As I Was Going Down the Hill
As I was going down the hill
In front of Missus Knapp’s
I saw the little Knapperines
All in their winter wraps—
Purple mitts and mufflers
And knitted jersey caps.
As I was coming back again
In front of Missus Knapp’s
I saw that awful lady
Give about a dozen slaps
To every little Knapperine—
I thought it was, perhaps,
Because they gathered stickers
In their knitted jersey caps.
First published in The Peter Patter Book of Nursery Rhymes (1918).
Blanche Fisher Wright’s illustration says it all. Missus Knapp is caught mid-slap, apron flying, surrounded by her flock of little Knapperines — each bundled up like a ball of yarn. One child sulks, another blinks back tears, and a well-dressed bystander pauses on the hill, clearly scandalized. It’s a perfect moment of small-town drama.
Leroy F. Jackson’s rhyme has that mix of humor and realism that made his verses stand out. The rhythm is light and playful, but the story feels real — a child narrator watching an ordinary bit of mischief turn into a full-blown neighborhood event.
It’s funny without being cruel, and the language carries a quiet rhythm, like footsteps crunching through snow. Together, Jackson and Wright captured something timeless: the curiosity of childhood and the spectacle of grown-ups losing their patience in public.
