"In the wood."

"Where's the wood?"

"Fire burnt it."

"Where's the fire?"

"Moo cow drank it."

"Where's the moo cow?"

"Sold it for a silver penny."

"What did you do with the money?"

"Bought nuts with it."

"What did you do with them?"

"You can have the nutsh.e.l.ls, if you like."

The last words being rather disrespectful, the mother at once chases the children, calling, "Where's my share of the silver penny?" The players being chased, reply, "You may have the nutsh.e.l.ls!" The mother thus catches the children, one after another, and pretends to punish them.

MOTHER, MOTHER, THE POT BOILS OVER!

_5 to 11 players._

_Indoors; out of doors._

This is a traditional dramatic game.

One player represents an old witch, another a mother, another the eldest daughter, another a pot boiling on the hearth, and the balance are children, named for the days of the week, Monday, Tuesday, etc.

The old witch hides around the corner of a house or other convenient place, and peeps out, while the mother says to her eldest daughter, "I am going away, and I want you to let nothing happen to your sisters."

To the others she says, "Monday, you take care of Tuesday, and Tuesday, you take care of Wednesday," etc., until she comes to the last child, when she says, "And Sat.u.r.day, take care of yourself." Then to the eldest, "Be sure and not let the old witch take any of your sisters. You can also get the dinner, and be sure not to let the pot boil over."

The mother then goes away and stays at a distance out of sight. As soon as the mother has gone, the old witch, stooping, lame, and walking with a stick, comes and raps with her knuckles on the supposed door. The eldest daughter says; "Come in! What do you want?"

_Old Witch._ Let me light my pipe at your fire; my fire is out.

_Eldest Daughter._ Yes, if you will not dirty the hearth.

_Old Witch._ No, certainly; I will be careful.

The eldest daughter lets her in and goes about her work, setting the table or looking on the shelf, when the old witch suddenly stoops down and blows the ashes on the hearth; whereupon the pot makes a hissing sound as though boiling over, and the old witch catches hold of Monday and runs away with her.

The eldest daughter cries out, "Mother, mother, the pot boils over!"

The mother calls back, "Take the spoon and skim it."

"Can't find it."

"Look on the shelf."

"Can't reach it."

"Take the stool."

"Leg's broken."

"Take the chair."

"Chair's gone to be mended."

Mother, "I suppose I must come myself!"

The mother then returns, looks about, and misses Monday. "Where is my Monday?" she demands of the eldest daughter.

The daughter says, "Under the table." The mother pretends to look under the table, and calls "Monday!" then says, "She isn't there." The daughter suggests various places, up on the shelf, down in the cellar, etc., with the same result. Finally, the eldest daughter cries and says: "Oh, please, mother, please! I couldn't help it, but some one came to beg a light for her pipe, and when I looked for her again she had gone, and taken Monday with her."

The mother says, "Why, that was the old witch!" She pretends to beat the eldest daughter, and tells her to be more careful in the future, and on no account to let the pot boil over. The eldest daughter weeps, promises to be better, and the mother again goes away. The old witch comes again, and the same thing is repeated until each child in turn has been taken away, the old witch pretending each time to borrow a different article that is used around the fire, as the poker, the kettle, etc. Finally, the eldest daughter is carried off too.

The pot, which has boiled over with a hissing sound each time the old witch has come to the hearth, now boils over so long and so loudly that the mother hears it and comes back to see what is the matter.

Finding the eldest daughter gone too, the mother goes in search of them to the witch's house. On the way she meets the old witch, who tries to turn her from her path by speaking of various dangers.

The mother asks of her, "Is this the way to the witch's house?" and the witch replies, "There is a red bull that way."

"I will go this way."

"There is a mad cow that way."

"I will go this way."

"There is a mad dog that way."

Finally, the mother insists on entering the witch's house. The witch refuses to let her in, saying--

"Your shoes are too dirty."

"I will take them off."

"Your stockings are too dirty."

"I will take them off."