Patty the milkmaid dreams of becoming rich by selling her milk at the market. She plans to use the money to buy a chicken, then more chickens that will lay eggs for her to sell and make more money. With the profits, she imagines buying a fancy house on a hill. As Patty walks dreaming of her future wealth, she trips and falls, spilling both pails of milk and shattering her dreams of riches. The story's moral is not to count your chickens before they hatch.

1. The
Milkmaid
and Her
dreams
Babu Appat

2. Patty, a milkmaid milked
her cow and had two full
pails of fresh, creamy
milk.

3. She put both pails
of milk on a stick
and set off to the
market to sell the
milk.

4. As she took steps
towards the market,
her thoughts took
steps towards wealth.

5. On her way, she kept
thinking about the
money she would
make from selling the
milk.

6. Then she
thought
about what
she would
do with that
money.

7. She was talking
to herself and
said, “Once I get
the money, I’ll
buy a chicken.

8. The chicken will lay
eggs and I will get
more chickens.

9. They’ll all lay eggs,
and I will sell them
for more money.

10. Then, I’ll buy the house on
the hill and everyone will
envy me.” She was very
happy that soon she would
be very rich.

11. With these
happy thoughts,
she marched
ahead.

12. But suddenly, she
tripped and fell.
Both the pails of
the milk fell and all
her dreams were
shattered.

13. The milk spilt onto the
ground, and all Patty
could do was cry.

14. MORAL OF
THE STORY
Don't count your
chicken before the
eggs are hatched.

15. Thank you
bauappat@hotmail.com