Delaware inquirer. (Wilmington, Del.) 1859-18??, 1859-08-20
The Husband who was to mind the
House.

Once on time there was man SO surly
and cross, he never thought his wife did any
thing right in the house. So, one evening. in
hay making timc he came home, scoding and
swearing. and showing his teeth and making
a dust.
Dear love, don't be so angry there's a
good man, said his goody; tomorrow let's
change our work. I'll go out with the NOW
ers and NOV, and you shall mind the house al
home.'
Yes 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
Held with the mowers and began to NOV ;
but the man was to mind the house and do
the work at home.
First of all, he wanted to churn the but
ter but when he had churned while he got
thirsty, and went down the cellar to tap a
barrel of ale. So, just when he had knocked
in the bung, and was putting the tap into the
cask, he heard overhead the pig coming into
the kitchen. Then off he ran up the cellar
steps, with the tap in his hand, as fast as he
could, to look after the pig, lest it should up
set the churn but when he got up and saw
the pig had already knocked the churn over.
and stood there roofing and grunting amongst
the cream, W itch was running all over the
floor, he got 80 wild with rage that he onite
forgot the ale barrel and ran at the pie as
hard as he could. He caught it, lust as il
ran out of doors, and gave it such 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 began to ohurn, for butter they must
have at dinner. When he had churned bit
he remembered that their milking COW was
still shut up In the byre, and hadn't had bit
to eat or drop to drink all the morning
though the sun was high. Then all at once
he thought twas too far to take her down IN
the meadow, SO he'd just get her up on the
house top, for the house, you must know.
was matched with sods, and fine crop Of
grass was growing there. Now their house
lay close up against steep down, and he
thought if he had laid plank across to the
thatch at the back, he'd easily get the COW I'M.
But still he couldn't leave the churn. far
there was his little babe crawling about on the
floor. and ssif leave it, he thought, nthe
child is sure to upset it.n So he tool tba
churn on his back and went out with II but |
then he thought he'd better first water the
COW before he turned her out on the thatch i.
SO he took up a bucket to draw water out of
the well, but as he stopped down at the wells
prihk, all the cream ran out of the churn |
over his shoulders, and so down into the we'll
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 filed the pot with
water, and hung it over the fire. When he
had done that, he thought the COW might per
haps fall of the thatch and break her legs or
her neck. SO he got up on the house 10 tie
her up. One end OF the rope he made fast TO
the cows neck, and the other he slipped down
the chimney and tied round his own thigh
and he had to make haste, for the water be-
gan to boil in the pot, and he had still to
grind the oatmeal. II
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 wall, swinging between heaven and {
earth, for she could neither get down nor nm. 5
And now the goody had waited seven lengths 6
md seven breadths for her husband TO come
md call her home to diner hut never cali !,
hey had. AT last she thought she'd waited y
ong enough, and went home. But when she -
ot there and saw the COW hanging in such an q