Old Mistress McShuttle

The True Mother Goose – Songs for the Nursery, Or, Mother Goose’s Melodies for Children. Notes and Pictures by Blanche McManus. Published by Lamson, Wolffe and Co., Boston. 1895.

OLD MISTRESS MCSHUTTLE

THE ROLE OF CATS IN NURSERY RHYMES
by Sarah Hartwell

Old Mistress McShuttle
Lived in a coal-scuttle,
Along with her dog and cat;
What they ate I can`t tell.
But `tis known very well,
That none of the party were fat.

Old Mistress McShuttle
Scoured out her coal-scuttle,
And washed both her dog and cat;
The cat scratched her nose,
So they came to hard blows,
And who was the gainer by that?