d and groaned under him.

"WHO'S THAT tramping over my bridge?" roared the Troll.

"It's I! THE BIG BILLY-GOAT GRUFF," said the billy-goat, who had an ugly
hoarse voice of his own.

"Now, I'm coming to gobble you up," roared the Troll.

"Well, come along! I've got two spears,
And I'll poke your eyeballs out at your ears;
I've got besides two curling-stones,
And I'll crush you to bits, body and bones."

That was what the big billy-goat said; and so he flew at the Troll and
poked his eyes out with his horns, and crushed him to bits, body and
bones, and tossed him out into the burn, and after that he went up to
the hill-side. There the billy-goats got so fat they were scarce able to
walk home again; and if the fat hasn't fallen off them, why they're
still fat; and so,--

"Snip, snap, snout,
This tale's told out."

170

The following droll seems to indicate that the
folk had a strain of satirical humor which they
could use with fine effect. The translation is
that of Dasent's _Popular Tales from the
Norse_. (An old English verse form of the same
story will be found in No. 146.) The old
proverb about the shoemaker sticking to his
last is sure to come to mind as one reads, but
it seems to lose force when we notice that the
"goody" has no trouble with the mowing, while
the good "man" has much with the housework!

THE HUSBAND WHO WAS TO MIND THE HOUSE

Once on a time there was a man so surly and cross he never thought his
wife did anything right in the house. So one evening in hay-making time
he came home scolding and swearing and showing his teeth and making a
dust.

"Dear love, don't be so angry; there's a good man," said his goody;
"to-morrow let's change our work. I'll go out with the mowers and mow,
and you shall mind the house at home."

Yes! the husband thought that would do very well. He was quite willing,
he said.

So, early next morning, his goody took a scythe over her neck and went
out into the hay-field with the mowers and began to mow; but the man was
to mind the house, and do the work at home.

First of all, he wanted to churn the butter; but when he had churned a
while, he got thirsty, and went down to the cellar to tap a barrel of
ale. So, just when he had knocked in the bung, and was putting the tap
into the cask, he heard overhead the pig come into