The Wyandot pioneer. (Upper Sandusky, Ohio) 1853-1868, 1862-03-21
PART ".
PETER THE GRAYBcARD.

NN'>N 49, 'Ni'
BILE Gudbrand. He was self. willed, i'm
perious, passionate, and had no more pa
tience than a dog when you snatch away
his bone, or a cat when you're trying to
str.ngle her. He would have been in
suferable, had not Heaven, in its mercy
given him a wife who was match for
him. She was headstrong, quarrelsome,
discontented and morose-always ready
to keep quiet when her husband preserved
silence, and just as ready to scream at the
top of her voice the moment he opened
his mouth
It was great good fortune for Peter to
have such a spouse. Without her, would
he ever have known that patience is. not
the merit of fools
One day, in the moving season, when
he came home, after a fifteen hours spell
of hard work, in worse humor than usual,
and was swearing, cursing and execrating
all women an their laziness, because his
soup was not yet ready for him, his wife
exclaimed
Good Lord Peter, you talk away at
a fine rate. Would you like to change
places Tomorrow, | will NOW, instead
of you, and you stay at home here and
play housekeeper. Then, we'll see which
of us will have the hardest task, and come
out of it the best
Agreed p Numbered Peter you'll
have chance to find out, once for all
what poor husband has TO suffer. The
trial will teach you lesson of respect
something you greatly need
So, the next morning, at day break, the
wife set out afeld with the rake over hel
shoulder and the sickle by her side, all
Joyous at the sight of the bright sunshine
and singing like a lark.
Now, who felt not little surprised, and
a little foolish, too, to find himself shut
up at home Our friend Peter the Gray
,, beard. Still, he wasn't going to own him
self beaten, but fell to work churnine
,, butter, as though he had never done any
thing else all the days of his life.
It's no hard matter to get over heated
when one takes up a new trade, and Peter
soon, feeling very dry, went down into
tie cellar to draw mug of beer from tie
cask He had just knocked out the bune
and was applying the spigot, when he
heard an ominous crunching and grunt
ing overhead 1t was the SOW devastating
the kitchen.
'Oh Lord my buffers lost! ? yelled
Peter the Gray beard, as he rushed pell
nell up the steps, with the spigot in hi:
hand. What a spectacle was there the
churn upset, the cream split all over The
= floor, and the huge sow fairly wallowins
in the rich and savory tide.
= Now even wiser man would have los
all patience as for Peter, he rushed upor
the brute, who, with piercing screams
strove to escape but it was hapless da,
to the thief, for her master caught her ii
, the doorway, and dealt her SO we'll ap
piled and vigorous blow on the side o
= = her skull, with the spigot, that the soy
: fell dead on the spot.
AS he drew back his novel weapon
now covered with blood, Peter recollec tet
that he had not closed the bung-hole O
his cask, and that all this time his bee
was running to waste. So down he rushet
y to the cellar. Fortunately, the beer ha
= ceased to run, but that was because not
drop remained in the cask.
He had now to begin his morning
work again, and churn some more butte
:, if he expected to see any dinner that day
- So Peter visited the dairy-house, an
there found enough cream to replace wha
he had just lost. At it he goes again
II and churns and churns away, more vigol
ously than ever. But, in the midst of hi
. churning, he remembers little too lat
, to be sure, but better late than never
that the COW was still in the stable, an
that she had neither food nor water, a
though the sun was now high above tn
horizon. Away he runs then to the stabl
- But experience has made him wise : Pv
- my little child there rolling on the floor
now, if l leave the churn, the greed
scamp will turn it over and somethin
:. worse might easily happen Whereupol
-. he takes up the churn on his back an
hastens to the well to draw water for til
cow. The well was deep, and the bucke
did not go down far enough. So Pete
leans with all his might, in hot haste, Q
1e the rope, and away goes the cream out {
re the churn, over his head and shoulder
V into the well.