NEVER MIND THE MONEY
ing." "Yes," replied he, "you will know some day!"
Some time afterwards the wife wished for some soup, and said to her husband: "Will you not go to town and buy a good piece of soup-meat?" "We don't need to buy it," answered he, "it may be had more easily;" whereupon he knocked his head against a large nail in the wall. The blood streamed from a wound in his forehead, and he was obliged to remain in bed for a long time thereafter. After he had finally recovered, one day it was found that there were no candles in the house, so his wife asked him to go and buy some. "No," said he, "that is unnecessary;" whereupon he thrust his hand into the fire. Of course he was severely burned and obliged to figure on the sick-list for another length of time.
When he was up again, it one day happened that they wished for some fish. Now the man determined to show what he had learned; he asked for his wife's winnowing-trough and a bale, and they both put to sea. In a little while the man asked: "Are my eyes green?" "No," answered his wife, "how could they be green?" When they had gone a little farther he repeated his question. "What nonsense!" exclaimed she. "How could they ever become green?" "My dear wife," said he again, "will you not be good and say they are green?" "Why, yes; they are green," answered she.
71
