A farmer had been plowing with an ox and a mule teamed together. One day, the ox said to the mule, “Let’s play sick today and take it easy.”
But the mule said, “No, we need to get our work done.”
The ox played sick anyway. The farmer brought it fresh hay and corn and tried to make it comfortable.
When the mule came in from plowing, the ox asked how it went. “We didn’t get quite as much done,” the mule said, “But we did a fair stretch.”
Then the ox asked, “What did the farmer say about me?”
“Nothing,” the mule replied.
The ox played sick again the next day. He asked the mule about the day’s progress.
“All right,” the mule said, “but we didn’t get much done.”
“Well,” the ox continued, “what did the farmer say about me?”
“Nothing to me,” the mule answered, “but he did have a long talk with the butcher.”