Ray's Corner

The Pig Who Would Not Jump Over the Stile

"... ...Now this next one we had in our school book it showed the old lady and this pig that she was trying to get over this sty (sic) = stile. A stile is something like a bridge over in England, the old Country, they built them over the wire fences so you could go across the fields and didn’t have to go around the roads. So, the picture showed this old lady trying to get the pig over the stile - so, she couldn’t get the pig over the stile - she went to market and she bought this little pig and she had a string around his neck and the pick walked along the road all right until she come across the path and when she got to this stile to crawl up over the fence the pig wouldn’t go over it. So the old lady tied the pig to this stile and started back down the road. And on the first one she met was a dog, so she said "Dog, dog bite pig, pig will not jump over the stile and I will not get home tonight." But the dog would not. So she went on a little further and she met a stick and she said "Stick, stick beat dog, dog wont bite pig, pig wont jump over stile and I shall not get home tonight." But the stick would not. So she went on a little father and she met some fire and she said "Fire, fire burn stick, stick will not beat dog, dog will not bite pig, pig will not jump over stile, and I shall not get home tonight." But the fire would not. So she went on and she met some water. And she said "Water, water put out fire, fire won't burn stick, stick wont beat dog, dog wont bite pig, pig wont jump over stile, and I shall not get home tonight." But the water would not. So she went on and she met an ox, and she said "Ox, ox, drink water, water will not put out fire, fire will not burn stick, stick will not beat dog, dog will not bite pig, pig will not jump over stile, and I shall not get home tonight." But the ox would not. So she went on and she met a man and he was a butcher. And she said "Man, man kill ox, ox wont drink water, water wont put out fire, fire wont burn stick, stick wont beat dog, dog wont bite pig, pig wont jump over stile, and I shall not get home tonight." But the man would not. So she went on and she met a rope, and she said "Rope, rope hang man, man will not kill ox, ox wont drink water, water wont put out fire, fire wont burn stick, stick wont beat dog, dog wont bite pig, pig wont jump over stile, and I shall not get home tonight." But the rope would not. So she went on and she met a little mouse and she said "Mouse, mouse gnaw the rope, rope wont hang man, man won’t kill ox, ox wont drink water, water wont put out fire, fire wont burn stick, stick wont beat dog, dog wont bite pig, and I shall not get home tonight." So the mouse said he would do it if he had a piece of cheese. So the woman happened to have a piece of cheese in her pocket and she gave it to the little mouse. So the mouse began to gnaw the rope and the rope began to hang the man and the man began to kill the ox and the ox began to drink water and the water began to put out fire and the fire began to burn stick and the stick began to beat the dog and the dog began to bite the pig and the pig jumped over the stile.  And the old woman got home that night. ... ..."