<p><SPAN name="Page_19" id="Page_19">[19]</SPAN></p>
<div class="figcenter"> <ANTIMG src="images/i017.jpg" width-obs="471" height-obs="289" alt="Sing a Song o' Sixpence" /></div>
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<h2>Sing a Song o' Sixpence</h2>
<div class='poem'>
Sing a song o' sixpence, a handful of rye,<br/>
Four-and-twenty blackbirds baked in a pie;<br/>
When the pie was opened the birds began to sing,<br/>
Wasn't that a dainty dish to set before the King?<br/></div>
<div class='drop-cap'>IF you have never heard the legend of Gilligren and
the King's pie you will scarcely understand the
above verse; so I will tell you the whole story,
and then you will be able to better appreciate the
rhyme.</div>
<p>Gilligren was an orphan, and lived with an uncle
and aunt who were very unkind to him. They cuffed
him and scolded him upon the slightest provocation,
and made his life very miserable indeed. Gilligren
never rebelled against this treatment, but bore their
cruelty silently and with patience, although often he
longed to leave them and seek a home amongst kinder
people.</p>
<p>It so happened that when Gilligren was twelve
years old the King died, and his son was to be proclaimed
King in his place, and crowned with great
ceremony. People were flocking to London from all
parts of the country, to witness the festivities, and the
boy longed to go with them.</p>
<p><span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_20" id="Page_20">[20]</SPAN></span></p>
<p>One evening he said to his uncle,</p>
<p>"If I had sixpence I could make my fortune."</p>
<p>"Pooh! nonsense!" exclaimed his uncle, "a sixpence
is a small thing. How then could you make a
fortune from it?"</p>
<p>"That I cannot tell you," replied Gilligren, "but
if you will give me the sixpence I will go to London,
and not return until I am a rich man."</p>
<p>"The boy is a fool!" said his uncle, with anger;
but the aunt spoke up quickly.</p>
<p>"Give him the money and let him go," she said,
"and then we shall be well rid of him and no longer
be obliged to feed and clothe him at our expense."</p>
<p>"Well," said her husband, after a moment's thought,
"here is the money; but remember, this is all I shall
ever give you, and when it is gone you must not come
to me for more."</p>
<p>"Never fear," replied Gilligren, joyfully, as he put
the sixpence in his pocket, "I shall not trouble you
again."</p>
<p>The next morning he cut a short stick to assist
him in walking, and after bidding good-bye to his
uncle and aunt he started upon his journey to London.</p>
<p>"The money will not last him two days," said the
man, as he watched Gilligren go down the turnpike
road, "and when it is gone he will starve to death."</p>
<p>"Or he may fall in with people who will treat him
worse than we did," rejoined the woman, "and then
he'll wish he had never left us."</p>
<p><span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_21" id="Page_21">[21]</SPAN></span></p>
<p>But Gilligren, nothing dismayed by thoughts of
the future, trudged bravely along the London road.
The world was before him, and the bright sunshine
glorified the dusty road and lightened the tips of the
dark green hedges that bordered his path. At the end
of his pilgrimage was the great city, and he never
doubted he would find therein proper work and proper
pay, and much better treatment than he was accustomed
to receive.</p>
<p>So, on he went, whistling merrily to while away
the time, watching the sparrows skim over the fields,
and enjoying to the full the unusual sights that met
his eyes. At noon he overtook a carter, who divided
with the boy his luncheon of bread and cheese, and
for supper a farmer's wife gave him a bowl of milk.
When it grew dark he crawled under a hedge and slept
soundly until dawn.</p>
<p>The next day he kept steadily upon his way, and
toward evening met a farmer with a wagon loaded
with sacks of grain.</p>
<p>"Where are you going, my lad?" asked the man.</p>
<p>"To London," replied Gilligren, "to see the King
crowned."</p>
<p>"Have you any money?" enquired the farmer.</p>
<p>"Oh yes," answered Gilligren, "I have a sixpence."</p>
<p>"If you will give me the sixpence," said the man,
"I will give you a sack of rye for it."</p>
<p>"What could I do with a sack of rye?" asked
Gilligren, wonderingly.</p>
<p><span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_22" id="Page_22">[22]</SPAN></span></p>
<p>"Take it to the mill, and get it ground into flour.
With the flour you could have bread baked, and that
you can sell."</p>
<p>"That is a good idea," replied Gilligren, "so here
is my sixpence, and now give me the sack of rye."</p>
<p>The farmer put the sixpence carefully into his
pocket, and then reached under the seat of the wagon
and drew out a sack, which he cast on the ground at
the boy's feet.</p>
<p>"There is your sack of rye," he said, with a laugh.</p>
<p>"But the sack is empty!" remonstrated Gilligren.</p>
<p>"Oh, no; there is some rye in it."</p>
<p>"But only a handful!" said Gilligren, when he had
opened the mouth of the sack and gazed within it.</p>
<p>"It is a sack of rye, nevertheless," replied the
wicked farmer, "and I did not say how much rye
there would be in the sack I would give you. Let
this be a lesson to you never again to buy grain without
looking into the sack!" and with that he whipped
up his horses and left Gilligren standing in the road
with the sack at his feet and nearly ready to cry at his
loss.</p>
<p>"My sixpence is gone," he said to himself, "and I
have received nothing in exchange but a handful of
rye! How can I make my fortune with that?"</p>
<p>He did not despair, however, but picked up the
sack and continued his way along the dusty road.
Soon it became too dark to travel farther, and Gilligren<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_23" id="Page_23">[23]</SPAN></span>
stepped aside into a meadow, where, lying down
upon the sweet grass, he rolled the sack into a pillow
for his head and prepared to sleep.</p>
<p>The rye that was within the sack, however, hurt
his head, and he sat up and opened the sack.</p>
<p>"Why should I keep a handful of rye?" he
thought, "It will be of no value to me at all."</p>
<p>So he threw out the rye upon the ground, and
rolling up the sack again for a pillow, was soon sound
asleep.</p>
<p>When he awoke the sun was shining brightly over
his head and the twitter and chirping of many birds
fell upon his ears. Gilligren opened his eyes and saw
a large flock of blackbirds feeding upon the rye he
had scattered upon the ground. So intent were they
upon their feast they never noticed Gilligren at all.</p>
<p>He carefully unfolded the sack, and spreading wide
its opening threw it quickly over the flock of blackbirds.
Some escaped and flew away, but a great many
were caught, and Gilligren put his eye to the sack and
found he had captured four and twenty. He tied the
mouth of the sack with a piece of twine that was in
his pocket, and then threw the sack over his shoulder
and began again his journey to London.</p>
<p>"I have made a good exchange, after all," he
thought, "for surely four and twenty blackbirds are
worth more than a handful of rye, and perhaps even
more than a sixpence, if I can find anyone who wishes
to buy them."</p>
<p><span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_24" id="Page_24">[24]</SPAN></span></p>
<p>He now walked rapidly forward, and about noon
entered the great city of London.</p>
<p>Gilligren wandered about the streets until he came
to the King's palace, where there was a great concourse
of people and many guards to keep intruders
from the gates.</p>
<p>Seeing he could not enter from the front, the boy
walked around to the rear of the palace and found
himself near the royal kitchen, where the cooks and
other servants were rushing around to hasten the preparation
of the King's dinner.</p>
<p>Gilligren sat down upon a stone where he could
watch them, and laying the sack at his feet was soon
deeply interested in the strange sight.</p>
<p>Presently a servant in the King's livery saw him
and came to his side.</p>
<p>"What are you doing here?" he asked, roughly.</p>
<p>"I am waiting to see the King," replied Gilligren.</p>
<p>"The King! The King never comes here," said
the servant; "and neither do we allow idlers about
the royal kitchen. So depart at once, or I shall be
forced to call a guard to arrest you."</p>
<p>Gilligren arose obediently and slung his sack over
his shoulder. As he did so the birds that were within
began to flutter.</p>
<p>"What have you in the sack?" asked the servant.</p>
<p>"Blackbirds," replied Gilligren.</p>
<p>"Blackbirds!" echoed the servant, in surprise,<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_25" id="Page_25">[25]</SPAN></span>
"well, that is very fortunate indeed. Come with me
at once!" He seized the boy by the arm and drew
him hastily along until they entered the great kitchen
of the palace.</p>
<p>"Here, Mister Baker!" the man called, excitedly,
"I have found your blackbirds!"</p>
<p>A big, fat man who was standing in the middle
of the kitchen with folded arms and a look of despair
upon his round, greasy face, at once came toward
them and asked eagerly,</p>
<p>"The blackbirds? are you sure you can get
them?"</p>
<p>"They are here already; the boy has a bag full of
them."</p>
<p>"Give them to me," said the cook, who wore a
square cap, that was shaped like a box, upon his head.</p>
<p>"What do you want with them?" asked Gilligren.</p>
<p>"I want them for a pie for the King's dinner,"
answered Mister Baker; "His Majesty ordered the dish,
and I have hunted all over London for the blackbirds,
but could not find them. Now that you have brought
them, however, you have saved me my position as
cook, and perhaps my head as well."</p>
<p>"But it would be cruel to put the beautiful birds
in a pie," remonstrated Gilligren, "and I shall not
give them to you for such a purpose."</p>
<p>"Nonsense!" replied the cook, "the King has
ordered it; he is very fond of the dish."</p>
<p>"Still, you cannot have them," declared the boy<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_26" id="Page_26">[26]</SPAN></span>
stoutly, "the birds are mine, and I will not have them
killed."</p>
<p>"But what can I do?" asked the cook, in perplexity;
"the King has ordered a blackbird pie, and
your birds are the only blackbirds in London."</p>
<p>Gilligren thought deeply for a moment, and conceived
what he thought to be a very good idea. If
the sixpence was to make his fortune, then this was
his great opportunity.</p>
<p>"You can have the blackbirds on two conditions,"
he said.</p>
<p>"What are they?" asked the cook.</p>
<p>"One is that you will not kill the birds. The
other condition is that you secure me a position in
the King's household."</p>
<p>"How can I put live birds in a pie?" enquired
the cook.</p>
<p>"Very easily, if you make the pie big enough to
hold them. You can serve the pie after the King has
satisfied his hunger with other dishes, and it will
amuse the company to find live birds in the pie when
they expected cooked ones."</p>
<p>"It is a risky experiment," exclaimed the cook,
"for I do not know the new King's temper. But the
idea may please His Majesty, and since you will not
allow me to kill the birds, it is the best thing I can
do. As for your other condition, you seem to be a
very bright boy, and so I will have the butler take<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_27" id="Page_27">[27]</SPAN></span>
you as his page, and you shall stand back of the
King's chair and keep the flies away while he eats."</p>
<p>The butler being called, and his consent secured,
the cook fell to making the crusts for his novel pie,
while Gilligren was taken to the servants' hall and
dressed in a gorgeous suit of the King's livery.</p>
<p>When the dinner was served, the King kept looking
for the blackbird pie, but he said nothing, and at
last the pie was placed before him, its crusts looking
light and brown, and sprigs of myrtle being stuck in
the four corners to make it look more inviting.</p>
<p>Although the King had already eaten heartily, he
smacked his lips when he saw this tempting dish, and
picking up the carving-fork he pushed it quickly into
the pie.</p>
<p>At once the crust fell in, and all the four and
twenty blackbirds put up their heads and began to
look about them. And coming from the blackness of
the pie into the brilliantly lighted room they thought
they were in the sunshine, and began to sing merrily,
while some of the boldest hopped out upon the table
or began flying around the room.</p>
<p>At first the good King was greatly surprised; but
soon, appreciating the jest, he lay back in his chair and
laughed long and merrily. And his courtiers and the
fine ladies present heartily joined in the laughter, for
they also were greatly amused.</p>
<p>Then the King called for the cook, and when<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_28" id="Page_28">[28]</SPAN></span>
Mister Baker appeared, uncertain of his reception, and
filled with many misgivings, His Majesty cried,</p>
<p>"Sirrah! how came you to think of putting live
birds in the pie?"</p>
<p>The cook, fearing that the King was angry, answered,</p>
<p>"May it please your Majesty, it was not my
thought, but the idea of the boy who stands behind
your chair."</p>
<p>The King turned his head, and seeing Gilligren,
who looked very well in his new livery, he said,</p>
<p>"You are a clever youth, and deserve a better
position than that of a butler's lad. Hereafter you
shall be one of my own pages, and if you serve me
faithfully I will advance your fortunes with your
deserts."</p>
<p>And Gilligren did serve the King faithfully, and as
he grew older acquired much honor and great wealth.</p>
<p>"After all," he used to say, "that sixpence made
my fortune. And it all came about through such a
small thing as a handful of rye!"</p>
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