The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1874-03-04
a SIacL Husband Punished.

A slack Husband Punished.
"Mr Moncton," said my grand
mother. | have no wood to burn 20
dav. What shall | do"
"Oh. send Louisa to pick up some, y
said the goodman making stride
towards the door
But she has picked up all she can
find"
"Then let her break up some old
stuff"
But she has broken up everything
already"
"Ob, well then, do the next best
thing must be Of" said the farm
er, and off he was, whistling as he
went, and no doubt wondering in his
heart what tie next best thing would
turn out to be.
Noon came and with it came my
grandfather and four hungry laborers.
Nv grandmother stood in the kitchen
spinning on her great wheel and sing
ing a pleasant ditty; Louisa was
securing in the back room, and the
cat sat purring on the hearth before a
black and freless chimney, while
the table sat in the middle of the
room, spread for dinner, but with
empty dishes.
"Well, wife here we are" said my
grandfather cheeringly.
$50 | see" replied she placidly;
"have you had a good morning in
the corn fieldy ?"
"Why, YES, so. But where is the
dinner ?"
"In the pot on the door step.
Won't you see if its done?"
And on the door step, to be sure,
sat the great iron pot, nicely covered,
but not looking particularly steamy.
Nv grandfather raised the cover and
there Law all the ingredients of a nice
boiled dinner-everything prepared
in the incest manner =
"Why woman what does this
mean ~ began my grandfather, indig-
nantlv. This dinHer isn't cooked at
all! :"
Dear me, is it not? Why it has
sat in the sun these four hours"
Sat in the sun ~
Yes, you told me to try the neXi
, best thing to have a fire, and l
f thought setting my dinner in the sun
f was about that
t My grandfather stood doubtful for
: moment, but finally his sense OF hui
/ NOR overcame his sense of injury,
t and he laughed aloud. Then picking
up his hat, h. said:
7 Come, boys, we may as well start
: for the woods. We shall have nc
t dinner till we have earned it, | per
} ceive.n
Won't you have some bread and
: cheese before you go ~ asked my
: grandmother, generous in her victory
5 as women almost always are. And
SO she won the day.
5 The cellar stairs in the old farm
house had become broken and 80 un
e safe that my grandmother besieged
= her husband early and late, to repair
them, lest some accident shold happen
1 He always promised to do 50, anc
always forgot to fulfil his promises
At last, one day, my grandmother
fell in going down, and spilled The
milk she was carrying
Are you hurt ~ asked my grand
: father, smoking his pipe before the fire
:. NO matter whether | am or not"
/ returned the angry housewife, reap
t pearing with her empty pan. That
, is the last time carry milk down
those stairs until they are mended.
. Please yourself and find the next
best way to get it down." said the
husband, little vexed at her tone
Il will" said my grandmother,
and she was as good as her word.
The next evening my grandfather
went down to the cellar to draw some
= cider.
What in thunder" exclaimed be
| nothing worse, | assure you, for
he was not a profane man-"what in
thunder is the matter down here
why, woman, your milk is all over the
cellar bottom ~
is it 2" replied my grandmother
TRANQUILITY. well | think that it is
likely enough, falling SO far"
Failing so far! What do you
mean ~
why, you know | said | shouldn't
carry milk over those broken stairs
again, and you told me to try the
next best way Of getting it down, and
so | took up board in the kitchen
floor, threw down the pans and then
strained the milk down into them"
The cellar stairs were mended next
day.