"Yes," said she, "it was spared at the right time to be
useful to me now in my necessity"; and down she pulled the sack so
hastily that she overturned the can of beer for Fred, and away it mixed
with the rest on the floor. "It is all right," said she, "where one is,
the other should be," and she strewed the malt over the whole cellar.
When it was done she was quite overjoyed at her work, and said, "How
clean and neat it does look, to be sure!"
At noontime Fred returned. "Now, wife, what have you ready for me?" said
he. "Ah, my dear Fred," she replied, "I would have fried you a sausage,
but while I drew the beer the dog stole it out of the pan, and while I
hunted the dog the beer all ran out, and as I was about to dry up the
beer with the malt I overturned your can; but be contented, the cellar
is quite dry again now."
"Oh, Catherine, Catherine!" said Fred; "you should not have done so! to
let the sausage be stolen! and the beer run out! and over all to shoot
our best sack of malt!"
"Well, Fred," said she, "I did not know that; you should have told me."
But the husband thought to himself, if one's wife acts so, one must look
after things oneself. Now, he had collected a tolerable sum of silver
dollars, which he changed into gold, and then he told his wife, "Do you
see, these are yellow counters which I will put in a pot and bury in the
stable under the cow's stall; but mind that you do not meddle with it,
or you will come to some harm.
Pages:
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67