And now the goody had waited seven lengths and seven breadths for her husband to come and call them home to dinner; but never a call they had. At last she thought she’d waited long enough, and went home. But when she got there and saw the cow hanging in such an ugly place, she ran up and cut the rope in two with her scythe. But as she did this, down came her husband out of the chimney; and so when his old dame came inside the kitchen, there she found him standing on his head in the porridge pot. HOW ONE WENT OUT TO WOO By Sir George Webbe Dasent Once upon a time there was a lad who went out to woo him a wife. Among other places he came to a farmhouse, where the household were little better than beggars; but when the wooer came in they wanted to make out that they were well to do, as you may guess. Now the husband had got a new arm to his coat. “Pray, take a seat,” he said to the wooer; “but there’s a shocking dust in the house.” So he went about rubbing and wiping all the benches and tables with his new arm, but he kept the other all the while behind his back. The wife she had got one new shoe, and she went stamping and sliding with it up against the stools and chairs saying, “How untidy it is here! Everything is out of place!” Then they called out to their daughter to come down and put things to rights; but the daughter she had got a new cap; so she put her head in at the door, and kept nodding and nodding, first to this side and then to that. “Well! For my part, She said, I can’t be everywhere at once.” Aye! Aye! That was a well-to-do household the wooer had come to. WHY THE BEAR IS STUMPY-TAILED By Sir George Webbe Dasent One day the Bear met the Fox, who came slinking along with a string of fish he had stolen. “Whence did you get these from?” asked the Bear. “Oh! My Lord Bruin, I’ve been out fishing and caught them,” said the Fox. So the Bear had a mind to learn to fish too, and bade the Fox tell him how he was to set about it. “Oh! It’s an easy craft for you”, answered the Fox, “and soon learned. You’ve only got to go upon the ice, and cut a hole and stick your tail down into it; and so you must go on holding it there as long as you can. You’re not to mind if your tail smarts a little; that’s when the fish bite. The longer you hold it there the more fish you’ll get; and then all at once out with it, with a cross pull sideways, and with a strong pull too.” Yes; the Bear did as the Fox had said, and held his tail a long, long time down in the hole, till it was fast frozen in. Then he pulled it out with a cross pull, and it snapped short off. That’s why Bruin goes about with a stumpy tail this very day. BOOTS WHO MADE THE PRINCESS SAY “THAT’S A STORY” By Sir George Webbe Dasent