A thrifty and industrious widow had two servants whom she kept very busy. She never allowed them to sleep late. As soon as the rooster crowed each morning, the old woman would rouse them and set them to work.
The servants deeply resented having to rise so early, especially in winter. They reasoned that if the rooster did not wake their mistress at such an ungodly hour, they could sleep longer. So, they caught the bird and wrung its neck.
However, they were unprepared for the consequences. Without the rooster's crow to signal the usual time, their mistress, fearing she might oversleep, began waking them even earlier—in the middle of the night—and putting them to work.