But the cow refused to give the milk unless the old woman first gave her a
handful of hay. So away went the old woman to the haystack; and she
brought the hay to the cow.

When the cow had eaten the hay, she gave the old woman the milk; and away
she went with it in a saucer to the cat.

As soon as it had lapped up the milk, the cat began to kill the rat; the
rat began to gnaw the rope; the rope began to hang the butcher; the
butcher began to kill the ox; the ox began to drink the water; the water
began to quench the fire; the fire began to burn the stick; the stick
began to beat the dog; the dog began to bite the pig; the little pig in a
fright jumped over the stile; and so the old woman did get home that
night.

* * * * *

The briefest examination of these three stories reveals the fact that one
attribute is beyond dispute in each. Something happens, all the time.
Every step in each story is an event. There is no time spent in
explanation, description, or telling how people felt; the stories tell
what people did, and what they said. And the events are the links of a
sequence of the closest kind; in point of time and of cause they follow as
immediately as it is possible for events to follow. There are no gaps, and
no complications of plot requiring a return on the road.

A second common characteristic appears on briefest examination. As you run
over the little stories you will see that each event presents a distinct
picture to the imagination, and that these pictures are made out of very
simple elements. The elements are either familiar to the child or