19 THE WAKE-UP STORY
The sun was up. Five chicks and four geese and three rabbits and two kittens and one little dog were up, too.
They were all waiting for Baby Ray to come to the window. But Baby Ray was still fast asleep in his little white bed.
“Now I will get what he likes, ”said Mother, “When he wakes up, everything will be ready.”
First she went along the garden path till she came to the old pump.
She said, “Good Pump, will you give me nice, clear water for the baby's bath? ”
The pump said, “I will.”
The good old pump by the garden path
Gave nice, clear water for the baby's bath.
Then Mother went on till she came to the wood-pile.
She said, “Good Chips, the pump gave me nice, clear water for Baby Ray. Will you warm the water and cook the food? ”
The chips said, “We will.”
The good old pump by the garden path
Gave nice, clear water for the baby's bath.
And the big, whit e chips from the pile of wood
Were glad to warm it and to cook his food.
Mother went on till she came to the cow.
She said, “Good Cow, the pump gave me nice, clear water for Baby Ray. The woodpile gave me big, white chips. Will you give me warm, rich milk? ”
The cow said, “I will.”
The good old pump by the garden path
Gave nice, clear water for the baby's bath.
And the big, white chips from the pile of wood
Were glad to warm it and to cook his food.
The cow gave milk in the milk-pail bright.
Top-knot Biddy was scratching in the ground.
Mother went to her and said, “Good Biddy, the pump gave me nice, clear water for Baby Ray. The wood-pile gave me big, white chips. The cow gave me warm, rich milk. Will you give me a new-laid egg? ”
The hen said, “I will. ”
The good old pump by the garden path
Gave nice, clear water for the baby's bath.
And the big, white chips from the pile of wood
Were glad to warm it and to cook his food.
The cow gave milk in the milk-pail bright,
And Top-knot Biddy an egg new and white.
Then Mother went on till she came to the apple tree.
She said, “Good Tree, the pump gave me nice, clear water for Baby Ray. The woodpile gave me big, white chips. The cow gave me warm, rich milk. The hen gave me a new-laid egg. Will you give me a pretty, red apple? ”
The tree said, “I will.”
So Mother took the apple and the egg and the milk and the chips and the water to the house. There was Baby Ray looking out of the window!
Then she kissed him and bathed him and dressed him. While she was doing this she told him the Wake-Up Story:
The good old pump by the garden path
Gave nice, clear water for the baby's bath.
The big, white chips from the pile of wood
Were glad to warm it and to cook his food.
The cow gave milk in the milk-pail bright;
Top-knot Biddy an egg new and white.
And the tree gave an apple, so round and so red,
For dear Baby Ray who was just out of bed.
(Eudora Bumstead)
Word list
pump: a simple machine that takes water out of the ground
clear: something that can be seen through
You Practice
A) Answer the following questions.
1) What were the animals waiting for at the beginning of the story?
2) Was the setting of the story in the past, present, or future? How do you know?
3) Why do you think there was a path along the garden to the old pump?
4) After Mother collected the water and wood chips, who did she visit next and why?
5) What did Mother want from the tree?
B) What happened? Tell five important things that happened in the story by completing these sentences.
1) First, _________________________________________________________.
2) Next, _______________________________________________________.
3) Then, _______________________________________________________.
4) After that, ____________________________________________________.
5) Finally, ______________________________________________________.
C) Fill in the blanks—Complete the following sentences with words from the story.
1) There are t _ _ _ _ rabbits in the story.
2) The baby's name is R _ _.
3) Mother got water from a p _ _ _.
4) The fruit Mother got for Ray was an a _ _ _ _.
5) The chips came from w _ _ _.