Some lessons ride across centuries and deserts without losing their sting.
Take this old proverb I stumbled on:
“A wicked wife, a treacherous friend, a servant who answers back,
and a snake in the house—each is death itself, without a doubt.”
The Story of Cole Travers
Cole Travers was a horse trader who knew every trail from Red Mesa to the Arkansas River. He was sharp with numbers, softer with whiskey, and never met a poker table he didn’t like. One summer he found himself tangled in all four kinds of trouble the proverb warns about.
1. The Dangerous Wife
Cole married Lila for her beauty and quick wit, but she had a taste for other men’s money and a habit of whispering lies when the moon was high. In a frontier town, a bad wife wasn’t just heartbreak—it was a bullet waiting to happen.
2. The Double-Crossing Friend
His old riding partner, Duke, smiled wide and shook hands harder, but was selling Cole’s best horses behind his back. In the West, betrayal didn’t come with a polite warning—it came with a rifle shot from the ridge.
3. The Mouthy Hired Hand
Cole’s ranch hand, young Tommy, couldn’t keep quiet. Every order came back with a wisecrack. Out here, a servant who challenges you isn’t just annoying—he can spook the herd or start a fight that costs lives.
4. The Rattler in the Cabin
And as if the Good Lord wanted to drive the lesson home, a rattlesnake took to curling beneath the floorboards of Cole’s cabin, tail buzzing like a warning bell in the night.
The Reckoning
One sweltering evening, Cole sat by his campfire and thought hard.
A single proverb—though he’d never read it—rang true in his gut:
“A wicked spouse, a sly friend, a rebellious servant,
and a snake under your roof—each can kill you sure as a six-gun.”
By sunrise, he’d packed his saddlebag.
He left Lila’s lies, sent Duke riding the other way, paid off Tommy, and torched the snake’s nest. Cole rode east, lighter than he’d felt in years.
Campfire Takeaway
- Choose your partner with care.
- Know which friends you can trust.
- Hire folks who respect the work.
- And never share your home with danger—be it venom or vice.
Whether you’re herding cattle in 1880 or running a modern startup, those four warnings will keep you breathing longer than any doctor’s tonic.
