The Woman and Her Hen

A WOMAN had a Hen that laid an egg every day. The eggs were large, and sold for a good price. The Woman often thought, as she took them to market: "How glad they all are to get my eggs! I could sell as many more just as easily."

It began to look a small thing to her to get but a single egg each day. "If I were to give a double allowance of barley, the Hen might be made to lay two eggs a day instead of one," she said.

So she doubled the food, and the Hen grew very fat and sleek; but she stopped laying eggs.