But the others were too full of their news to notice his ill humor.
"O fiddle diddle," they cried, "what do you think we heard this very morning?"
"What?" snapped the fiddle, and he broke another string.
"A long time ago when pigs had wings
And pups grew in the tree-tops,
In that good time donkeys brayed in rhyme,
And fiddles danced the barn hops."
"What nonsense!" growled the fiddle, in such an ugly tone that even the donkey rose on his hind legs to cover his big ears with his forefeet.
"We're going to ask the old witch owl about it," said the pup. "Come along and hear what she says."
"Rr-r-r-r-zing, you silly thing," snarled the fiddle, so fiercely that without waiting for more,
With a run and a squeal
Away went the pig with an odd little reel,
And the roly-poly pup and the kicking, kicking donkey,
And the ill-tempered fiddle followed after.
He sneaked along, though, behind the others, and tripped often in his broken strings, and this made his temper worse.
Well, the day was darkening into twilight when they reached the barn. But they were so anxious
