TELL-TALE & TATTLE-TOO

A Halloween Story for Me and You
On Halloween night, when the moon is bright
The witches are about,
On Halloween night, if you’re not good, quite,
They’ll scare you without doubt.

Once upon a time, there was a little boy who always told tales, and always tattled on his playmates at school.

On Halloween night, a big Jack O’ Lantern appeared on the window-sill of his room, and called out of its crooked mouth,

“Tell-Tale and Tattle-Too,
It’s Halloween, we’ve come for you.”

The little boy replied,

“I am a Tell-Tale, I’ve heard said,
That you are just a pumpkin head.”

At this very minute, a Black Cat jumped up on the window-sill, winking and blinking her great round eyes, and she said, as she showed her white teeth,

“Tell-Tale and Tattle-Too,
It’s Halloween, we’ve come for you.”

The little boy answered,

“I am Tell-Tale, on Halloween,
I hear Black Cats are often seen.”

Then, whisk, bound, without any warning, a witch on a broom rode right up on the window-sill and shouted,

“Tell-Tale and Tattle-Too,
It’s Halloween, I’ve come for you.”

As she said the last word, the wind blew, “Ooo-ooo-” and it blew the little boy right on the witch’s broom stick and they blew away, away, away.

The Jack O’ Lantern and big Black Cat had to run as fast as they could to keep up.

By and by they sailed down, down, down into the heart of the deep green woods.

Brownies dance on Halloween,
Tripping lightly o’er the green.

There were Brownies sure enough, dancing in a circle. They waved their hands and made comical faces singing.

“Tell-Tale and Tattle-Too,
Join the ring, we’ve room for you.”

Before he knew it, the little boy was dancing round and round the ring with the Brownies.

He was all out of breath when they stopped dancing and the Jack O’ Lantern said,

“He tells tales as a rule,
On the playground or in school.”

The Black Cat said,

“He tip-toes in without a noise,
And tells tales on girls and boys.”

The Witch said,

“Tell-Tale Tattlers are a trouble,
In the kettle, let him bubble.”

The Brownies said,

“We will test him in the woods,
He may decide he will be good.”

AND THEY BLEW AWAY, AWAY, AWAY (See page 29)

They all began to dance around a big kettle, that hung over the fire. The Brownies covered their eyes and the Jack O’ Lantern dropped a candle in the kettle. The Black Cat dropped in catnip and the witch dropped in two straws from her broom.

Then the Brownies uncovered their eyes and said,

“Tell-Tale and Tattle-Too,
Tell us what did Jack O’ Lantern do?”

Tell-Tale put his hand over his mouth for he wanted to whisper, “He dropped in a candle, and it will spoil your kettle of soup,” but he sat stock-still and never said a word.

Then the Brownies winked and blinked at each other as they said,

“Tell-Tale and Tattle-Too,
Tell us what did the Black Cat do?”

Tell-Tale put both hands over his mouth this time for he wanted to sing out, “She put catnip in the kettle and it will spoil your porridge,” but he smiled to himself and never answered a word.

Then the Brownies clapped their hands as much as to say, “We’ve got him this time,” and said,

“Tell-Tale and Tattle-Too,
Tell us what did the old Witch do?”

The little boy turned a backward somersault for he wanted to shout, “She put two straws in the kettle and it will spoil your stew,” but he said never a word.

Then the most surprising thing happened.

The candle jumped out of the kettle and said,

“Tell-Tale and Tattle-Too,
Is not a good name now for you.”

Then the candle jumped into a beautiful Halloween lantern and stood by his side, while the catnip jumped out of the kettle and said,

“Tell-Tale and Tattle-Too,
Such a name will never do.”

Then the catnip began to weave this way and that way, till it wove a beautiful carriage for the little boy to ride home in.

Out jumped the two straws from the kettle and sang,

“Tell-Tale and Tattle-Too,
Think a minute, is it you?”

The straws turned into two coal-black steeds and were ready to draw the beautiful carriage.

The lantern lighted their way, and saying good bye to the Jack O’ Lantern, the Big Black Cat, and Witch, he drove merrily homeward.

As a Halloween joke,
Just then he awoke.

He saw a Halloween lantern in the moon-light. It hung above the window-sill and as it turned round and round, he saw on it a Jack O’ Lantern, a Big Black Cat and a Witch!

He cried,

“’Tis a magic lantern, if I were in it,
I’d change my name to Think-A-Minute.”

Whether he rode in the magic lantern or not, I cannot say, but every year on Halloween a Big Black Cat, sat on his door-step, and a Jack O’ Lantern peeped in his window, and a Witch riding by on a broom said,

“Think-A-Minute, how do you do?
’Tis Halloween, we’ve come for you.”

He had many jolly rides with the trio many times on Halloween without doubt.

I wish I knew if he really changed his name to “Think-A-Minute.” I forgot to ask him.