DOING A MAN'S WORK
When Jan and Marie awoke, their mother's bed was empty."She's gone to milk the cow," cried Marie."Come, Jan, we will surprise her! When she comes back from the pasture, we will have breakfast all ready.""You can," said Jan, as he struggled into his clothes, and twisted himself nearly in two trying to do up the buttons in the back; "you can, but I must do a man's work! I will go out and feed the pig and catch old Pier and hitch him to the cart," he said importantly."I must finish the wheat harvest to-day.""Ho!" said Marie."You will spill the pig-feed all over yourself!
You are such a messy boy!"
"I guess I can do it just as well as you can make coffee," said Jan with spirit."You've never made coffee in your life!""I've watched Mother do it lots of times," said Marie."I'm sure I can do it just the same way.""All right, let's see you do it, then," said Jan.And he strode out of the room with his hands in his pockets, taking as long steps as his short legs would permit.
When she was dressed and washed, Marie ran to the pump and filled the kettle.Then she stirred the embers of the fire in the kitchen and put on fresh coal.She set the kettle on to boil and only slopped a little water on her apron in doing so.Then she put the dishes on the table.
Meanwhile she heard no sound from Jan.She went to the kitchen door and looked out.Jan had already let out the fowls, and was just in the act of feeding the pig.He had climbed up on the fence around the pig-pen, and by dint of great effort had succeeded in lifting the heavy pail of feed to the top of it.He was now trying to let it down on the other side and pour the contents into the trough, but the pig was greedy, and the moment the pail came within reach, she stuck her nose and her fore feet into it.This added weight was too much for poor Jan; down went the pail with a crash into the trough, and Jan himself tumbled suddenly forward, his feet flew out behind, and he was left hanging head down, like a jack knife, over the fence!
It was just at this moment that Marie came to the door, and when she saw Jan balancing on the fence and kicking out wildly with his feet, she screamed with laughter.
Jan was screaming, too, but with pain and indignation."Come here and pick me off this fence!" he roared."it's cutting me in two!
Oh, Mother! Mother!"
Marie ran to the pigpen as fast as, she could go.She snatched an old box by the stable as she ran, and, placing it against the fence, seized one of Jan's feet, which were still waving wildly in the air, and planted it firmly on the box.
"Oh! Oh!" laughed Marie, as Jan reached the ground once more."If you could only have seen yourself, Jan! You would have laughed, too! Instead of pouring the pig-feed on to yourself, you poured yourself on to the pig-feed!""I don't see anything to laugh at," said Jan with dignity; "it might have happened to any man.""Anyway, you'll have to get the pail again," said Marie, wiping her eyes."That greedy pig will bang it all to pieces, if you leave it in the pen.""I can't reach it," said Jan.
"Yes, you can," said Marie."I'll hold your legs so you won't fall in, and you can fish for it with a stick." She ran for a stick to poke with, while Jan bravely mounted the box again, and, firmly anchored by Marie's grasp upon his legs, he soon succeeded in rescuing the pail.
"Anyway, I guess I've fed the pig just as well as you have made the coffee," he said, as he handed it over to Marie.
"Oh, my sakes!" cried Marie; "I forgot all about the coffee!" And she ran back to the kitchen, to find that the kettle had boiled over and put the fire out.
Jan stuck hid head in the door, just as she got the bellows to start the fire again."What did I tell you!" he shouted, running out his tongue derisively.