I water the flowers, they're op'ning you see."

Again she cautioned the servant about losing any of the
flowers while she went to take her afternoon meal, but another
flower was stolen and this time by a man from the west.

When the mistress returned, she again scolded the servant,
after which she sang:

"A basin of water, another beside,
I water the flowers, they're opening wide."

This was continued until all the flowers were gone. One
had been taken by a carter, another by a donkey-driver,
another by a muleteer, another by a man on a camel, and
finally the last little sprig was eaten by a chicken. The
servant was soundly berated each time and cautioned to be
more careful, which she always promised but never
performed, and was finally dismissed in disgrace without either
a recommendation, or the wages she had been promised when hired.

The game furnishes large opportunity for invention on the part of
the servant, depending upon the number of those to be stolen.
This little girl seemed to be at her wit's end when she gave as
the excuse for the loss of the last one that it had been eaten by
a chicken.

This game suggested to our little friend another which proved to
be the sequel to the one just described, and she called out: