Lawkamercyme

Once upon a time, a little old woman set off to market with a basket of eggs to sell. She wore her best petticoat, a long skirt that swished around her ankles as she walked. The sun was warm, and the road was long, and soon the old woman felt very sleepy. “I will just sit down and rest for a moment,” she said. So she sat down under a tree by the side of the road, and before she knew it, she was fast asleep.

While she was snoring, along came a peddler with a pack full of ribbons and buttons. His name was Stout, and he loved to play tricks. When he saw the old woman asleep, he grinned and took out his scissors. Snip, snip, snip! He cut her long petticoat short, all the way up to her knees. Then he tiptoed away, chuckling to himself.

After a while, the old woman woke up and stretched. She felt a cool breeze on her legs, and she looked down. “Oh, lawk a mercy on me!” she cried. “My petticoat is short, and my knees are showing!” She stared and stared, and she began to wonder. “This cannot be me,” she said. “I always wear a long petticoat, so this must be somebody else!”

The old woman scratched her head and thought hard. “I know what to do,” she said. “I have a little dog at home, and he knows me very well.” “If this is me, he will wag his tail, but if this is not me, he will bark and bark.”

So she picked up her basket and hurried home. It was dark by the time she got there, and her little dog did not see her face. He only saw a stranger in a funny short skirt, so he barked, “Woof, woof, woof!” “Oh dear,” said the old woman, “then I am not me after all!”

But then the little dog came closer and sniffed her shoes. He sniffed her basket, and he sniffed her hands. Then he stopped barking, and he wagged his tail, and he licked her fingers all over. “Oh, it is me!” laughed the old woman, and she gave him a big hug. She went inside, made a pot of tea, and sewed a long new ruffle on her petticoat. And the very next day, she took her eggs to market and sold every one.