Mese angolul: The milkmaid

 

Angelina felt very happy living on her farm which was so very nice.

One day her mother said to her, " If you milk the cow, you can take the milk to market and sell it and with the money you get you can buy whatever you like."

No sooner said than done!

When she had filled up her pitcher with milk, Angelina said goodbye to her mother and went away happy and contened, thinking what she would get when she had sold the milk.

When she was half way there, she stopped to ponder over what she would do with the money she got for the pitcher of milk.

"I already know what I'm going to spend it on," said she, and on and on she went, chattering incessantly, and thinking about her plans.

"Dear little bird. I've had a tremendous idea! I'll buy a hen and the hen will give me eggs and little chicks will hatch out of them and..."

Later on her way to market, she met a shepherd and said to him, " I'm going to market to sell the milk in this pitcher. With the money I get I'm going to buy a hen. The hen will peoduce chicks and I shall exchange the chickens for a bull calf, and the calf will grow into a handsome bull which! shall sell and buy a little house and..."

She also explained her plans to the boatman who helped her to cross the river. The boatman was so astonished that this little girl could be so clever.

"It's incredible what one can do with a pitcher of milk!"

On the other bank, she met a donkey and said to him...

...I'm going to sell the milk in this pitcher and with the money I get..." and she repeated everything she intended to do with the money.

"How clever you are! You do understand business!" said the donkey to her.

The little milkmaid was so happily absorbed in thinking of her ambitious plans, that she did not notice a stone on the path. She tripped, and...Zap!

Poor Angelina. How sad she was when she saw the pitcher was broken and all the milk was spilt on the ground. But that taught her a lesson. You should never count your chickens before they are hatched.