Christmas was¹ coming. Mr Smith had² no money to buy any presents for his children. His wife³ was ill and he spent a lot of money on her medicine⁴. And the harvest⁵ was bad and all his family were going⁶ go be hungry the next spring. He was quite worried⁷ about it. 

 

"We had only a cock⁸," said⁹ Mrs Smith one day. "You'd better take it to the town. Sell it there and buy some cakes and sweets for our children."

 

"It's a good idea!" the man said and caught the cock the next morning and put it into a box. It was difficult to walk on the road covered¹⁰ with thick snow. Two hours later¹¹ he was very tied and wanted to have a rest. He put the box to the ground¹² and sat¹³ down.

 

"The air in the box must be close," the man said to himself¹⁴. "I'd better let the cock walk outside for a while¹⁵, or it'll die¹⁶."

 

So he put the cock to the ground. When he started again, he couldn't catch it any longer. 

 

"How foolish¹⁷ you are!" Mr Smith called out angrily. "You can herald¹⁸ the break of day at night but you cann't find the way to the town in the daytime¹⁹!"

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