Welcome back, everyone to one thousand one classic short stories and tales.

This is your host and storyteller, John Haggardorn.

Two stories for you today.

Both stories about the virtue of hard work. Thought you might enjoy them. The first, the husband

who was to mind the house. This old Scandinavian tale teaches us to respect others hard work.

Once upon a time, there was a man so surly and cross, he never thought his wife did anything

right around the house. One evening, during haymaking time, he came home complaining that

dinner wasn't on the table. The baby was crying, and the cow had not been put in the

barn. "'I work, and I work all day,' he growled, and you get to stay home and mind the house.

I wish I had it so easy. I could get dinner ready on time, I'll tell you that.'

"'Dear love, don't be so angry, said the wife.

Tomorrow, let's change our work.

I'll go out with the mowers and cut the hay, and you stay home, and mind the house.

The husband thought that would do very well.

I could use a day off, he said.

I'll do all your chores in an hour or two, and sleep the afternoon away.

So early the next morning, the wife put the scythe over her shoulder and trudged out to the hayfield with the mowers.

The husband stayed behind to do all the work at home.

First of all, he washed some clothes, and then he began to churn the butter. But after he had

churned a while, he remembered he needed to hang the clothes up to dry. He went out to the yard,

and had just finished hanging his shirts on the line when he saw the pig run into the kitchen.

So off he dashed to the kitchen to look after the pig, lest it should upset the churn.

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