Long ago, when the world was still new and man was rather simple, there lived a farmer and his wife. They were poor. They worked hard for their livelihood. But both had an unusual pastime. Whenever they could get some leisure, they loved to tell each other about their day dreams.

One day, the farmer said to his wife, ``When I grow rich, I will buy a beautiful cow’’.

``Ah! That’s indeed a good idea! I’ll milk the healthy animal and she’ll give us an excellent yield!’’ exclaimed the woman excitedly.

``But where are we going to store such a large quantity of milk?’’ asked her husband, feeling rather worried.

``Why? I will, of course, buy a big –very big –pot to hold that milk!’’ came the prompt reply.

``you are no doubt a most practical woman!’’ said the farmer proudly.

The next day, the farmer’s wife hurried to the market and bought a few large earthen vessels. When the farmer returned home in the evening, he saw them arranged in a row.

``Oh, so many of the! Will our cow really gives us so much milk?’’ he asked, feeling quite worried.

``Why not? But, actually, one pot is meat for the milk, one for butter, and the other for curd’, replied the woman in a matter of fact manner.

``that’s all very fine. But, dear wife, what about the fourth one? Her husband asked curiously. ``Well that’s meant for taking some of our excess milk to my sister’’, she said candidly.

``What? Milk for you sister! And you have been planning this behind y back?’’ shouted the farmer angrily.

He flew into a rage and crashed the fourth pot to pieces.

``I am the one who will tend the cow. So, I have very right to do as I wish with the milk!’’ argued the woman, quite agitated.

``Really? I toil and sweat all day long and purchase a cow with my hard –earned money. You, on the other had, give away the milk to your sister. How smart of you!’’ roared the farmer, smashing two more pots and hurling the last one at this wife.

Their neighbor, who heard the great hullabaloo, rushed to the farmer’s house.

``Now, what going on here?’’ he enquired of the angry husband.

``This wicked woman is stealing milk from my cow and passing it to her sister!’’.

``Your cow?’’ asked the neighbor, looking here, there and everywhere.

``That’s right, my cow’.

``But I do not see any! Where is the cow?’’ queried the neighbor.

``Well, I am certainly going to buy one cow, when I save enough money’’, said the man.

``Oh, you mea that cow! I understand’, said the neighbor with a chuckle. He kept quite for a moment and then suddenly planted a blow on the farmer’s back.

The farmer looked surprised. ``What’s that for?’’ e demanded.

``Now I know, who is munchi9ng away the followers and vegetables in my garden’’, said the neighbor and went on raining blows on the poor farmer.

``whit! Why on the earth are you beating me? What wrong have I done to you?’’ pleaded the farmer, who was no match for his strong and stout neighbor.

The woman looked bewildered and stood still with tears in her eyes.

``What’s wrong? Isn’t your wicked cow eating away all the flowers and vegetables in my garden? You dare ask how you have wronged me!’’ returned the neighbor, still pretending to be furious.

``You don’t have a garden at all, and you speak of flowers and vegetables! Have you lost your senses?’’ asked the farmer, feeling dazed.

``Well, dear friend, I am speaking of the garden I am about to plant! I have been, in fact, planning for a long time, but alas, your ill-mannered cow has been destroying it’’, said the clever man soberly.

The farmer at last realized his own folly, and both of them burst into guffaws of laughter. The farmer’s wife, too, laughed through her tears.

From that day onwards, though the farmer and his wife did continue to daydream, they were cautious not to force their beautiful dreams into reality too soon.