Page:More English Fairy Tales.djvu/218



HE fox and his wife they had a great strife,

They never ate mustard in all their whole life;

They ate their meat without fork or knife,

And loved to be picking a bone, e-ho!

The fox went out, one still, clear night,

And he prayed the moon to give him light,

For he'd a long way to travel that night,

Before he got back to his den-o!

The fox when he came to yonder stile,

He lifted his lugs and he listened a while!

"Oh, ho!" said the fox, "it's but a short mile

From this unto yonder wee town, e-ho!"

And first he arrived at a farmer's yard,

Where the ducks and the geese declared it was hard,

That their nerves should be shaken and their rest should be marred

By the visits of Mister Fox-o!