eds its leaves, and so I moult all my
feathers."

"Then," said the little girl, "I'll spill the milk," so she dropt the
pitcher and spilt the milk. Now there was an old man just by on the top
of a ladder thatching a rick, and when he saw the little girl spill the
milk, he said: "Little girl, what do you mean by spilling the
milk?--your little brothers and sisters must go without their supper."
Then said the little girl: "Titty's dead, and Tatty weeps, the stool
hops, and the broom sweeps, the door jars, and the window creaks, the
old form runs round the house, the walnut-tree sheds all its leaves, the
little bird moults all its feathers, and so I spill the milk."

"Oh!" said the old man, "then I'll tumble off the ladder and break my
neck," so he tumbled off the ladder and broke his neck; and when the old
man broke his neck, the great walnut-tree fell down with a crash and
upset the old form and house, and the house falling knocked the window
out, and the window knocked the door down, and the door upset the broom,
and the broom upset the stool, and poor little Tatty Mouse was buried
beneath the ruins.

153

"The Story of the Three Bears" is perhaps the
only instance in which a piece of literature by
a known English author is found among accepted
folk tales. It appeared in Robert Southey's
rambling miscellany, _The Doctor_ (1837). He
may have taken it from an old tale, but no
amount of investigation has located any certain
source. In the most familiar versions the
naughty old woman gives place to a little girl
whose name is Goldenhair, Goldilocks,
Silverhair, or Silverlocks. The point to the
story is lessened by the change, but the
popularity of these modifications seems to
suggest that children prefer to have the
ill-mannered old woman turned into an
attractive little girl. Southey apparently was
delighted with efforts to bring his story into
any form more pleasing to the folk, and we find
his son-in-law saying that he was especially
pleased with a versification "by G. N. and
published especially for the amusement of
'little people' lest in the volumes of _The
Doctor_ it should 'escape their sight.'"
However, it would appear that teachers at least
should know this masterpiece in the only form
in which