The Traditional Games of England, Scotland, and Ireland Volume I Part 92

It's not there.

Up in lower cupboard.

It's not there.

Then the cat have eat it.

Where's the cat?

Up in heath.

Where's the heath?

The fire burnt it.

[The rest is the same as in the last version, p. 393.]

-Dorsets.h.i.+re (_Folk-lore Journal_, vii. 221-222).

VI. Mother, mother, may I (or we) go out to play?

No, child! no, child! not for the day.

Why, mother? why, mother? I won't stay long.

Make three pretty courtesies, and away begone.

One for mammy, one for daddy, one for Uncle John.

Where, child! where, child! have you been all the day?

Up to granny's.

What have you been doing there?

[The answer to this is often, "Was.h.i.+ng doll's clothes," but anything may be mentioned.]

What did she give you?

[The reply is again left to the child's fancy.]

Where's my share?

The cat ate it [or, In the cat's belly]. What's in that box, mother?

Twopence, my child.

What for, mother?

To buy a stick to beat you, and a rope to hang you, my child.

-Cornwall (_Folk-lore Journal_, v. 55, 56).

VII. Grandmother, grandmother grey, May I go out to play?

No, no, no, it is a very wet day.

Grandmother, grandmother grey, May I go out to play?

Yes, yes, yes, if you don't frighten the geese away.

Children, I call you.

I can't hear you.

Where are your manners?

In my shoe.

Who do you care for?

Not for you.

-Earls Heaton, Yorks. (H. Hardy).

VIII. Pray, mother, pray, May I go out to play?

No, daughter, no, daughter, Not every fine day.

Why, mother, why?

I shan't be gone long.

Make a fine curtsey And glad git you gone.- Wait for your sister.

-Hurstmonceux, Suss.e.x (Miss Chase).

IX. Please, mother, please, mother, may I go out to play?

No, child, no, child, 'tis such a cold day.

Why, mother, why, mother, I won't stay long.

Make three pretty curtseys and off you run.

-Northants (Rev. W. D. Sweeting).

(_b_) One girl is chosen to act as "Mother," the rest of the players pretend to be her children, and stand in front of her, not in a line, but in a group. One of them, very frequently all the children ask her the first question, and the Mother answers. When she gives permission for the children to go out they all curtsey three times, and run off and pretend to play. They then return, and the rest of the dialogue is said, the Mother asking the questions and the children replying. At the end of the dialogue the Mother chases and catches them, one after the other, pretending to beat and punish them. In the Northants and Hurstmonceux games there appears to be no chasing. In the London version (Miss Dendy) only two children are mentioned as playing. When the Mother is chasing the girl she keeps asking, "Where's my share of the silver penny?" to which the girl replies, "You may have the nut-sh.e.l.ls." In the Cornish version, when the Mother has caught one of the children, she beats her and puts her hands round the child's throat as if she were going to hang her.

(_c_) Miss Courtney, in _Folk-lore Journal_, v. 55, says: "I thought this game was a thing of the past, but I came across some children playing it in the streets of Penzance in 1883." It belongs to the c.u.mulative group of games, and is similar in this respect to "Milking Pails," "Mother, Mother, the Pot boils over," &c. There seems to be no other object in the game as now played except the pleasures of teasing and showing defiance to a mother's commands, and trying to escape the consequences of disobedience by flight, in order that the mother may chase them. The idea may be that, if she is "out of breath," she cannot chastise so much. Mr. Newell (_Games_, p. 172) gives versions of a similar game.

Mother Mop

All the players, except one, stand two by two in front of each other, the inner ones forming an arch with their hands united-this is called the "oven." The odd child is "Mother Mop." She busies herself with a pretended mop, peel, &c., after the manner of old-fas.h.i.+oned bakers, making much ado in the valley between the rows of children. The oven soon gets demolished, and the last child vanquished becomes "Mother Mop"

the next time.-Bitterne, Hants (Mrs. Byford).

It seems probable that the inner rows of children should kneel or stoop down in order that "Mother Mop" should have as much trouble as possible with her oven. The game may have lost some of its details in other directions, as there is no apparent reason why the oven is demolished or broken down.

See "Jack, Jack, the Bread's a-burning."

Mother, Mother, the Pot Boils over

A number of girls choose one of their number to represent a witch, and another to be a mother. The Witch stands near the corner of a wall, so that she can peep round. Then the Mother counts the children by the seven days of the week, "Monday," "Tuesday," &c., and appoints another girl to act as guardian over them. She then pretends to go out was.h.i.+ng, removing to a short distance so as to be within ear-shot of the other children. As soon as the Mother has gone, the old Witch comes and says, "Please, can I light my pipe?" Then the children say, "Yes, if you won't spit on t' hearth." She pretends to light her pipe, but spits on the hearth, and runs away with the girl called Sunday. Then the Guardian, among the confusion, pretends to rush down stairs, and, failing to find Sunday, calls out, "Mother, mother, t' pot boils over." The Mother replies, "Put your head in;" the Guardian says, "It's all over hairs;"

the Mother says, "Put the dish-clout in;" the Guardian says, "It's greasy;" the Mother says, "Get a fork;" the Guardian says, "It's rusty;"

the Mother says, "I'll come mysen." She comes, and begins to count the children, Monday, Tuesday, up to Sat.u.r.day, and missing Sunday, asks, "Where's Sunday?" the Guardian says, "T' old Witch has fetched her." The Mother answers, "Where was you?" "Up stairs." The Mother says, "What doing?" "Making t' beds." "Why didn't you come down?" "Because I had no shoes." "Why didn't you borrow a pair?" "Because n.o.body would lend me a pair." "Why didn't you steal a pair?" "Do you want me to get hung?" Then the Mother runs after her, and if she can catch her thrashes her for letting Sunday go. Then the Mother pretends to go out was.h.i.+ng again, and the Witch fetches the other days of the week one by one, when the same dialogue is rehea.r.s.ed.-Dronfield, Derbys.h.i.+re (S. O. Addy).

This game was also played in London. The _dramatis personae_ were a mother, an eldest daughter, the younger children, a witch, and a pot was represented by another child. The Mother names the children after the days of the week. She tells her eldest daughter that she is going to wash, and that she expects her to take great care of her sisters, and to be sure and not let the old witch take them. She is also to look after the dinner, and be sure and not let the pot boil over. The Mother then departs, and stays at a little distance from the others. The eldest daughter pretends to be very busy putting the house to rights, sweeps the floor, and makes everything tidy; the younger children pretend to play, and get in the elder sister's way. She gets angry with them, and pretends to beat them. Now, the girl who personates the Witch comes and raps with her knuckles on a supposed door. The Witch stooped when walking, and had a stick to help her along.

Come in, says the eldest sister. What do you want?

Let me light my pipe at your fire? My fire's out.

Yes! if you'll not dirty the hearth.

No, certainly; I'll be careful.

While the eldest sister pretends to look on the shelf for something, the Witch "dirties" the hearth, catches hold of Monday and runs off with her; and at this moment the pot boils over. The child who is the pot makes a "hissing and fizzing" noise. The daughter calls out-

Mother, mother, the pot boils over.

Take the spoon and skim it.

Can't find it.

Look on the shelf.

Can't reach it.

Take the stool.