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<v Speaker 1>The Three Sillies, written by Flora Annie Stale. Once upon

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<v Speaker 1>a time there lived a farmer and his wife who

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<v Speaker 1>had one daughter, and she, being a pretty girl, was

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<v Speaker 1>chased by the young boy who came home from his travels.

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<v Speaker 1>Now every evening he would walk over from the hall

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<v Speaker 1>to see her and stop to supper in the farmhouse.

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<v Speaker 1>And every evening the daughter would go down into the

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<v Speaker 1>basement to draw the apple juice for supper. So one evening,

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<v Speaker 1>when she had gone down to draw the apple juice

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<v Speaker 1>and had turned the tap as usual, she happened to

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<v Speaker 1>look up at the ceiling, and there she saw a

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<v Speaker 1>big wooden hammer stuck in one of the beams. It

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<v Speaker 1>must have been there for ages and ages, but it

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<v Speaker 1>was all covered with spiderwebs. But somehow or another she

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<v Speaker 1>had never noticed it before, And at once she began

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<v Speaker 1>thinking how dangerous it was to have the hammer just there.

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<v Speaker 1>For thought she supposing him and me were married, and

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<v Speaker 1>supposing we were to have a son, and supposing he

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<v Speaker 1>were to grow up to be a man, and supposing

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<v Speaker 1>he were to come down to draw apple juice like

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<v Speaker 1>as I am doing, and supposing the hammer were to

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<v Speaker 1>fall on his head and kill him, How dreadful it

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<v Speaker 1>would be. With that, she put down the candle she

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<v Speaker 1>was carrying, seated herself on a large wooden container and

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<v Speaker 1>began to cry. And she cried and cried and cried.

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<v Speaker 1>Now upstairs they began to wonder why she was so

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<v Speaker 1>long drawing the apple juice. So after a while her

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<v Speaker 1>mother went down to the basement to see what had

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<v Speaker 1>come to her, and found her seated on the wooden container,

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<v Speaker 1>crying ever so hard, and the apple juice running all

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<v Speaker 1>over the floor. What is the matter, cried her mother,

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<v Speaker 1>Oh mother, say she between her sobs. It's that hammer.

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<v Speaker 1>Supposing him and me were married, and supposing we were

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<v Speaker 1>to have a son, and supposing he was to grow

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<v Speaker 1>up to be a man, and supposing he was to

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<v Speaker 1>come down to draw apple juice like as I am doing,

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<v Speaker 1>and supposing the hammer were to fall on his head

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<v Speaker 1>and kill him. How dreadful it would be, dear heart,

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<v Speaker 1>said the mother, seating herself beside her daughter and beginning

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<v Speaker 1>to cry. How dreadful it would be. So they both

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<v Speaker 1>sat and started crying. Now, after some time, when they

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<v Speaker 1>did not come back, the farmer began to wonder what

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<v Speaker 1>had happened, and going down to the basement, found them

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<v Speaker 1>seated side by side on the wooden container, crying hard,

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<v Speaker 1>and the apple juice running all over the floor. What

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<v Speaker 1>is the matter, says he just look at that hammer

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<v Speaker 1>up there, father, moaned the mother. Supposing our daughter was

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<v Speaker 1>to marry her sweet, and supposing they were to have

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<v Speaker 1>a son, and supposing he was to grow to man's estate,

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<v Speaker 1>and supposing he was to come down to draw apple

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<v Speaker 1>juice like as we are doing, and supposing that the

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<v Speaker 1>hammer was to fall on his head and kill him.

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<v Speaker 1>How dreadful it would be. Dreadful, indeed, said the father,

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<v Speaker 1>and seating himself beside his wife and daughter started crying too.

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<v Speaker 1>Now upstairs, the young boy wanted his supper, so at

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<v Speaker 1>last he lost patience and went down into the basement

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<v Speaker 1>to see for himself what they were all after. And

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<v Speaker 1>there he found them seated side by side on the

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<v Speaker 1>wooden container, crying, with their feet all abosh and apple juice,

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<v Speaker 1>for the floor was fair flooded. So the first thing

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<v Speaker 1>he did was to run straight and turn off the tap.

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<v Speaker 1>Then he said, what are you three? After sitting there

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<v Speaker 1>crying like babies and letting good apple juice run over

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<v Speaker 1>the floor. Then they all three began with one voice,

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<v Speaker 1>look at the hammer. Supposing you and her get married,

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<v Speaker 1>and suppose you had a son, and suppose he was

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<v Speaker 1>to grow to man's estate, and suppose he was to

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<v Speaker 1>come down here to draw apple juice like as we be,

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<v Speaker 1>and suppose that their hammer was to fall down on

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<v Speaker 1>his head and kill him. How dreadful it would be.

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<v Speaker 1>Then the young boy burst out laughing, and laughed till

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<v Speaker 1>he was tired. But at last he reached up to

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<v Speaker 1>the old hammer and pulled it out and put it

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<v Speaker 1>safe on the floor. And he shook his head and said,

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<v Speaker 1>I've traveled far, and have traveled fast, but never have

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<v Speaker 1>I met with three such sillies as you three. Now

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<v Speaker 1>I can't marry one of the biggest sillies in the world.

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<v Speaker 1>So I shall start again on my travels. And if

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<v Speaker 1>I can find three bigger sillies than you three, then

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<v Speaker 1>I'll come back and be married, not otherwise. So he

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<v Speaker 1>wished them goodbye and started again on his travels, leaving

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<v Speaker 1>them all crying this time because the marriage was off well.

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<v Speaker 1>The young and traveled far, and he traveled fast, but

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<v Speaker 1>never did he find a bigger silly until one day

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<v Speaker 1>he came upon an old woman's cottage that had some

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<v Speaker 1>grass growing on the roof. The old woman was trying

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<v Speaker 1>her best to push her cow into going up a

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<v Speaker 1>ladder to eat the grass, but the poor thing was

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<v Speaker 1>afraid and dare not go. The old woman tried a lot,

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<v Speaker 1>but it wouldn't go. There would never have been such

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<v Speaker 1>a sight, the cow getting more and more obstinate, the

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<v Speaker 1>old woman getting hotter and hotter. At last, the young

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<v Speaker 1>boy said, it would be easier if you went up

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<v Speaker 1>the ladder, cut the grass and threw it down for

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<v Speaker 1>the cow to eat. A likely story that says the

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<v Speaker 1>old woman a cow can cut for herself, and the

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<v Speaker 1>foolish thing will be quite safe up there for all

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<v Speaker 1>tire rope around her neck, passed the rope down the chimney,

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<v Speaker 1>and fastened the other end to my wrist, so as

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<v Speaker 1>when I am doing my bitter washing, she can't fall

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<v Speaker 1>off the roof without my knowing it. So mind your

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<v Speaker 1>own business, young sir. Well, after a while the old

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<v Speaker 1>woman managed to push the cow up the ladder, and

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<v Speaker 1>when she got it on the roof, she tied a

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<v Speaker 1>rope round its neck, passed the rope down the chimney

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<v Speaker 1>and fastened the other end to her wrist. Then she

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<v Speaker 1>went about her bit of washing, and young boy went

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<v Speaker 1>on his way. But he hadn't gone but a bit

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<v Speaker 1>when he heard the awful noise. He galloped back and

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<v Speaker 1>found that the cow had fallen off the roof and

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<v Speaker 1>got strangled by the rope round its neck, while the

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<v Speaker 1>weight of the cow had pulled the old woman by

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<v Speaker 1>her wrist up the chimney, where she had got stuck

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<v Speaker 1>halfway and been smothered by the suit. That is one

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<v Speaker 1>bigger silly, said the young boy, as he journeyed on.

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<v Speaker 1>So two more now he did not find any, however,

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<v Speaker 1>till late one night he arrived at a little lodge,

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<v Speaker 1>and the lodge was so full that he had to

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<v Speaker 1>share a room with another travel Now his room fellow

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<v Speaker 1>proved quite a pleasant fellow, and they slept well in

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<v Speaker 1>their bed. But next morning, when they were dressing, the

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<v Speaker 1>stranger carefully hangs his pants on the knobs of the

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<v Speaker 1>tall door. What are you doing, asks young boy. I'm

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<v Speaker 1>putting on my pants, says the stranger, and with that

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<v Speaker 1>he goes to the other end of the room, takes

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<v Speaker 1>a little run, and tried to jump into the pants,

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<v Speaker 1>but he didn't succeed, so he took another run, and

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<v Speaker 1>another try, and another and another and another, until he

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<v Speaker 1>got quite irritated. And all the time young man was

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<v Speaker 1>laughing fit to split, for never in his life did

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<v Speaker 1>he see anything so comical. Then the stranger stopped a

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<v Speaker 1>while and mobbed his face with his handkerchief, for he

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<v Speaker 1>was all in a sweat. It's very well, laughing, says he.

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<v Speaker 1>But pants are the most awkward things to get into.

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<v Speaker 1>It takes me the best part of an hour every

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<v Speaker 1>morning before I get them on. How do you manage yours?

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<v Speaker 1>Then young boy showed him as well as he could,

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<v Speaker 1>for laughing, how to put on his pants, And the

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<v Speaker 1>stranger was ever so grateful, and said he never should

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<v Speaker 1>have thought of that way. So that, said young boy

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<v Speaker 1>to himself, is a second, bigger silly. But he traveled far,

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<v Speaker 1>and he traveled fast without finding the third, until one

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<v Speaker 1>bright night, when the moon was shining right overhead, he

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<v Speaker 1>came upon a village, and outside the village was a pond,

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<v Speaker 1>and round about the pond was a great crowd of villagers.

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<v Speaker 1>Some of them had got brooms. They were busy shouting

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<v Speaker 1>out and sweeping away the pond. What is the matter,

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<v Speaker 1>cried young man, jumping off his horse to help. Has

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<v Speaker 1>anyone fallen in? Yes? Matter, enough says they can't. You

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<v Speaker 1>see moon's fallen into the pond, and we can't get

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<v Speaker 1>her out. And with that they said to again, sweeping away.

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<v Speaker 1>Then the young man burst out laughing. He told them

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<v Speaker 1>they were fools for their pains, and asked them to

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<v Speaker 1>look up over their heads, where the moon was riding

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<v Speaker 1>broad and full. But they wouldn't, and they wouldn't believe

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<v Speaker 1>that what they saw in the water was only a reflection.

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<v Speaker 1>And when he insisted, they began to abuse him and

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<v Speaker 1>threatened to duck him in the pond. So he got

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<v Speaker 1>on his horse again as quickly as he could, leaving

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<v Speaker 1>them sweeping away. And for all we know, they may

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<v Speaker 1>be at it yet. But the young boy said to himself,

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<v Speaker 1>there are many more sillies in this world than I

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<v Speaker 1>thought for, so I'll just go back and marry the

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<v Speaker 1>farmer's daughter. She's no sillier than the rest