“‘And I’ll make them richer,’ said the girl still more proudly.
“So they took their wonderful goat and sheep into the stable, gave them some hay to eat, and then went into the house.”
XXII.
THE SNOW-WHITE GOAT AND THE COAL-BLACK SHEEP.
“Please don’t say that is the end of the story,” said Sweetest Susan, as Mrs. Meadows made a longer pause than usual.
“Well, it ought to be the end,” replied Mrs. Meadows. “The two children had come home with treasure and riches enough to suit anybody. That ought to be the end of the story. You ought to be able to say that they all lived happily together forever after. That’s the way they put it down in the books; but this is not a book story, and so we’ll have to stick to the facts.
“Now, then, when the boy and the girl returned home, one with the wonderful sheep and the other with the wonderful goat, they found their father and mother in a great state of mind. The whole country round about had been searched for the children. The mother was sure they had been stolen and carried off. The father, who had his own miseries always in mind, was sure that they had grown tired of the poverty that surrounded them, and had run away to see if they couldn’t do better among strangers.
“So, when the children had returned home, as happy as larks, their mother fell to weeping, and cried out: ‘I am so glad you have escaped, my pretty dears.’ The father grinned and said: ‘Why do you come back? Is it because the fare elsewhere is no better than it is here?’
“Now, of course, the children didn’t know what to make of all this. They stood with their fingers in their mouths, and wondered what the trouble was. Then they were compelled to answer a shower of questions; and by the time the inquiries had come to an end, they were not feeling very comfortable at all. Finally the boy said:—
“‘My sister and myself were tired of wearing ragged clothes and having little to eat, and so we concluded to seek our fortunes. We knew that Uncle Rain and Brother Drouth had caused all the trouble, and so we thought the best way to do would be to hunt them up and tell them the trouble they were causing to one poor family. I went to see Uncle Rain, and my sister went to see Brother Drouth. We found them at home, and both were in good humor. Uncle Rain gave me a coal-black sheep, and Brother Drouth gave my sister a snow-white goat, and told us that with these we could make our fortunes.’