Page:Christmas Fireside Stories.djvu/77

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THE fANCAKE. 65 been fried a little on that side too, it felt a little stronger ia the back, jumped out on the floor, and rolled away, like a wheel, right through the door and down the road. " Halloo ! " cried the goodwife, and away she ran after it, with the frying-pan in one hand and the ladle in the other, as fast as she could, and the children behind her, while the goodman came limping after, last of all. "Halloo, won't you stop?—Catch it, stop it. Halloo there!" thcy all screamed, the one louder than the other, trying to catch it on the run, but the pancake rolled and rolled, and before long, it was so far ahead, that they could not see it, for the pancake was much smarter on its legs than any of them. When it had rolled a time, it met a man. " Good day, pancake ! " said the man. '* Well met, Manny Panny," said the pancake. " Dear pancake," said the man, " 4on't roll so fast, but wait a bit and let me eat you." " When I have run away from Goody Poody and the goodman and seven squalling children, I must run away from you too, Manny Panny," said fhe pancake, and rolled on and on, till it met a hen. " Good day, pancake," said the hen. " Good day, Henny Penny," said the pancake. " My dear pancake, don't roll so fast, but wait a bit and let me eat you/' said the hen. " When I have run away from Goody Poody and the goodman and seven squalling children, and from Manny Panny, I must run away from you too, Henny Penny," said the pancake, and rolled on like a wheel down the road. Then it met a cock. " Good day, pancake," said the cock. '* Good day, Cocky Locky," said the pancake. "My dear pancake, don't roll so fast, but wait a bit and let me eat you," said the cock. " When I- have run away from Goody Poody and the goodman and seven squalling children, from Manny Panny, and Henny Penny, I must run away from you too, Cocky Locky," said the F