THE UNGRATEFUL CHILDREN. 213

father. But when the eldest son had been keeping
his father for some time he began to regret his hos-
pitality, and was rough to his father, and sometimes
even shouted at him. The old man no longer had
his own set place in the house as heretofore, and there
was none to cut up his food for him. So the eldest
son repented him that he had said he would keep his
father, and he began to grudge him every morsel of
bread that he put in his mouth. ‘The old man had
nothing for it but to go to his second gon. It might
be better for him there or worse, but stay with his
eldest son any longer he could not. So the father
went to his second son. But here the old man soon
discovered that he had only exchanged wheat for
straw. Whenever he began to eat, his second son
and his daughter-in-law looked sour and murmured
something between their teeth. The woman scolded
the old man. “We had as much as we could do
before to make both ends meet,” cried she, “and now
we have old men to keep into the bargain.” The old
man. soon had enough of it there also, and went on to
his next son. o one after another all four sons took
their father to live with them, and he was glad to
leave them all. Each of the four sons, one after the
other, cast the burden of supporting him on one of
the other brothers. “It is for him to keep thee,
daddy!” said they; and then the other would say :