Feeling refreshed , I strolled on , passing a jolly old gentleman smoking and drinking , while three fiddlers played before him . As I turned into a road that led toward a hill , a little boy , riding a dapple-gray pony , and an old lady on a white horse , with bells ringing somewhere , trotted by me , followed by a little girl , who wished to know where she could buy a penny bun . I told her the best were at Newmarch 's , in Bedford Street , and she ran on , much pleased ; but I 'm afraid she never found that best of bake-shops . I was going quietly along , when the sound of another horse coming made me look round ; and there I saw a dreadful sight , -- a wild horse , tearing over the ground , with fiery eyes and streaming tail . On his back sat a crazy man , beating him with a broom ; a crazy woman was behind him , with her bonnet on wrong side before , holding one crazy child in her lap , while another stood on the horse ; a third was hanging on by one foot , and all were howling at the top of their voices as they rushed by . I scrambled over the wall to get out of the way , and there I saw more curious sights . Two blind men were sitting on the grass , trying to see two lame men who were hobbling along as hard as they could ; and , near by , a bull was fighting a bee in the most violent manner . This rather alarmed me ; and I scrambled back into the road again , just as a very fine lady jumped over a barberry-bush near by , and a gentleman went flying after , with a ring in one hand and a stick in the other . `` What very odd people they have here ! '' I thought . Close by was a tidy little house under the hill , and in it a tidy little woman who sold things to eat . Being rather hungry , in spite of my porridge , I bought a baked apple and a cranberry-pie ; for she said they were good , and I found she told the truth . As I sat eating my pie , some dogs began to bark ; and by came a troop of beggars , some in rags , and some in old velvet gowns . A drunken grenadier was with them , who wanted a pot of beer ; but as he had no money , the old woman sent him about his business . On my way up the hill , I saw a little boy crying over a dead pig , and his sister , who seemed to be dead also . I asked his name , and he sobbed out , `` Johnny Pringle , ma'am ; '' and went on crying so hard I could do nothing to comfort him . While I stood talking to him , a sudden gust of wind blew up the road , and down came the bough of a tree ; and , to my surprise , a cradle with a baby in it also . The baby screamed dreadfully , and I did n't know how to quiet it ; so I ran back to the old woman , and left it with her , asking if that was the way babies were taken care of there . `` Bless you , my dear ! its ma is making patty-cakes ; and put it up there to be out of the way of Tom Tinker 's dog .
I 'll soon hush it up , '' XXXXX the old woman ; and , trotting it on her knee , she began to sing : `` Hey !
bought found know ran said sat saw screamed seemed wanted