was very ugly.

the ugly house

It had a door
that wouldn’t shut,

drawing of the house

and two broken windows,
and all the paint
was off the shutters

And in this house
there lived

four little foxes

one big fox and four little foxes

A BOLD BAD FOX
and FOUR BAD
LITTLE FOXES

four little foxes on a barrel

One morning these
four bad little foxes 

four little foxes

came to the
 big bad Fox
   and said:
the big bad fox

“Oh, Father, we’re so
hungry!”

“We had nothing to eat
yesterday,” said one.

“And scarcely anything
the day before,” said another.

“And only half a chicken
the day before that,” said
the third.

“And only two little
ducks the day before that,”
said the fourth.

one big fox, four little foxes

The big bad Fox shook
his head for a long time,
for he was thinking.

fox leaning against the wall

At last he said in a
big gruff voice:

“On that hill over there
I see a house. And in that
house there lives a Cock.”

“And a Mouse,” screamed
two of the little foxes.

big fox points out house to little foxes

“And a little Red Hen,”
screamed the other two.

“And they are nice and fat,”
went on the big bad Fox.
“This very day, I’ll take my
great sack, and I will go up
that hill, and in at that door,
and into my sack I will put
the Cock, and the Mouse,
and the little Red Hen.”

one little fox “I’ll make a fire
 to roast the Cock,”
  said one little fox.
“I’ll put on the saucepan
to boil the Hen,”
said the second.
one little fox
“And I’ll get the frying
pan to fry the Mouse,”
said the third.
one little fox
one little fox “And I’ll have the biggest
helping when
they are all cooked,”
said the fourth, who
was the greediest of all.

So the four little foxes
jumped for joy, and the
big bad Fox went to get
his sack ready to start
upon his journey.

four little foxes dancing

the rooster

But what was happening
to the Cock and the Mouse,
and the little Red Hen, all
this time?

the mouse

Well, sad to say, the Cock and
the Mouse had both got out of
bed on the wrong side that
morning.

the rooster

the three at home

The Cock said the day was
too hot, and the Mouse grumbled
because it was too cold.

They came grumbling down
to the kitchen, where the good
little Red Hen, looking as bright
as a sunbeam, was bustling about.

“Who’ll get some sticks to
light the fire with?” she asked.

I shan’t,” said the Cock.

I shan’t,” said the Mouse.

“Then I’ll do it myself,” said
the little Red Hen.

So off she ran to get the sticks.

little red hen looks sad

“And now, who’ll fill
the kettle from the
spring?” she asked.

the rooster I shan’t,”
said the Cock.
I shan’t,” said
the Mouse.
the mouse

“Then I’ll do it myself,”
said the little Red Hen.
And off she ran to
fill the kettle.

the little red hen

the little red hen carries water

“And who’ll get the
breakfast ready?” she
asked, as she put the
kettle on to boil.

hen brings the kettle home

I shan’t,”
said the Cock.
the rooster speaks
the mouse runs away I shan’t,”
said the Mouse.

“I’ll do it myself,”
said the little Red Hen.

the messy breakfast table

All breakfast time the
Cock and the Mouse quarrelled
and grumbled. The
Cock upset the milk jug,
and the Mouse scattered
crumbs upon the floor

little red hen stands up

“Who’ll clear away the
breakfast?” asked the poor
little Red Hen, hoping

the mouse flings his hands up

they would soon leave
off being cross.

I shan’t,” said the Cock.

I shan’t,” said the Mouse.

“Then I’ll do it myself,”
said the little Red Hen.

So she cleared everything
away, swept up the crumbs,
and brushed up the fireplace.

hen cleans up

hen starts up stairs

“And now, who’ll help
me to make the beds?”

I shan’t,” said the Cock.

I shan’t,” said the Mouse.

mouse slinks off

hen at the top of the stairs

“Then I’ll do it myself,”
said the little Red Hen.

And she tripped away
upstairs.

But the lazy Cock and
Mouse each sat down in a
comfortable arm-chair by
the fire

the fireplace

and soon fell
fast asleep.

the mouse sleeps in a chair

the fox looks in the window

Now the bad Fox had
crept up the hill, and into
the garden, and if the Cock
and Mouse hadn’t been
asleep, they would have seen
his sharp eyes peeping in
at the window.

“Rat tat tat, Rat tat tat”, the Fox knocked at the door.

fox with a sack slung over his back

the mouse stands up

“Who can that be?” said the
Mouse, half opening his eyes.

“Go and look for yourself, if
you want to know,” said the
rude Cock

the mouse opens the door to the fox

“It’s the postman perhaps,”
thought the Mouse to himself,
“and he may have a letter
for me.” So without waiting to
see who it was, he lifted the
latch and opened the door.

As soon as he opened it
in jumped the big Fox, with
a cruel smile upon his face!

the fox with his sack

the mouse tries to run

“Oh! oh! oh!” squeaked the
Mouse as he tried to run up
the chimney.

“Doodle doodle do!” screamed
the Cock, as he jumped on the
back of the biggest
arm-chair

But the Fox only laughed,
and without more ado he
took the little Mouse by the
tail, and popped him into
the sack, and seized the
Cock by the neck and popped
him in too.

the fox looks up at the rooster

the hen comes running

Then the poor little Red
Hen came running down-stairs
to see what all the
noise was about,

and the Fox caught her
and put her into the sack
with the others.

the full sack

the hen jumps down to the fox

Then he took a long piece of
string out of his pocket, wound
it round and round and
round the mouth of
the sack, and tied it very
tight indeed.

the fox looks pleased with himself

After that he threw the sack
over his back and set off down
the hill.

the fox strolls away

“Oh! I wish I hadn’t been
so cross,” said the Cock, as
they went bumping about.

“Oh! I wish I hadn’t been
so lazy,” said the Mouse, wiping
his eyes with the tip of his tail.

“It’s never too late to mend,”
said the little Red Hen. “And
don’t be too sad.

sewing basket

See, here I have my little
work-bag, and in it there is
a pair of scissors, and a
little thimble, and a needle
and thread. Very soon you
will see what I am going
to do.”

Now the sun was very hot,
and soon Mr. Fox began to
feel his sack was heavy,
and at last he thought he
would lie down under a
tree and go to sleep for
a little while.

the fox in sunlight

the fox dozes under a tree

So he threw the sack down
with a big bump, and very
soon fell fast asleep.

Snore, snore, snore, went
the Fox.

the hen with her scissors

As soon as the little Red
Hen heard this, she took
out her scissors, and began
to snip a hole in the sack,
just large enough for the
Mouse to creep through.

“Quick,” she whispered to
the Mouse, “run as fast as you
can and bring back a stone
just as large as yourself.”

the mouse hauls a stone

Out scampered the Mouse,
and soon came back, dragging
the stone after him.

the mouse hauls a stone up the road

the mouse pushes a stone

“Push it in here,” said
the little Red Hen, and he
pushed it in in a twinkling.

Then the little Red Hen
snipped away the hole, till
it was large enough for the
Cock to get through.

“Quick,” she said, “run
and get a stone as big as
yourself.”

the rooster hurries away

Out flew the Cock, and
soon came back quite out
of breath, with a big stone,
which he pushed into the
sack too.

the rooster runs

Then the little Red Hen
popped out,

the hen races along

got a stone as big as
herself, and pushed it in.

Next she put on her thimble,
took out her needle and thread,
and sewed up the hole as
quickly as ever she could.

the hen sews up the sack

When it was done, the
Cock and the Mouse and
the little Red Hen ran home
very fast, shut the door

the hen and the rooster run quickly

after them, drew the bolts,
shut the shutters, and drew
down the blinds and felt
quite safe.

the mouse runs

all three run quickly

The bad Fox lay fast asleep
under the tree for some time,
but at last he woke up.

“Dear, dear,” he said, rubbing
his eyes and then looking at
the long shadows on the grass,
“how late it is getting. I must
hurry home.”

So the bad Fox went
grumbling and groaning
down the hill

the fox walks carrying his sack

till he came to the
stream.

Splash! In went one foot.
Splash! In went the other,
but the stones in the sack
were so heavy that at the
very next step down tumbled
Mr. Fox into a deep pool.

the fox is in the water

And then the fishes carried
him off to their fairy caves
and kept him a prisoner there,
so he was never seen again.

one fish

And the four greedy
little foxes had to go
to bed without any
supper.

four little foxes

the hen comfortable at home

But the Cock and the
Mouse never grumbled
again. They lit the fire,
filled the kettle, laid the
breakfast, and did all the
work, while the good little
Red Hen had a holiday, and
sat resting in the big arm-chair.

No foxes ever troubled
them again, and for all I
know they are still living
happily in the little house
with the green door and
green shutters, which stands
on the hill.

The End

Thumbnails

If pictures do not show as facing pairs, you may need to make your browser window a little wider.

color thumbnail   title page

dedication   halftitle

'Once upon a time...'   color thumbnail

'A Cock'   'and a Mouse...'

'On another hill...'   color thumbnail

'It had a...'   'And in this house...'

color thumbnail   'A BOLD BAD FOX'

'One morning...'   'came to the...'

'Oh Father...'   color thumbnail

'The big bad Fox...'   'At last he said...'

color thumbnail   'And a little...'

'I'll make a fire...'   'And I'll get...'

'So the four...'   color thumbnail

'But what was...'   'Well, sad to say...'

color thumbnail   'The Cock said...'

'Then I'll...'   'And now, who'll fill...'

'Then I'll...'   color thumbnail

'And who'll get...'   'I shan't'

color thumbnail   'All breakfast time...'

'Who'll clear away...'   'they would soon...'

'I shan't'   color thumbnail

'And now...'   'I shan't'

color thumbnail   'Then I'll...'

'But the lazy...'   'and soon fell...'

color thumbnail   'Now the bad Fox...

'Rat tat tat...'   'Who can that be?'

color thumbnail   'It's the postman...'

'As soon as...'   'Oh! oh! oh!'

'But the Fox...'   color thumbnail

'Then the poor little...'   'and the Fox...'

color thumbnail   'Then he took...'

(line drawing)   'After that he...'

color thumbnail   'Oh! I wish...'

'See, here I have...'   'Now the sun...'

color thumbnail   'So he threw...'

'As soon as...'   'Quick'

'Out scampered...'   color thumbnail

'Push it in here'   'Then the little...'

'Out flew...'   color thumbnail

'Then the little...'   'got a stone...'

'Next she put on...'   color thumbnail

'When it was done...'   'after them...'

color thumbnail   'The bad Fox...'

'So the bad Fox...'   'till he came...'

'Splash!'   color thumbnail

'And then the fishes...'   'And the four greedy...'

color thumbnail   'But the Cock...'

'No foxes ever...'

Title Page Text

The COCK, The MOUSE
and the
LITTLE RED HEN
AN OLD TALE RETOLD
by
FÉLICITÉ LEFÈVRE
 
WITH 24 ILLUSTRATIONS
by
TONY SARG
MACRAE · SMITH · COMPANY
PHILADELPHIA


running rooster from endpaper

Technical Note on Colors

The colors used in the line drawings represent the transcriber’s best guess. To try an alternative version, do one of two things:
Open the “images” directory, rename the folder line_main (to anything) and then rename line_alt to line_main.
Or, if you are comfortable editing HTML text, globally change line_main to line_alt in this file. (The Technical Note has been formatted so you will not accidentally change anything in this paragraph.) Save under a new name to keep both versions.


The illustrations with a gold background are taken from the endpapers.





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