Year: 1862

OONIOunu IL Stlu L '6lef, between his
teeth, it's clear that l m to have no but
ter to-day. Let's attend to the COW it's
too late to take her out to pasture, but
there's fine lot of hay on the house
Jhatch that hasn't been cut, and SC she'll
lose nothing by staying at home To get
the COW out of the stable and to put her
on the house-top was no great trouble, for
the dwelling was set in hollow in the
hillside, so that the thatch was almost Oh
a level with the ground. A plank served
the purpose of a bridge, and behold the
COW comfortably installed in her elevated
pasture. Peter, of course, could not re-
main upon the roof to watch the animal
he had to make the midday porrdge, and
take it to the mowers. But he was pru-
dent man and did not want to leave his
COW exposed to the risk of breaking her
bones SO he tied a small rope around her
neck, and this rope lie passed carefully
down the chimney of the cottage, into
the kitchen below. Having effected this,
he descended himself, and, entering the
kitchen. attached the other end of the
rope to his own leg.


In this way said he, make sure tia
the COW will keep quiet, and that nothing
bad can happen to her


He now filled the kettle, dropped into
it good lump of lard, the necessary
vegetables and condiments, placed it on
The well-plled fagots, struck fire with flint
and steel, and was applying the match to
the wood, blowing it well the while, when,
all at once, crisl-crash away goes the
COW slipping down over the roof, and
dragging our good man, with one leg in
the air, and head downward, clear up the
chimney. What would have become of
him no one could tell, had not heavy
bar of iron arrested his upward flight
and now, there they are, both together,
dangling in the air, the COW outside and
Peter within both, too, uttering the most
frightful cries of distress.


AS good luck would have it the wife
was just as impatient as her husband, and
when she had waited just three seconds
to see whether Peter would bring hel
porridge at the appointed time, she darted
off to the house as though it were on fire
When she saw the COW swinging between
heaven and earth, she drew her sickle anC
cut the rope, greatly to the delight of the
| poor brute, who now found herself safe
again on the only kind of floor she liked
1t was chance no less fortunate for Peter
who was not accustomed to gazing at the
sky with his feet in the air. But lie fel
smack into the kettle head foremost. Il
had been decreed, however, that all should
come out right to him that day the fire
had died out, the water was cold, and the
kettle awry, so that he got off with moth
ing worse than scratched forehead, {
peeled nose, and two well scraped checks
and, thank Heaven, nothing was broker
but the saucepan.


When his better half entered the kitch
en-, she found Master Graybeard looking
very sheepish and bloody.


Well we'll , said she, planting he
arms akimbo, and her two fists on he
launches who's the best house keeper
pray? have moved and reaped, ant
here l am as good as I was yesterday
while you, you, Mister Cook, Mister Stay
at-home, Mr.. Nurse, where is the butter
where's the sow, where's the COW, ant
where's our dinner If our little one
alive yet, no thanks to you. Poo
little fellow what would become of
without kind and careful mamma?


Whereupon Mrs. Peter begin to snive
and sob Indeed, she has need to, for i
not sensibility woman's field of triumph
and are not tears the triumph of sensi
bility?


; Peter bore the storm in silence, and di
well. for resignation is the virtue of grea
souls.