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A Widow, thrifty and industrious, had two servants, whom she kept

pretty hard at work. They were not allowed to lie long abed in

the mornings, but the old lady had them up and doing as soon as

the cock crew. They disliked intensely having to get up at such

an hour, especially in winter-time: and they thought that if it

were not for the cock waking up their Mistress so horribly early,

they could sleep longer. So they caught it and wrung its neck.

But they weren't prepared for the consequences. For what happened

was that their Mistress, not hearing the cock crow as usual,

waked them up earlier than ever, and set them to work in the

middle of the night.

THE GOODS AND THE ILLS