to eat, my dear old man. You are always thinking of something to give me pleasure. How charming that is! We can let the goose walk about with a string to her leg, and she'll grow fatter still before we roast her.' "But I gave away the goose for a fowl," said the "A fowl? the woman. That was a good exchange!" replied "The fowl will lay eggs and hatch them, and we shall soon have chickens; we shall have a whole poultry yard! Oh, that's just what I was wishing for." "Yes, but I exchanged the fowl for a sack of shriveled apples." "What! I must positively kiss you for that," exclaimed the wife. "My dear, good husband! Now I'll tell you something. Do you know, you had hardly left me this morning, before I began thinking how I could give you something very nice this evening. I thought it should be pancakes with savory herbs. I had eggs, and bacon too; but I wanted herbs. So I went over to the schoolmaster's-they have herbs there, I know-but the schoolmistress is a mean woman, though she looks so sweet. I begged her to lend me a handful of herbs. 'Lend!' she answered me; 'nothing at all grows in our garden, not even a shriveled apple. I could not even lend you a shriveled apple, my dear woman.' But now I can lend her twenty, or a whole sackful. That I'm very glad of; that makes me laugh!" And with that she gave him a sounding kiss. "I like that!" exclaimed both the Englishmen together. "Always going downhill, and always merry; that's worth the money." So they paid a hundredweight of gold to the peasant, who was not scolded, but kissed. Yes, it always pays, when the wife sees and always asserts that her husband knows best, and that whatever he does is right. You see, that is my story. I heard it when I was a child; and now you have heard it too, and know that "What the old man does is always right." THE FAIRIES OF THE CALDON-LOW A By MARY HOWITT ND where have you been, my Mary, And where have you been from me?" "I've been to the top of the Caldon-Low, The midsummer night to see!" "And what did you see, my Mary, "And what did you hear, my Mary, "Oh, tell me all, my Mary All, all that ever you know; "Then take me on your knee, mother, "And merry was the glee of the harp-strings, But, oh! the sound of their talking "And what were the words, my Mary, That you did hear them say?" "I'll tell you all, my mother, But let me have my way. "And some they played with the water, And rolled it down the hill; 'And this,' they said, 'shall speedily turn The poor old miller's mill; "For there has been no water Ever since the first of May; And a busy man shall the miller be By the dawning of the day! "Oh, the miller, how he will laugh, "And some they seized the little winds, That sounded over the hill, And each put a horn into his mouth, "And there,' said they, 'the merry winds go Away from every horn; And those shall clear the mildew dank From the blind old widow's corn: "Oh, the poor blind widow Though she has been blind so long, She'll be merry enough when the mildew's gone, And the corn stands stiff and strong!' "And some they brought the brown linseed, And flung it down from the Low; 'And this,' said they, 'by the sunrise, In the weaver's croft shall grow! 66 'Oh, the poor lame weaver! How will he laugh outright "And then up spoke a brownie, 'I have spun up all the tow,' said he, 'And I want some more to spin. |