ing their heads out in the most
delightful way. Little "Bo-Peep" led a woolly lamb and wept over its
lost tail, for not a sign of one appeared on the poor thing. "Simple
Simon" followed the pie-man, gloating over his wares with the drollest
antics. The little wife came trundling by in a wheelbarrow and was not
upset; neither was the lady with "rings on her fingers and bells on her
toes," as she cantered along on a rocking-horse. "Bobby Shafto's" yellow
hair shone finely as he led in the maid whom he came back from sea
to marry. "Miss Muffet," bowl in hand, ran away from an immense black
spider, which waggled its long legs in a way so life-like that some of
the children shook in their little shoes. The beggars who came to town
were out in full force, "rags, tags, and velvet gowns," quite true to
life. "Boy Blue" rubbed his eyes, with hay sticking in his hair, and
tooted on a tin horn as if bound to get the cows out of the corn. Molly,
with a long-handled frying-pan, made a capital "Queen," in a tucked-up
gown, checked apron, and high crown, to good "King Arthur," who, very
properly, did not appear after stealing the barley-meal, which might be
seen in the pan tied up in a pudding, like a cannon-ball, ready to fry.

But Tobias, Molly's black cat, covered himself with glory by the spirit
with which he acted his part in,

"Sing, sing, what shall I sing?
The cat's run away with the pudding-bag string."

First he was led across the stage on his hind legs, looking very fierce
and indignant, with a long tape trailing behind him; and, being set
free at the proper moment, he gave one bound over the four-and-twenty
blackbirds who happened to be in the way, and dashed off as if an
enraged cook had actually been after him, straight downstairs to the
coal-bin, where he sat glaring in the dark, till the fun was over.

When all the characters had filed in and stood in two long rows, music
struck up and they danced, "All the way to Boston," a simple but lively
affair, which gave each a chance to show his or her costume as they
pranced down the middle and up outside.

Such a funny medley as it was, for there went fat "King Cole" with the
most ragged of the beggar-maids. "Mistress Mary," in her pretty blue
dress, tripped along with "Simple Simon" staring about him like a
blockhead. The fine lady left her horse to dance with "Bobby Shafto"
till every bell on her slippers tinkled its tongue out. "Bo-Peep" and
a jolly fiddler skippe