The Humble Sheep

A farmer was milking his cows one day. He milked them gently and with care. After a while, when his pail was full of milk, he put it down on the ground for a moment before taking it into the house, as he had some other chore he had to attend to quickly. A dog and a sheep were watching from close by and saw that the farmer had left the delicious pail of milk all unattended. Temptation immediately got the better of them both, so they strolled closer, to have a small sip. The milk was lovely, and they couldn't stop drinking from the pail. They had lapped up half of the milk before the farmer came stepping back into the barn door, back from his small task, and he caught them in the very act of drinking his milk. He took a stick and gave the dog a bit of hiding saying, 'Bad dog, you drank up all your master's milk.' Then he turned to sheep but he didn't hit it with the stick the way he did the dog, he merely 'shoo-ed' her away with his hand and said 'You are a humble sheep and know no better, don't do that again!' A gentle nature can often save one's hide.