Nursery Tales from Many Lands  by Eleanor L. and Ada M. Skinner

The Three Little Pigs

Once upon a time three little pigs started out to seek their fortune.

The first little pig met a man with a bundle of straw, and said to him, "Please, man, give me that straw to build me a house."

The man gave the straw, and the little pig built a house.

By and by a wolf came along and knocked at the door of the little house, and said "Little pig, little pig, let me come in."

And the little pig said, "No, no, by the hair of my chinny, chin, chin."

And the wolf said, "Then I'll huff, and I'll puff, and I'll blow your house in."

The second little pig met a man with bundle of furze, and said to him, "Please, man, give me that furze to build me a house."

The man gave the furze, and the little pig built a house.

By and by a wolf came along and knocked at the door of the little house and said, "Little pig, little pig, let me come in."

The little pig said, "No, no, by the hair of my chinny, chin, chin."

And the wolf said, "Then I'll huff, and I'll puff, and I'll blow your house in."

The third little pig met a man with a load of bricks, and he said, "Please, man, give me those bricks to build me a house."

The man gave the bricks and the little pig built a house.

By and by a wolf came along and knocked at the door of the little house and said, "Little pig, little pig, let me come in."

The little pig said, "No, no, by the hair of my chinny, chin, chin."

And the wolf said, "Then I'll huff, and I'll puff, and I'll blow your house in."

Then he said, "Little pig, I know where there is a field of nice turnips."

"Where?" asked the little pig.

"In the home field. If you will be ready early to-morrow morning I will call for you. We will go together and get some for dinner."

"Very well," said the little pig. "What time shall I be ready?"

At six o'clock," said the wolf.

The little pig got up at five o'clock, pulled the turnips, and went back home.

The wolf came at six o'clock and called out, "Little pig, are you ready?"

"Ready! I've been and come back. I got a potful of nice turnips for dinner."

The wolf was angry, and he said to himself, "I'll catch that little pig somehow."

So he called out, "Little pig, I know where there is a nice apple-tree."

"Where?" asked the little pig.

"In the orchard not far from here," said the wolf. "If you will wait for me I'll come for you at five o'clock to-morrow morning. We will go together and get some for dinner."

But that little pig got up the next morning at four o'clock and hurried off to get the apples. He hoped to get back before the wolf came, but he had far to go and had to climb the tree. Just as he was scrambling down the tree he saw the wolf coming. Little pig was very much frightened. When the wolf came up he said, "Little pig, you are here before me. Are the apples sweet?"

"Very sweet," said the little pig. "I will throw you down one."

He threw an apple far away from the tree. While the wolf was gone to pick it up the little pig jumped down and ran home.

The next day the wolf came again to the little pig's house and said, "Little pig, there is a fair in the village this afternoon. Will you go?"

"Oh, yes!" said the little pig. "What time shall I be ready?"

"At three," said the wolf.

So the little pig went to the fair before the time. He bought a butter-churn and was hurrying home with it when he saw the wolf coming. He did not know what to do. Then he said to himself, "I'll hide in the butter-churn." He crept in, and by so doing turned the churn round and round. It began to roll along, and soon it started rolling down the hill with the little pig inside. This so frightened the wolf when he saw it that he ran home without going to the fair.

The next day he went to the pig's house and said, "O little pig, when I was going to the fair I saw a great round thing which came rolling past me down the hill."

"Ha! Ha! Ha!" laughed the little pig. "I frightened you, then, did I? I had been to the fair and bought a butter-churn. When I saw you coming I got into it and rolled down the hill."

Then the wolf was very angry, and he said, "I will  eat up that little pig. I'll get down the chimney after him."

When the little pig saw what the wolf meant to do he made up a blazing fire and hung over it a potful of water. Just as the wolf was coming down the chimney the little pig took off the pot-lid and—splash! In fell the wolf! And the little pig ate the wolf for supper and lived happily ever afterward.