The Father and His Two Daughters

A man who had two daughters married one to a gardener and the other to a potter. After a while he paid a visit to the gardener's home and asked his daughter how she was, and how it fared with her. "Excellently well," said she; "we have everything that we want; I have but one prayer, that we may have a heavy storm of rain to water our plants."

Off he went to the potter's home and asked his other daughter how matters were with her. "There is not a thing we want," she replied, "and I only hope this fine weather and hot sun may continue, to bake our tiles."

"Alas," said the father, "if you wish for fine weather, and your sister for rain, which am I to pray for myself?"