Little Orphan Annie

 The Hobyahs

 Teeny Tiny

Little Orphan Annie

Little Orphan Annie's come to our house to stay,
To wash the cups and saucers up and brush the crumbs away--
Shoo the chickens off the porch, dust the hearth and sweep--
Build the fire and bake the bread and earn her board and keep.

All us other children, when the supper things is done,
We sit around the kitchen fire and has the mostes' fun--
Alistenin' to the witch tales that Annie tells about,
And the Goblins 'ull get you, if you don't watch out.

Once there was a little boy who wouldn't say his prayers
And when he went to bed one night away upstairs--
His mammy heard him holler and his daddy heard him bawl,
But when they turned the kivers down, he wasn't there at all--

They searched him in the rafters, cubbie hole and press.
They searched him in the chimney room and every wheres, I guess
But all they ever found was just his pants and round about
And the Goblins 'ull get you if you don't watch out.

Once there was a little girl who'd always laugh and grin
And so make fun of everyone and all her kith and kin--
And once when there was company and old folks was there--
She mocked 'em and she shocked 'em and she said she didn't care.

And just as she kicked her heels and turned to run and hide,
There were two great big black things a standen by her side--
They snatched her through the ceiling for she knowed what she's about
And the Goblins 'ull get you if you don't watch out.

Little Orphan Annie says when the blaze is blue
And the lamp wick sputters and the wind goes "whooooo,"
Better mind your parents and your teachers fond and dear
Cherish them that loves you and dry the orphan's tear--
Feed the poor and needy, that clusters all about--
Or the Goblins 'ull get you if you don't watch out!

Once upon a time there lived a little old man and a little old woman in a little old house all made of hempstalks. They had a little dog, Turpie, who barked whenever anyone came near the house.

Now off in the deep, dark woods, there lived some Hobyahs. One night when the little old man and the little old woman were fast asleep, creep, creep, creeping came the Hobyahs through the woods.

"Tear down the hempstalks, eat up the little old man, and carry off the little old woman," cried the Hobyahs.

Little dog Turpie barked loudly and frightened the Hobyahs away. This woke the little old man and he said, "Little old woman, little dog Turpie barks so that I can neither slumber nor sleep. In the morning I shall cut off his tail." So he cut off little dog Turpie's tail and hung it upon the wall.

The second night the Hobyahs came creep, creep, creeping along the woods crying, "Tear down the hempstalks, eat up the little old man, and carry off the little old woman."

Little dog Turpie barked and barked and barked so that he frightened the Hobyahs and they ran away home. This woke the little old man, who said, "Little old woman, little dog Turpie barks so that I can neither slumber nor sleep. In the morning I shall cut off his ears." So he cut off little dog Turpie's ears and hung them upon the wall.

The third night the Hobyahs came creep, creep, creeping along through the woods, crying, "Tear down the hempstalks, eat up the little old man, carry off the little old woman."

Again little dog Turpie barked and barked and barked so that he frightened the Hobyahs and they ran away home. The little old man heard little dog Turpie and said, "Little old woman, little dog Turpie barks so loudly I can neither slumber nor sleep. In the morning I shall cut off his legs." So he cut off little dog Turpie's legs and hung them upon the wall.

The fourth night, little dog Turpie heard the Hobyahs coming, creep, creep, creeping through the woods. "Tear down the hempstalks; eat up the little old man; carry off the little old woman," they cried.

Little dog Turpie barked louder than ever. The little old man sat right up in bed, saying, "Little old woman, little dog Turpie barks louder than ever. In the morning I shall cut off his head." So he cut off little dog Turpie's head and hung it upon the wall. Then little dog Turpie could bark no more.

The next night the Hobyahs came creep, creep, creeping through the woods, crying, "Tear down the hempstalks; eat up the little old man; carry off the little old woman."

Little dog Turpie didn't bark that night because he couldn't, so there was no one to frighten the Hobyahs away. But the little old man heard them and he was very much frightened. He climbed up into the chimney place. Soon the Hobyahs came and tore down the hempstalks. They looked all about for the little old man but they couldn't find him. They put the little old woman into a big bag and carried her off to their home in the deep, dark woods. There they hung the bag from the rafters and they poked it with their fingers crying, "Hear ye! Hear ye! Little old woman, we're going to eat you up." When it came daylight, they went to sleep for Hobyahs always sleep all day.

As soon as the Hobyahs were gone, the little old man came down from the chimney place. He knew now what a good dog little dog Turpie had been to guard the house at night. So he took down from the wall little dog Turpie's head and ZIP, it went right on. He took down little dog Turpie's ears and ZIP, ZIP, they were on. He took down little dog Turpie's legs and ZIP, ZIP, ZIP, ZIP, they were on. He took down little dog Turpie's tail and Z,-Z,-ZIP, it went right into its place.

Then little dog Turpie ran out of the house and went sniff, sniff, sniffing into the deep, dark woods. He found the Hobyahs' house and went right in. The Hobyahs were all fast asleep. He heard the little old woman crying in the bag, so he cut it with his sharp teeth. The little old woman jumped out and ran home as fast as she could go. Little dog Turpie got into the bag to hide.

When night came, the Hobyahs awoke. They went to the bag, and poked it with their fingers, crying, "Hear ye! Hear ye! Little old woman, we're going to eat you up." But just then, the little dog Turpie jumped out of the bag and ate up every one of the Hobyahs. That is why there are noo Hobyahs today.

-Retold by M. M. Smith

Once upon a time there was a teeny tiny woman who lived in a teeny tiny house in a teeny tiny village. Now one day this teeny tiny woman put on her teeny tiny bonnet and went out of her teeny tiny house to take a teeny tiny walk. When this woman had gone a teeny tiny way, she came to a teeny tiny gate; so the teeny tiny woman opened the teeny tiny gate, and went into a teeny tiny churchyard. When this teeny tiny woman had got into the teeny tiny churchyard, she saw a teeny tiny bone on a teeny tiny grave, and the teeny tiny woman said to her teeny tiny self, “This teeny tiny bone will make me some teeny tiny soup for my teeny tiny supper.” So the teeny tiny woman put the teeny tiny bone into her teeny tiny pocket, and went home to her teeny tiny house.

Now when the teeny tiny woman got home to her teeny tiny house, she was a teeny tiny bit tired; so she went up her teeny tiny stairs to her teeny tiny bed and put the teen tiny bone into a teeny tiny cupboard. And when this teeny tiny woman had been asleep a teeny tiny time, she was awakened by a teeny tiny voice from the teeny tiny cupboard, which said:

And this teeny tiny woman was a teeny tiny frightened, so she hid her teeny tiny head under the teeny tiny covers and went to sleep again. And when she had been to sleep again a teeny-tiny time, the teeny tiny voice again cried out from the teeny tiny cupboard a teeny tiny bit louder,

This made the teeny tiny woman a teeny tiny more frightened, so she hid her teeny tiny head a teeny tiny bit further under the teeny tiny covers. And when the teeny tiny woman had been to sleep again a teeny tiny time, the teeny tiny voice from the teeny tiny cupboard said again a teeny tiny louder,

And the teeny tiny woman was a teeny tiny bit more frightened, but she poked her teeny tiny head out from under the teeny tiny covers and said in her loudest teeny tiny voice, “TAKE IT!”