From All the Year Round: A Weekly Journal conducted by Charles Dickens, Volume XVIII, page 167 (August 10, 1867):

While the vocalists were resting, the "call" was generally passed on to the story-teller of the village, Loasby, the old sexton, who, with the most extraordinary gravity and faultless memory, would relate, word for word, an old allegory called The Pack of Cards, or, as Loasby called it, The Deck of Cards. This was a highly popular story, owing, no doubt, to its allegorical character, always a favourite form of fiction with poor people and children, whose tastes in literature, for obvious reasons, are much alike. On none of the upturned faces around was a smile to be seen; and if a new visitor, on hearing the remarkable memoria technica for the first time, betrayed some amusement, he was immediately shamed into gravity by the wondering glances turned on him. To give the telling of this allegory due effect, the narrator, as he sat at the head of the table, should spread his Pack of Cards solemnly out before his audience and refer to them. Master Loasby would proceed as follows:

"The title is called the Soldier's Prayer and Homily Book of the 306th Regiment of" Foot.

"And when the congregation came into church, they all took their seats, and those that had books pulled them out; but this poor soldier had neither Bible nor Prayer-book, nothing only this here deck of cards, and he pulled them out and laid them before him. He looked first upon one and then upon another card as he sat, and the sergeant of the company saw him, and said, 'Richard, put up those cards, else after the divine service is over you are my prisoner.'

"' What for?' said the soldier.

"' For playing a game of cards in the church,' said the sergeant.

"' No,' said the soldier, 'I did not play a game of cards in the church, for I was only looking at a deck.'

"' No matter at all about that, you are my prisoner.'

"' Well,' said the soldier, 'where must I go?'

"' Before the mayor,' said the sergeant.

"' Well and good,' said the soldier.

"When they came to the mayor, he was at dinner; but when the mayor came out, he said, 'Well, sergeant, what have you to do with me to-day?'

"' Sir, I have brought this man before your honour for playing a game of cards in the church.'

"' What, that man? said the mayor.

"' Yes, your honour.'

"' What have you got to say for yourself, soldier?"

'"Much, sir.'

"' Good, I hope,' said the mayor;'for if not, you shall be punished the severest that ever man was punished.'

"' Sir, I have been five weeks on the march, and have got but little money to subsist on—to buy pipeclay, blacking, washing, and other things, which is necessary for a soldier to want. I had neither a Bible nor Church Prayer-book, nothing only this deck of cards; so I pulled them out, and laid them before me as I sat, first looking upon one and upon another.

"'So I began with the ace; that is one pip, you all know. When I see the ace, the one, it puts me in mind that there is but one God over you and me and all the world, sir. When I see the two pips, they put me in mind of the Father and Son. When I see the three, it puts me in mind of the Father, Son, and of the Holy Ghost. When I see the four, it puts me in mind of the four Evangelists who appended the Gospels, that is, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. When I see the fire, it puts me in mind of the five virgins; there were ten, but five were foolish. When I see the six pips, it puts me in mind that in six days God finished all His work, which He had made and created; and God saw everything that He had made, and behold it was very good. And when I see the seven, it puts me in mind that God rested on the seventh day, and God blessed the seventh day, and hallowed it. When I see the eight, it puts me in mind of the eight righteous persons which God saved when He destroyed the world, that is, Noah and his wife, and their three sons (and their wives), that is, Shem, Ham, and Japhet. When I see the nine, it puts me in mind of the nine lepers' (or, as Master Loasby invariably pronounced and, I have little doubt, understood it, leopards) 'that were cleansed; there were ten, but nine never returned to give thanks, save only this oor stranger, and he was a Samaritan. When see the ten, I remember the ten commandments which God gave Moses on the mount, on two tables of stone, written thereon by the finger of God.'"

(Here he takes the knave, and laying that aside, passes on to the king.)

"' When I see the king, it puts me in mind of the great King of Heaven. When I see the queen, it puts me in mind of the Queen of Sheba, who came from the furthermost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of King Solomon. She brought forth a hundred boys and girls, all dressed in girls' clothing, and set before King Solomon for him to tell which were boys and which girls; but he could not till he called for water to wash them. The boys washed round their wrists, and the girls up to their elbows, so King Solomon, I suppose, told by that. When I count how many pips there is in a deck of cards, I find three hundred and sixty-five, sir; and there is three hundred and sixty-five days in a year, sir. When I count how many cards there is in a deck, I find fifty-two ; and there is fifty-two weeks in a year, sir. When I count how many tricks there is, I find thirteen, sir; and there is thirteen months in a year, sir (lunral, you know, sir). So vou sec that this deck of cards is almanack, and Bible, and Common Church Prayer-book to me, sir.'

"' Well, soldier, you have given a good account of all the cards but one.'

"' Which be that, sir?, " 'The knave.'

"' Well, sir, I could give your honour as good an account of that card as of any of the rest, sir, if your honour would not be offended.'

"' Not at all, soldier, except you make me the knave.'

"* Well, sir, the greatest that I know is the man that brought me before your honour.'

"'Well, soldier, I do not know whether he is the greatest knave, but I am sure that he is the greatest fool;' and with that the mayor thanked him, and ordered him some bread and cheese and beer, gave him a piece of money, and told him to go about his business, saying that the soldier was the cleverest man he had ever seen in all lns life."

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And then there's a French-Canadian cumulative song that has a similar pattern, although it doesn't discuss cards. http://www.culturalequity.org/resources/lesson-plans/dis-moi-pourquoi-une-childrens-cumulative-songs