Unluckily someone else thought so too , and this was her brother 's wife , who had heard all about the pumpkin tree , and sent her slave with a handful of grain to buy her a pumpkin . At first the girl told him that so few were left that she could not spare any ; but when she found that he belonged to her brother , she changed her mind , and went out to the tree and gathered the largest and the ripest that was there . ` Take this one , ' she said to the slave , ` and carry it back to your mistress , but tell her to keep the corn , as the pumpkin is a gift . ' The brother 's wife was overjoyed at the sight of the fruit , and when she tasted it , she declared it was the nicest she had ever eaten . Indeed , all night she thought of nothing else , and early in the morning she called another slave -LRB- for she was a rich woman -RRB- and bade him go and ask for another pumpkin . But the girl , who had just been out to look at her tree , told him that they were all eaten , so he went back empty-handed to his mistress . In the evening her husband returned from hunting a long way off , and found his wife in tears . ` What is the matter ? ' asked he . ' I sent a slave with some grain to your sister to buy some pumpkins , but she would not sell me any , and told me there were none , though I know she lets other people buy them . ' ` Well , never mind now -- go to sleep , ' said he , ` and to-morrow I will go and pull up the pumpkin tree , and that will punish her for treating you so badly . ' So before sunrise he got up and set out for his sister 's house , and found her cleaning some corn . ` Why did you refuse to sell my wife a pumpkin yesterday when she wanted one ? ' he asked . ` The old ones are finished , and the new ones are not yet come , ' answered the girl . ` When her slave arrived two days ago , there were only four left ; but I gave him one , and would take no corn for it . ' ' I do not believe you ; you have sold them all to other people . I shall go and cut down the pumpkin , ' cried her brother in a rage . ` If you cut down the pumpkin you shall cut off my hand with it , ' exclaimed the girl , running up to her tree and catching hold of it . But her brother followed , and with one blow cut off the pumpkin and her hand too .
Then he XXXXX into the house and took away everything he could find , and sold the house to a friend of his who had long wished to have it , and his sister had no home to go to .
arrived bade changed cut followed found gathered go keep went