When the engine felt his boiler full of water he asked eagerly:

But the fireman said:

Then he said to the engineer, “Now we must give our engine some coal.” So they filled the tender with coal, and then under the boiler the fireman built a fire. Then the fireman began blowing and the coals began glowing. And as he built the fire, the fire said:

When the engine felt the sleeping fire wake up and begin to live inside him and turn the water into steam he said eagerly:

But the engineer said:

Then he said to the fireman, “We must oil our engine well.” So they took oil cans with funny long noses and they oiled all the machinery, the piston-rods, the levers, the wheels, everything that moved or went round. And all the time the oil kept saying:

When the engine felt the oil smoothing all his machinery, he said eagerly:

But the fireman said:

Then he said to the engineer, “We must give our engine some sand.” So they took some sand and they filled the sand domes on top of the boiler so that he could send sand down through his two little pipes and sprinkle it in front of his wheels when the rails were slippery. And all the time the sand kept saying:

When the new engine felt his sand-dome filled with sand he said eagerly:

But the engineer said:

Then he said to the fireman, “We must light our engine’s headlight.” So the fireman took a cloth and he wiped the mirror behind the light and polished the brass around it. Then he filled the lamp with oil. Then the engineer struck a match and lighted the lamp and closed the little door in front of it. And all the time the light kept saying:

Now when the engine saw the great golden path of brightness streaming out ahead of him, he said eagerly:

And the engineer said, “We will see if you are ready, my new engine.” So he climbed into the cab and the fireman got in behind him. Then he said, “Engine, can you blow your whistle so?” And he pulled a handle which let the steam into the whistle and the engine whistled (who wants to be the whistle?) “Toot, toot, toot.” Then he said, “Can you puff smoke and stuff?” And the engine puffed black smoke (who wants to be the smoke?), saying, “Puff, puff, puff, puff, puff.” Then he said, “Engine, can you squirt a stream of steam?” And he opened a valve (who wants to be the steam?) and the engine went, “Szszszszsz.” Then he said, “Engine, can you sprinkle sand?” And he pulled a little handle (who wants to be the sand?) and the sand trickled drip, drip, drip, down on the tracks in front of the engine’s wheels. Then he said, “Engine, does your light shine out bright?” And he looked (who wants to be the headlight?) and there was a great golden flood of light on the track in front of him. Then he said, “Engine, can you make the sound of your wheels going round?” And he pulled another lever and the great wheels began to move (who wants to be the wheels?) Then the engineer said:

Blow whistle, ring bell, puff smoke, hiss steam, sprinkle sand, shine light, turn wheels!

Then whistle blew, bell rang, smoke puffed, steam hissed, sand sprinkled, light shone and wheels turned like this: (Eventually the children can do this together, each performing his chosen part.)

(After a moment stop the children)

That’s the way the new engine sounded when he started on his first ride and didn’t know how to do things very well. But that’s not the way he sounded when he had learned to go really smooth and fast. Then it was that he learned really to sing “The Knowing Song of the Engine.” He sang it better than any one else for he became the fastest, the steadiest, the most knowing of all express engines. And this is the song he sang. You could hear it humming on the rails long before he came and hear it humming on the rails long after he had passed. Now listen to the song.

(Begin very softly rising to a climax with “I’m here” and gradually dying to a faint whisper)

THE FOG BOAT STORY

The refrains must be intoned if not sung to get the proper effect. Most of the informational parts of the original story have been cut out. The story grew out of questions asked before breakfast on foggy days, and was originally told to the sound of the distant fog horns.

THE FOG BOAT STORY

Early, early one morning, all the fog boats were talking. This is the way they were going:

“Toot, toot, toot, too-oot, to-oo-oot!” (on many different keys.)

Way down at the wharf a big steamer was being pulled out into the river. The furnaces were all going for the stokers were down in the hole shoveling coal, down in the hole shoveling coal, shoveling coal, and a lot of black smoke was coming out of the smoke stack. And the engines were working, chug, chug, chug. And all the baggage and freight had been put down in the hold. And all the food had been put on the ice. And all the passengers were on board and the gang-plank had been pulled up. And this is what the big steamer was saying:

[Listen] [PDF]

And do you know what was making the steamer move? What was pulling her out into the river? It was a little tug boat and the tug boat had hold of one end of a big rope and the other end of the rope was tied fast to the steamer. And the little tug boat was puffing and chucking and working away as hard as he could and calling out:

[Listen] [PDF]

And do you know why the tug boat and the steamer were talking like this? It is because they were afraid they might bump into some other ship in the fog for they can’t see in the fog. You know how white and thick the fog can be.

So the old steamer and the little tug boat both kept tooting until they were way out in the middle of the river.

“Toot, toot, I’m moving.” “Tootootootootoot, I’m awful smart.”

Now when they were way out in the middle of the river, the little tug boat dropped the rope from the big steamer and turned around. As it puffed away it called out:

Then the big steamer moved slowly down the river towards the great ocean calling through the fog:

Up on the captain’s bridge stood the pilot. He is the man who tells just where to make the steamer go in the harbor. He knows where everything is. He knows where the rocks are on the right and he didn’t let the steamer bump them. He knows where the sand reef is on the left and he didn’t let the steamer get on to that. He knows just where the deep water is and he kept the steamer in it all the time.

Now down on the right so close that it almost bumped, there went a flat boat. This boat was saying:

[Listen] [PDF]

And that was a coal barge. And then down on the left so close that it almost bumped on the other side they heard another boat saying:

[Listen] [PDF]

And that was a ferry boat! Then off on the right they heard a great big deep voice. This is what it said:

[Listen] [PDF]

And that was a war boat! And every time the old steamer answered:

Once off on the left the passengers could hear this:

And what bell do you think that was way out there? A bell buoy rocking on the water! Every time the wave went up it said, “ding” and every time the wave went down it said, “dong.”

By this time the old steamer was out of the harbor way out in the open sea. The pilot came down from the captain’s deck; he climbed down the rope ladder to the little pilot boat that was tied close to the big steamer. Then the little pilot boat pushed away into the fog calling:

[Listen] [PDF]

And again the big steamer answered:

Then way off on the left so far away it could barely hear it, it heard:

[Listen] [PDF]

And that was a sail boat! Then way off on the right so far away it could barely hear it, it heard

and that was another steamer.

And again the big steamer answered:

And so the old steamer went out into the fog calling, calling so that no boat would hit it. And all the other boats that passed it, they went calling, calling too.

HAMMER AND SAW AND PLANE

This story is a slight extension of the children’s own experience. It is purposely limited to the tools they themselves handle familiarly.

HAMMER AND SAW AND PLANE

Once there was a carpenter. He had built himself a fine new house. And now it was all done. The walls, the floors and the roof were done. The stairs were done. The windows and doors were done. And the carpenter had moved into his new house.

In his house he had a stove and he had electric lights. He had beds and chairs and bureaus and bookcases. He had everything except a table to eat off of. He still had to stand up when he ate his meals!

So the carpenter thought he would make him a table. But he had no lumber left. So off he went to the lumber mill. At the lumber mill he saw lots and lots of lumber piled in the yard. The carpenter told the man at the lumber mill just how much lumber he wanted and just how long he wanted it and how broad he wanted it and how thick he wanted it.

So the man at the lumber mill put all this lumber,—just what the carpenter had ordered,—on a wagon and sent it out to the carpenter’s house.

And then the carpenter began. He said to himself, “First I must make my boards just the right length.” So he measured a board just as long as he wanted the top to be; then he put the board on a sawhorse and he took his saw and began to saw:

And then the carpenter took another board and he measured this just the same length. Then he put this board on the sawhorse and he took the saw and began to saw:

And then the carpenter took still another board and “Zzzu,” went the saw until this board too was sawed right in two. Then he had enough for the top of the table. Then he took the pieces that were going to make the legs and he sawed four of them just the right length. Then he sawed the boards that were going to be the braces until they too were just the right length. And underneath his sawhorse there was a little pile of sawdust.

Then after this the carpenter says to himself, “I must make my boards smooth.” So he puts a board in the vise and he begins to plane the board.

And when this board is all smooth, the carpenter takes it out of the vise and puts in another board. Then he takes his plane.

And then the carpenter takes still another board and he guides and slides the plane until this board too is all smooth. And he does this until all the boards that are going to make the top and the legs and the braces are all smooth. And underneath his bench there is a pile of shavings.

And then the carpenter he says to himself, “I must nail my boards together.” So he puts the boards that are going to make the top together and he takes a nail and then he swings his hammer:

And then the carpenter takes another piece of the top and puts it beside the other two and he takes another nail and then he swings his hammer again.

And then the carpenter takes one piece that is going to be a leg and he holds it so it stands right out from the top, and he takes another nail and he nails the leg to the top. Bing! bang! bing! bing! He does this with the other three legs of his table. And then he has four strong legs and the top of his table all nailed together.

Then the carpenter he says to himself, “I’ll put some boards across and make it stronger.” So he takes some boards sawed just the right length, and he nails them across underneath the top, bing! bang! bing! bing! And then he has a table!

So the carpenter lifts his table out into the middle of his room and he puts a chair beside it. When he sits down he is smiling all over. For the table is just the right size and just the right height and it is strong and good to look at. The carpenter is so glad to have a table to eat off of that he says to himself:

THE ELEPHANT

This was written with the help of eight-year-old children who were trying to make everything sound “heavy” and “slow.”

THE ELEPHANT

The little boy had never before been to the Zoo. He walked up close to the high iron fence. On the other side he saw a huge wrinkled grey lump slowly sway to one side and then slowly sway back to the other. And as it swayed from side to side its great long wrinkled trunk swung slowly too. The little boy followed the trunk with his eye up to the huge head of the great wrinkled grey lump. There were enormous torn worn flapping ears. And there, too, embedded like jewels in a leather wall sparkled two little eyes. These eyes were fastened on the little boy. They seemed to shine in the dull wrinkled skin. Slowly the huge mass began to move. Slowly one heavy padded foot came up and then went down with a soft thud. Then came another soft thud and another and another. Suddenly the monstrous trunk waved, curled, lifted, stretched and stretched, until its soft pink end was thrust through the high iron fence and the little boy could look up into the fleshy yawning red mouth. The little boy drew back from the high iron fence. The end of the trunk wiggled and wriggled around feeling its way up and down a rod of the fence; the great body swayed from one heavy foot to the other; and all the time the bright little eyes were fastened on the boy.

The little boy looked and looked and looked again. He could hardly believe his eyes. “Whew!” he said at last, “so that’s an elephant!”

HOW THE ANIMALS MOVE

The classifications and most of the expressions were suggested by a child.

HOW THE ANIMALS MOVE

THE SEA-GULL

All the material and most of the expressions are taken from a story by a six-year-old. It was put into rhythm because the children wished “the words to go like the waves.”

THE SEA-GULL

THE FARMER TRIES TO SLEEP

It has seemed appropriate to let the children realize the incessant quality of farm work before that of the factory.

THE FARMER TRIES TO SLEEP

WONDERFUL-COW-THAT-NEVER-WAS!

All the essential points in this story were taken from the story of a four-year-old’s about a horse. He enjoyed the nonsense in telling it. Some of the four-year-old groups have appreciated the humor; some five-year-olds have not. Instead they have seemed confused.

WONDERFUL-COW-THAT-NEVER-WAS!

Once there was a wonderful cow,—only she never was! She always had been wonderful, ever since she was a baby calf. Her mother noticed it at once. She was born out in the pasture one sunny morning in June. As soon as she was born, she got up on her long, thin legs. She wobbled quite a little for she wasn’t very strong. Then she went over to her mother and put her nose down to her mother’s bag and took a drink of milk. This is what all the old cow’s babies had always done so the old cow thought nothing of that. But when this wonderful last baby calf had drunk its breakfast, what do you suppose it did? It stood on its head! Now the old cow had never seen anything like this. It was most surprising! It frightened her. She called to it:

But the baby calf only mooed. And it smiled when it mooed which the old cow thought queer too. None of her other babies had smiled. Then the calf said:

“Dear me!” thought the old mother cow. “I never saw or heard anything like this!”

But this was only the beginning. The baby calf kept on doing strange and wonderful things till at last everyone called her Wonderful-calf-that-never-was! And many people used to come to see her stand on her head whenever she was fed. She did other queer things too! Once she pulled off the ear of another calf! And all she said was: “Poor little calf! You mustn’t go in the pasture where there are other calves!” But the little calf who had lost its ear said, “Yes, I must!” But after that Wonderful-calf-that-never-was was kept in the barn for a long time.

At last it was June again and she was a year old. Her horns had begun to grow. The old cow, her mother, had another baby. This new baby calf was just like other calves and not wonderful at all. The old cow was glad for Wonderful-cow-that-never-was worried her very much. For everything about her was queer. One day the calf who had lost the ear,—she was a young cow now,—took hold of the tail of Wonderful-young-cow-that-never-was and pulled it. And what do you suppose happened? The tail broke right off! All the cows were frightened. Whoever heard of a broken tail? But Wonderful-young-cow-that-never-was only mooed and when she mooed she always smiled. Then she said:

And so she did. She got a grasshopper to give her some sticky stuff and she smeared it on the two ends of her broken tail and stuck them together. “And now it’s as good as new,” she said, “and now it’s as good as new!”

Her horns grew and grew. She was very proud of them and was always trying to hook some one or gore another cow with them. But one day she went to the edge of the lake when it was very still. It wasn’t wavy at all. And as she leaned over to drink, she saw herself in the water. My mercy! but she was shocked!

“My horns are straight!” she screamed, “and I want them curly!” She ran to the old mother cow and had what her mother called the “Krink-kranks.” She jumped up and down and bellowed: “My horns are straight and I want them curly!”

The old mother cow was giving her new baby some milk. It made her cross to hear Wonderful-cow-that-never-was having krink-kranks over her horns. “Horns grow the way they grow!” she remarked crossly. “So what are you going to do about it?”

“Something!” answered the young cow. “I’m not Wonderful-cow-that-never-was for nothing!” And she stopped having krink-kranks and went off. She stayed away all day and when she did come back, her horns were curled up tight! And she was chewing and smiling and chewing and smiling.

“What have you done now?” gasped the old mother cow. “I never saw horns curled so crumply!”

The young cow smiled and said:

“And here is the corn cob I curled them on,” she said, opening her mouth. And sure enough, there was the corn cob!

Now Wonderful-cow-that-never-was got queerer and queerer until the farmer thought her a little too queer. She was very proud of her crumpled horns and tried to hook everyone on them. Once she tore the farmer’s coat trying to hook him. And once she did toss him up. She watched him in the air and all she said was “He’s up now, but he’ll come down some time.” And bang! So he did!

Finally one terrible day, they tied her tight and cut off her horns. She was never the same afterwards. She couldn’t hook any more. “I don’t care about being queer any more,” she said to her mother. And she wasn’t. She stopped standing on her head. She never pulled off another ear. She never broke her tail again and of course she never curled her horns again. Because she hadn’t any! “After all,” she said, “it’s wonderful enough just to be a cow and have four stomachs and chew cud and give milk and have a baby each Spring!” And that’s what she’s doing now!