Once on a time there lived a child-so it was told to me— Who never heard of Mother Goose and her fine family. The man who lived up in the moon he saw her with his eyes, And told the shocking story to the Man so Wondrous Wise, Who said the proper thing to do in such a case would be To send the dreadful news at once to good old Mother G.
So off he ran told Old King Cole and told the fiddlers Three, And Old King Cole said, “Bless my soul! such things must never be!” And. putting up his pipe, dispatched a Fiddler in a trice To find Jack Horner and request the aid of his advice.
Jack Horner cried; “Alackaday! and can it really be. There lives a child who never heard about my pie and me? I cannot spread the news myself—I’m busy finding plums. You’d better ask the King, of France when next this way he comes?”
The King of France was close at hand, a-marching up the hill, But kindly turned his men about to search for Jack and Jill; And Jack and Jill, with all good-will, they hunted up Bo Peep. And then they wakened poor Boy Blue, beside the hay asleep.
Bo Peep she left her wandering, sheep, Bay Blue he blew his horn, And sent the Knave of Hearts to tell the Maiden all Forlorn. John Barleycorn he heard the news, and Tom the Piper’s San, And Tom set out to find John Stout es fast as he could run.
The story shocked Miss Muffet so she dropped her curds and whey And flew to Mother Hubbard’s house, but found her gone away To buy her poor old dog, a bone and so she bid Jack Sprat As he was lecturing Tommy Green for drowning, pussy cat.
Brave Tommy Wicker stopped his song at hearing what she said, And, quite forgetting supper-time, his butter and his bread. To Mary Quite Contrary went, as in the garden row She raked the shells and silver bells that she had coaxed to grow!
Then Mary left her precious flowers and ran with might and main, (The Man in Leather lent his coat in case it chanced to rain), And came to Mother Goose’s farm before Bow Bells could ring, Which Little Polly Flinders said. was quite a lucky thing.
Within her cosy little house beneath the jimcrack-tree The worthy dame was just about to brew a cup of tea. But when she heard the dreadful news she let the feapot fall. And for her Sunday cap and gown impatiently did call.
“Quick yet my steeple hat," quoth she, “my newest high heeled shoes, And bring my gander to the door; there is no time to loses I must away to Santa Claus before the set of sun, To tell him this alarming tale and see what can be done!”
She wrapped her in her starlet cloak; she donned her steeple hat; The gander flapped his lovely wings and circled like a bat. And then the noble bird away to Christmas Land did. soar, Nor slackened speed till they arrived at Santa Claus’s door!
Good Santa Claus was overjoyed is dear old friend to see, And treated her to cake and nuts from off a Christmas tree. Just what was said on either side I can’t exactly tell, As nobody was near enough to heat it very well.
But this I’ve learned: old Santa Claus that very Christmas took That poor, benighted little child a most enchanting book, And now she knows old Mother Goose—her children great and small, And, as good little folks should do, she dearly loves them all!
