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The Strange Visitor

English Fairy Tales · Joseph Jacobs

A woman spinning at her reel by a cosy fireside at night, wishing for company, a single candle glowing.

A woman was sitting at her reel one night; And still she sat, and still she reeled, and still she wished for company.

In came a pair of broad broad soles, and sat down at the fireside;

And still she sat, and still she reeled, and still she wished for company.

In came a pair of small small legs, and sat down on the broad broad soles;

And still she sat, and still she reeled, and still she wished for company.

In came a pair of thick thick knees, and sat down on the small small legs;

And still she sat, and still she reeled, and still she wished for company.

In came a pair of thin thin thighs, and sat down on the thick thick knees;

And still she sat, and still she reeled, and still she wished for company.

In came a pair of huge huge hips, and sat down on the thin thin thighs;

And still she sat, and still she reeled, and still she wished for company.

In came a wee wee waist, and sat down on the huge huge hips;

Comic disembodied body parts — broad feet, legs, knees and hips — whimsically stacking themselves up by a fireside, funny not frightening.

And still she sat, and still she reeled, and still she wished for company.

In came a pair of broad broad shoulders, and sat down on the wee wee waist;

And still she sat, and still she reeled, and still she wished for company.

In came a pair of small small arms, and sat down on the broad broad shoulders;

And still she sat, and still she reeled, and still she wished for company.

In came a pair of huge huge hands, and sat down on the small small arms;

And still she sat, and still she reeled, and still she wished for company.

In came a small small neck, and sat down on the broad broad shoulders;

And still she sat, and still she reeled, and still she wished for company.

In came a huge huge head, and sat down on the small small neck.

A funny lopsided figure fully assembled from mismatched giant and tiny body parts sitting by the fire, a huge head on top.

“How did you get such broad broad feet?” quoth the woman.

“Much tramping, much tramping” (gruffly).

“How did you get such small small legs?”

“Aih-h-h!-late--and wee-e-e--moul” (whiningly).

“How did you get such thick thick knees?”

“Much praying, much praying” (piously).

“How did you get such thin thin thighs?”

“Aih-h-h!--late--and wee-e-e--moul” (whiningly).

“How did you get such big big hips?”

“Much sitting, much sitting” (gruffly).

“How did you get such a wee wee waist?”

“Aih-h-h!--late--and wee-e-e-moul” (whiningly).

“How did you get such broad broad shoulders?”

“With carrying broom, with carrying broom” (gruffly).

“How did you get such small small arms?”

“Aih-h-h!--late--and wee-e-e--moul” (whiningly.)

“How did you get such huge huge hands?”

“Threshing with an iron flail, threshing with an iron flail” (gruffly).

“How did you get such a small small neck?”

“Aih-h-h!--late--wee-e-e--moul” (pitifully).

“How did you get such a huge huge head?”

“Much knowledge, much knowledge” (keenly).

“What do you come for?”

“FOR YOU!” (At the top of the voice, with a wave of the arm and a stamp of the feet.)

The comic assembled figure raising an arm and stamping a foot as it declares, the startled woman leaning back, playful and gentle.