ONCE there was a little boy called Tommy. His Mother sent him one day into the town to buy some needles. On his way home he got tired of carrying them, so when he saw a -cart which he knew would pass his Mother’s door he stuck the needles into a of hay. When he got home his Mother said: “Well, Tommy, and where are the needles?”  
“Oh! Mother, they will be here . I was tired of carrying them, so I stuck them into a hay-cart which is coming this way, and it will soon be here.”
 
“Oh, you stupid boy, Tommy! you stupid boy! If you were tired of carrying the needles you should have stuck them into your coat.”
 
“I’ll do better next time, Mother; I’ll do better next time.”
 
A few days after, his Mother said: “Tommy, will you go into the town and fetch a pound of butter?”
 
Off went Tommy, bought the pound of butter, and put it all over his coat. When he got home his Mother said: “Well, Tommy, and where’s the butter?”
 
“I put it all over my coat, but the sun it.”
 
“Oh! you stupid boy, Tommy! You should have put it on a nice white plate and covered it with a piece of white paper.”
 
“Oh! I’ll do better next time, Mother; I’ll do better next time.”
 
A few days after, his Mother said: “Tommy, Farmer Jones has given us a little hen. Will you go and fetch it?”
 
“Oh! yes,” said Tommy. Off he went, fetched the little hen, and put it on a white plate; but before he could put a nice piece of white paper over it, it had flown quite away!
 
When he got home, his Mother said: “Well, Tommy, and where is the little hen?”
 
“Oh! Mother, I did what you told me; I put it on a white plate, but before I could cover it with a piece of paper it flew quite away.”
 
“Oh! you stupid boy, Tommy! You stupid boy! You ought to have put it in a wicker basket and shut down the .”
 
“I’ll do better next time, Mother; I’ll do better next time.”
 
A few days after, his Mother said: “Tommy, there is a plum pudding for dinner. Go and fetch a pound of brown sugar.”
 
Off went Tommy, bought the pound of sugar, and put it in a wicker basket, and shut the lid down . When he got home his Mother said: “Well, ............