The Woman and Her Maidservants
Long ago an old woman had two young maidservants. The woman worked very hard, but she never pitied her maids. In the house a little rooster crowed early every morning. The woman heard the rooster and woke her maids at once. The maids were very tired every day and wanted more sleep.
One evening they made a secret plan together. They said, "Without the rooster she cannot wake us so early." At night everyone slept, and they killed the garden rooster very quietly. They were glad and waited for long, calm mornings. But everything went the other way.
Now no rooster called, and the woman did not know the time. So she woke the maids at midnight, long before the light. The maids slept less than before and were very sorry. Sometimes we run from a small trouble and find a bigger one. Out of the frying pan into the fire.