童話故事:笨人一家親(4/6)

"Why, lookye," she said, "look at all that beautiful grass. I'm going to get my cow onto the top of the roof to eat it. She'll be quite safe, for I shall tie a string around her neck, and pass it down the chimney, and tie it to my wrist as I go around the house, so she can't fall off without my knowing it." "Oh, you poor silly!" said the gentleman, "you should cut the grass and throw it down to the cow!" But the woman thought it was easier to get the cow up the ladder than to get the grass down, so she pushed her cow and coaxed her up and got her up, and tied a string around her neck, and passed it down the chimney, and fastened it to her own wrist. And the gentleman went on his way, but he hadn't gone far when the cow tumbled off the roof, pulling the string behind her. And the weight of the cow tied to her wrist pulled the woman up the chimney, and she stuck fast half-way up and was smothered in the soot. Well, that was one big silly. And the gentleman went on and on, and he went to an inn to stop the night, and they were so full at the inn that they had to put him in a double-bedded room, and another traveller was to sleep in the other bed. The man was a very pleasant fellow, and they got very friendly together.