The Portland daily press., 1868-12-11
Miscellany.
A MORSE LEGEND.

Once upon time there was ma ] so surly
and cross that he never thought his wife did
anything right in the house. So one evening
10 haylng time, he came home, scolding and
swearing, and showing his teeth and making
q dust.
'Dear love don't be angry, there's good
man, said his eoody; tomorrow let's change
our work. Pll go with the mowers and NOW,
aud you shall mind the house.
Yes the husband thought that would do
very we'll. He was quite willing, he said.
80 early next morning his goody took a
scythe over her shoulder and went out into
the bayfield, with the mowers and began to
NOW; but the man was to mild the house
and do the work at home.
First OF all he wanted to urn butter, but
when he had churned awhile lie got thirsty,
and went down 10 the cellar and tapped
barrel OF ale. So, just when h, had knocked
In the bung and was putting the tap into the
cask, he heard tie pig come into the kitchen
overhead. Then Off h. ran UP the cellar stairs
with the tan in his hand, as fast
as he could, to look after the
pig, least it should upset The churn
But when he got up and saw that the
pig had already Knocked the churn over, and
stood there, roofing and sruntng among The
cream which was all over the floor. he got SO
wild with rage tIat he quite forgot the ale
barrel. and ran at the pig as bard as
he could. he caught it. too, lust as it ran
out OF doors, and gave l. such kick that
piggy lay for dead on the spot. Then all at
once he remembered that he had the tap in
bis hand; and when he got down to the eel
lar every urop OF ale had run out OF the
cask.
Tpen he went into the dairy and found
enough cream le!t to nl the cnuin ayajn:
and so he began 10 chuln, for butter they
INNS ho ton a frvao H. -. u.
ed bit, lie remembered that their milking
COW was still SHUT up in the b,re, a hadn't
had bit to eat or drop TO drink all the
morniEs, though the sun was high
Then all at once he thought it was too far
to take her to the meadoa, SO he'd Just get
her up on the house top-tor the house. YOU
must Know. was tbatched with sods, and
hne crop oI sra was growing there. Now
Their house LAY close up against steep down,
AID he thought II he laid a plank across TO
tie thach at the back, he'd easily get the
COW up.
b.. stiil be couldn't leave the churn, for
there was his little babe crawling about on
the fl)or, and il be lett it, he thought. tue
Child was sure to upset 1t. So he took the
churn on his back, and went with it; but
then be thought he'd better first water the
COW before be turned her out on the thatch;
SO be took up bucket to draw water out of
the well; but as he stonped down at the
wells brink, all the cream ran out of the
ch IN over his shoulders and so down Into
the well.
Now 1t was near dinner time and lie had
not even got the butter yet; SO he thought he
bad best boil the porridoe. aud filed the pot
with wa'tr and hung It over the fire. When
he had cone that, he thought the COW might
perhaps iat Oft the tha;ch and break her legs
or neck, SO he got up on the house to tie
her up. One end OF the rope he tied last to
the cows neck, and the other be shpped
down the chimney, and tied round his own
thigh; anu he began to make haste, tor the
water now began to poil in the pot, and he
had still to grind the oatmeal.
80 he began to grind away; but while he
was hard at it, oown fell tie COW off the house
top alter all, and as she tell she dragged the
man up to the chimney by the rope. There
he stuck fast and as ior the cow, she hung
half way down the wall, swinging between
heaven and earth, for she could neither get
down nor up.
And now the goody had waited seven
lengths and seven breadths tor her husband
to come and call them home to dinner; but
never call had they had. At last she
thought she'd waited long enough, and went
home. But when she got there and found
the COW hanging in such an ugly place, she
ran up and cut the rope in two with her
scythe. But, as she di this, down came her
husband out OF the chimney; aud so when
his Old dame came inside the kitchen, there
she found him standing on his head in the
porrid9e pot.