“What! in such a pour as this?” exclaimed an old hen.
“And what would you have us do?” replied the cock. “We cannot carry umbrellas, like our master and mistress. And, for all we know, it may rain the rest of the week.” So saying, he walked boldly out into the shower.
Now, the wet having brought the worms to the surface, he soon picked up a good meal; which the others descrying, they quickly came after him, until the whole flock was scratching about the barnyard, quite contented notwithstanding the rain. Seeing this, the rooster flew up on a fence and crowed. Then, looking slyly at the old hen that had opposed him, he said:
“Which is best—to work only in fair weather, or to keep on scratching whether it rain or shine?”
He will gather most in the end who does not easily give way to discouragement when success is hard to attain.
