The weekly north Iowa times. [volume] (McGregor, Iowa) 1857-1867, 1866-03-14
MoGREGoR; IOWA, WEDNESDAY, MARCH Il, 1866.
The Husband who was to Mind tho

| House.
The following translation from the al,
Morse legends is admirable in its way, an,
conveys an instructive moral:
Once on time there was man 50 surly
and cross, he never thought his wife di,
any thing right in the house. So one even
ing in haymaking time, he came HON,
scolding and swearing, and showing hi.
teeth and making dust. a''
'"Dearhusband, don't be so angry; there.
a good man." said his wife; ITO morrow
let's change our work. I'll go out with
mowers aud NOW, and you shall mind the
house at home" t.+... .t...
Yes the husband thought that would dc
very well; he was quite willing, he said.
SO early next morning, his wife took a
scythe over her mock and went out into the
hay field with the mowers, and began to
NOV; but the man was to mind the house
and do the work at home. ....rtt
| FIRST of all he wanted to churn tho but
ter; but when he had churned o while he
got thirsty, and went down 10 the cellar to
tap barrel Of ale. So, when he hal knock
ed in the bung, and he was putting the tap
into the cask. 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 could, to look after the
pig. lest it should upset the churn; but
when he got up, and saw the pig had al
ready knocked the churn over, and stood
there roofing and grunting amongst the
cream, which was running all over the
floor, he got SO wild with rage that he quite
forgot the ale barrel, and ran 1t the Dig as
hard as he could. He caught it Just as it
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. e., fss..
Then he went into the dairy AID found
enough cream left t. fill the churn again,
and so he began to churn, for butter they
must have at dinner. When he had churo-
ed bit, he remembered that their milking
COW was still shut up in the barn, 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 Ear
to take her down to the meadow, 50 he'd
just get her or the top Of the house
the house, you must know, was thatched
with sods, and fine crop of grass was
growing there. Now their house iay close
up against a steep down, and he thought il
ne laid plank across to The thatcn 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 leave it," he thought,
the child is sure to upset it," So he
took the churn on his back and went out
with it; but then he thought he had bette
tirst water tho COW before he turned her
out on the thatch; so he took up bucket
to draw water out Of the well, but as he
stopped down at the wells. 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 tho't
he'd best boil the porridge, and filled the
pot with water, and hang it over the fire.
W hen he had done that, he thought the
COW might perhaps fall off the thatch and
break her legs neck. So he got up on
the house to 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 around his own thigh; and he had
to make haste for the water began to boil
in the pot, and he had to make haste for
the water 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 att, down fell the COW off the
housestop after all, and, as she fell, she |
dragged the man up the chimney by the
rope. There he stu,'s fast; and as for the |
cow, she hung half way down the wall,
swinging between heaven and earth for
'hs could neither get down nor up
And now the good wife had waited seven
engths and seven breadtbs for her husband
% come and call her home to dinner; but
'ever call they had. At last she thought |
she'd waited long enough, and went home
But when she got home and saw the COW
hanging in such an ugly place, she run up
'nd cut the rope in two with her scythe,
out as she did this down came her hus.
oand; and SO when his good Dame came
inside the kitchen, there she found him
standing on his head in the porridge pot.