But the gentleman burst out laughing, and reached up and
pulled out the mallet, and then he said: "I've traveled many miles,
and I never met three such big sillies as you three before; and now I
shall start out on my travels again, and when I can find three bigger
sillies than you three, then I'll come back and marry your daughter."
So he wished them good-by, and started off on his travels, and left
them all crying because the girl had lost her sweetheart.
Well, he set out, and he traveled a long way, and at last he came to a
woman's cottage that had some grass growing on the roof. And the woman
was trying to get her cow to go up a ladder to the grass, and the
poor thing durst not go. So the gentleman asked the woman what she was
doing. "Why, lookye," she said, "look at all that beautiful grass. I'm
going to get the cow on to the roof to eat it. She'll be quite safe,
for I shall tie a string round her neck, and pass it down the chimney,
and tie it to my wrist as I go about 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 and coaxed her and got her up, and tied
a string round her neck, and passed it down the chimney, and fastened
it to her own wrist.
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