Year: 1879

THE OLD MAN ALWAYS RIGHT.
A Pretty Story, But no Sort ofan Example.


I take it for granted that you have been
in the country and seen very old farm
house with q thatched roof, and mosscs
and small plants growing wild upon the
thatch. There is Il stork's nest on the
summit Of the gable; fol We can't do with
out the stork. The walls Of the house
are slipping, and the windows arc low, and
only one Of the latter IS made 50 that it
will open. The baking oven sticks out
OF the wall like little fat body. The
elder tree hangs over the paling, and be-
meath its branches, at the foot Of the pal
ing, is pool ofwater in which few ducks
are disporting themselves. There is a
yard dog, too, who barks at all corners.


just such farm house stood out in
the country; and in this house dwclt an
old couplc-a peasant and his wife.
Small rs was their property, there was a
single article that they could do
without-a horse, which made living
out of the grass it found by the high-nad. /.
The old peasant rode into town on this
horse; and often his neighl,ors borrowed
it from him, and rendered the old couple
some service in return for the loan of it.
But they thought it would be best if they
sold the horse, or exchanged it for some
thing that might he more useful to them.
But what might this something be?


"You1l know that best, old man, y
said the wife. "It is fair-day to-day,
so ride into town, and get rid Of the
horse for money, or make good ex-
change; whichever you do will be right
to me. Ride to the fair


And she fastened his ncckerchief fol
him, for she could do that better than he
could; and she tied it in double bow
for she could do that very prettily. Then
she brushed his hat round and round with
the palm Of her hand, and gave him Il
kiss. So he rode away upon the horse
that was to he sold or to be bartcred fo,
something else. Yes, the old man knew
what he was about.


The sun shonc hotly down, not Il cloud
was to be seen in the sky. The road was
very dusty, for many people, who were all
bound for the fair, were driving, o,
riding, or walking upon it. There was
no shelter anywhere from the sunbeams
Among the rest was man trudging
along, and driving COW to the fair
The COW was as beautiful a creature as
any COW could be.


"She gives good milk, I'm sure,' SAID
the peasant. "That would be very
good exchange-the COW for the horse


"Hallo, you there with the cow!'' he
said. "I'll tell you what fancy {
horse costs more than COW, but l dom
care for that; COW would be more usefu
to me. If you like, we'll exchange


;'To be surely I WILL" said the man
and they exchanged accordingly.
So that was settled, and the peasan
might have turned back, for he had done
the business he came to do; but he hat
once made up his mind to 60 to the fair,ht
determined to proceed, merely to have ,
look at it; 50 he went on to the town witt
his COW.


Leading the animal, he strobe steadil,
on; and after time he overlook mar
who was driving sheep. 1t was gooi
fat sheep, with a fine fleece on its back


II should like to have that fellow,
said our peasant to himself. "He wouit
find plenty Of grass by our palings, ane
in the winter We could keep him in tn
room with us. Perhaps it would he NOR,
practical to have sheep instead of a COW
Shall we exchanged"


The man with the sheep was quit,
ready, and the bargain was struck. s,
the peasant went on in the high-road will
his sheep.


Soon he overlook another man, win
came into the road from a field, carry
ing great goose under his arm.
''That's heavy thing you have there
It has plenty of feathers and plenty o
fat, and would look we'll tied to string
and padding in the water at our place
That would be something for my oil,
woman; she could make all kinds o
profit out of it. How often she has said
"If We only had goose!' Now, pei
haps, she can have opc; and, if possible
it shall be hers. Shall we exhcange9 II
give you my sheep for your goose, ant
thank you into the bargain"


The other man had not the least oh
lection; and accordingly they exchanged
and our peasant became proprietor of tn
goose.


By this time he was very near th
town. The crowd on the high-road be
came greater and greater; there was quit
a rush of men and cattle. They walked
in the road and close by the palings; ant
at the barrier they even walked into tin
toll-man's potato field; where his ont
fowl was strutting about, with string tt
its leg, lest it should take fright at tn,
crowd, and stray away, and so be lost
This fowl had short tail-feathers, ant
winked with both its eyes, and looked
very cunning. "Cluck, cluck!" said thu
fowl. What it thought when it said thi
I cannot tell you; but US soon as our goot
man saw this, he thought, "that's thu
finest fowl I've ever seen in my life
Why it's finer than our parsons brood
hen. On my word, I should like to have
that fowl. A fowl can always find ,
grain or two, and can almost keep itself
I think it would be good exchange if
could get that for my goose"


"Shall We exchange?" he asked the
Oll-taker.