Key to Marital Bliss

Here is a short story about how a cowboy found the secret to marital bliss right after he got married. The ceremony was beautiful and the bride lovely. After the wedding, the bride and groom got on their horse-driven carriage to make their way home, with the bride happy and excited, prattling on about nothing, and the groom staying strong and silent with not a word after the “I do.”

Halfway through their ride, the horse stumbled. The cowboy broke his silence and said, laconically, “One.” His wife was nonplussed, but let it pass. Another couple of miles on, the horse stumbled again, and the groom went, “Two.” The wife ignored it and went on with her one-sided conversation. Just as they reached home, the old horse stumbled once more. The cowboy said, “Three,” pulled out his gun and shot the poor beast dead.

The bride was, understandably, shocked and dismayed. She said, “Jack, honey, you should control your temper. It’s inhuman to shoot a poor old horse for stumbling a couple of times.” The cowboy remained silent. The wife decided to take it up a notch. “Are you listening to me? Anybody can shoot a defenseless animal. Don’t think you are impressing anybody! Promise me, you will never do this again.” The cowboy remained silent. The wife, exasperated now, asked, “Well, don’t you have anything to say for yourself?”

The cowboy finally did have something to say. He said, “One.”

It is said that they never had another argument in their long and happy married life.

Disclaimer:
No animal was harmed during the writing of this post.

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