Under each hook was a pumpkin.
There were big ones, little ones, fat ones, long ones, short ones, yellow ones, and green ones.
In fact, no two pumpkins were alike, except of course, Jack"s and Jill"s.
"It will never do for us to have ours different," said Jill.
So they hunted a long time to find two that were just alike.
Tommy tried very hard to think of his arithmetic and geography and spelling that morning.
But he couldn"t help thinking of his pumpkin, which was waiting to be made into a Jack-o"-lantern.
At last it was noon.
I am afraid the children did not care what they had for dinner that noon, and they ate very fast.
They needed all the time they could get for their Jack-o"-lanterns.
First, they cut off the top of the pumpkin, and cut out all the seeds.
Then came the fun of making the lantern"s face.
He must have two eyes, a nose, a mouth, and two ears.
Jack cut two round holes for eyes.
A long cut in the middle was the nose.
The mouth curved up at both ends, and the holes at the sides were ears.
Some of the lanterns had two very good rows of teeth.
Tom"s pumpkin was long and narrow. He said it looked so much like a big egg that he was going to name it "Humpty Dumpty."
"Oh, let"s all name our lanterns!" said the children.
"Mine is so round I shall call it "Tubby"," said Jack.
Then Jill named hers "Bubby."
One of the boys named his "Green Top," and another was "Big Eyes."
Just as the bell rang for school the last one was finished.
How Miss Phillips laughed when the children marched in, each one carrying a funny Jack-o"-lantern!
She said she could not tell which one was the prettiest.
After she had been introduced to each one they were put into the hall to wait for school to be over.
Hallowe"en night every lantern had a candle in it, and the children had great fun trying to frighten their mothers and fathers and each other.
Of course Grandpa Hall jumped and ran when he saw a big bright face coming at him from the barn.
Then Grandma Hall saw it in the woodshed, and she ran and hid behind the kitchen door.
Tommy played with Humpty Dumpty for several days.
Sat.u.r.day morning he was in the meadow playing with Humpty Dumpty when Jack and Jill came to ask him to go with them to the woods.
Tommy put Humpty Dumpty up on the stone wall and ran off with the twins.
Grandpa Hall"s old white cow was in the meadow eating gra.s.s.
As she came near the wall she saw something that looked very much like a pumpkin.
Mrs. Cow was fond of pumpkins, so she thought she would go and see what it really was on the wall.
"Why, it surely is a pumpkin," said Mrs. Cow, "but I wonder what all those holes are for."
Humpty Dumpty felt very much hurt to think that Mrs. Cow should speak of his eyes and mouth as holes.
"But then, of course," thought Humpty, "she does not know that I am not a pumpkin now."
Mrs. Cow kept putting her nose nearer and nearer to Humpty.
At last she got so near that she made him jump.
At least, I think he must have jumped, for he fell from the wall to the ground.
When Mrs. Cow saw the pumpkin all broken in pieces she thought she might as well eat it, and she did.
[Ill.u.s.tration]
At first she liked the pumpkin very much, but then she thought it didn"t taste just right.
"I don"t believe pumpkins with big round holes in them are good to eat," said Mrs. Cow.
But when Tommy found what had happened to Humpty Dumpty, he said to Grandpa Hall, "I wonder which Mrs. Cow liked best, the Jack-o"-lantern or the candle!"
The children in Miss Smith"s room had been just as busy as bees all day.
Now they were tired, and they could not work any more.
Mary put her head down on her desk and nearly went to sleep.
Most of the boys were looking out of the window, because they liked to watch it snow.