THE HUSBAND WHO WAS TO MIND THE HOUSE.

Colonist, Volume II, Issue 192, 23 August 1859, Page 4

THE HUSBAND WHO WAS TO MIND THE HOUSE.

Once oil a time there was a man so surly and cross, he never thought his wife did any tiling right in the house. So, one evening, in haymaking time, he came home, scolding and swearing, and shewing his. teeth and making a dust. "Dear love, don't be so angry, there's a good man," said his goody; "to-morrow let's change our work. Til go out with the mowers and mow, and you shall mind the house at home." Yes I the husband thought that would do very well. He was quite willing, he said. So, early next morning, his goody took a scythe over her neck, and went into the hay-field with the mowers and began to mow; but the man was to mind the house, and do the work at home. First of all, he wanted to churn the butter; but when he had churned awhile he got thirsty, and went down to the cellar to tap a -barrel of. ale. So, just when he had knocked in the bung, and was putting the tap into the jsask, he heard overhead the pig come into "the kitchen. Then'off he ran up the cellar steps, with the tap in his hand,, as fast as he coufd, to look after the pig, lest it should upset the churn-; but when ho got up and saw the pig haei already knocked the chum, over, and stood

there routing and grunting amongst the cream, which was running all over tho floor, he got to wild with rage that he quite forgot the ale-barrel, and ran at the pig as hard as fie could. He caught it, too, just as it ran out of doors, and gave it such a kick that piggy, lay for dead on the spot. Then all at once he remembered he had the tap in his hand; but when he got down to the cellar, every drop of ale had run out of the cask. Then he went into the dairy and found enough cream left to fill the churn again, and so he begun to churn, for butter they must have at dinner. When ; he had churned a bit, he remembered that their milking cow was still shut up in the byre, and hadn't a bit to eat or a drop to drink all the morning though the. sun was high. Then all at once he thought 'twas too far to > take her down to the meadow, so he'd just I get her up on the housetop—-for the house, you must know was thatched with sods, and a fine crop of grass was growing there. I Now their house lay close up against a steep down, and he thought if he laid a plank across to the thatch at the back he'd easily get the cow up. . But still he~couldn't leave the churn; for there was his little babe crawling about on the floor, and •• If I leave it,"-he thought, " the child is safe to upset it." So he took the churn on his back, and went out with it; but then he thought ned better .first water the cow before he turned her out on the ilia ci ; so he took up a bucket to draw water oit of the well; but, as he stooped down at the well's brink, all the cream ran out of the churn over his shoulders, and so down into the well. Now it was near dinner-time, and he hadn't even got the butter yet; so he thought he'd best boil the porridge, and filled the pot with water and hung it over the fire, When be had done that he thought the cow might perhaps fall off the thatch and break her legs or her back. So he got up on the house to tie her up. One end 6° the rope he made fast to the cow's neck, and the other he clipped down the chimney, and tied round his own thigh; and he had to make haste, for the water now began to boil in the pot, and he had still to grind the oatmeal. So he began to grind away; but while he was hard at it, down fell the cow, off. the house-top after all, and as she fell she dragged the man up the chimney, by the rope. There he stuck fast; and as for the cow, she hung half way down the wall, swinging between heaven and earth for she could neither get down, or up. And now the goody had waited seven, lengths and seven breadths for her husband to come and call them home to dinner; but never a call they had. At last she thought she'd waited long enough, and went home. But when she got there and saw the cow hanging in such an ugly place, she ran up and cut the rope in two with her scythe. But as she did this, down came her husband out of the chimney; and so when his old dame came inside the kitchen, there she found him standing on his head in' the $pr-,. ridge pot. i