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Ferrar, William J.

"More English Fairy Tales"



_Of Hedging a Cuckoo_
Once upon a time the men of Gotham would have kept the Cuckoo so that
she might sing all the year, and in the midst of their town they made a
hedge round in compass and they got a Cuckoo, and put her into it, and
said, "Sing there all through the year, or thou shalt have neither meat
nor water." The Cuckoo, as soon as she perceived herself within the
hedge, flew away. "A vengeance on her!" said they. "We did not make our
hedge high enough."

_Of Sending Cheeses_
There was a man of Gotham who went to the market at Nottingham to sell
cheese, and as he was going down the hill to Nottingham bridge, one of
his cheeses fell out of his wallet and rolled down the hill. "Ah,
gaffer," said the fellow, "can you run to market alone? I will send one
after another after you."
Then he laid down his wallet and took out the cheeses, and rolled them
down the hill. Some went into one bush; and some went into another.
"I charge you all to meet me near the market-place;" and when the fellow
came to the market to meet his cheeses, he stayed there till the market
was nearly done.


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