Year: 1867

ONCE ON a time there was man


whose name was Gudbrand he had
farm which lay far, far away upon
"a hill side, and so they called him
Gudbrand ON the Hillside.


Now, you must know this man and
his good wife lived so happily togeth-
er, and understood one another so
well, that all the husband did. the
wife thought 80 well done there was
nothing like it in the world and she
was always glad whenever he turned
his hand to- The farm was their own
land, and they had hundred dollars
lying at the bottom of their large
chest, and two cows together up in a
stall in their farm yard.


So his wife one day said to him:


Do you know, dear, | think we
ought to take one of the cows into
town and sell it; that's what | think
for then we shall have some money
in hand, and sach well-to-do people
as we ought to have money like the
rest of the world. As for the hund-
red dollars at the bottom of the chest
yonder, we can't make a hole in them,
and rm sure | don't know what we
want with more than one COW. Be-
sides, we shall gain little in anoth-
er way, for then | shall get off with
only looking after one COW, instead
of having, as now, to feed and litter
and water two"


Well, Gudbrand thought his wife
talked right good sense, so he set off
at once with the COW on his way to
town to sell her but when he got to
town there was no one who would
buy her.


"WelI, we'll never mind" said
Gudbrand, at the worst | can only
go back home again with my cow
Pve both stable and tether for her,
should think, and the road is no fur
tuer out than in )" and with that he
began to toddle home with his cow.


But when he had gone bit of the
way, a man met him with horse to
sell, so Gudbrand thought twas bet
ter to have horse than a cow, so he
swopped with the man. 4 little fur
ther on he met a man walking along
and driving fat pig before him. and
he thought it better to have a fat pig
than horse, so he swopped with the
man. After that be went little fur
ther, and a man met him with a goat;
80 he thought it better to have
goat than a pig, and he swopped with
the man that owned the goat. Then
he went ON d bit till he met man
who had sheep, and he swopped
with the man, for he thought it al
ways better to have a sheep than a
goat. After a while he met man
with goose, and he swopped away
the sheep for the goose and when
be had walked long, long time, he
met man with a cock, and he swop-
ped with him, for he thought in this
wise


"'Tis surely better to have a cock
than a goose"


Then he went on till the day was
far spent, and he began to get very
hungry, so he sold the cock for shiI-
ling, and bought food with the mon
ey, for thought Gudbrand on the Hill
side


"'ris always better to save ones
life than to have a cock"


After that he went toward home
till he reached his nearest neighbours
house, where he turned in.


WELL" said the owner of the
house, chow did things 60 with you
in town."


Rather so So" said Gudbrand, |
can't praise my luck, nor do blame
it either" and with that he told the
whole story from first to last.


All !" said his friend, you'll get
nicely hauled over the Goals, that one
can see, when you get home to your
wife. Heaven help you f.; | wouldn't
stand in your shoes for something"


Well ~ said Gudbrand ON the
Hillside, 81 think things might have
gone much worse with me; but now,
l have done wrong or not, /
nave too kind a good wife, she never
las word to say against anything
hat ] do"