A newlywed farmer and his wife were visited by her mother, who immediately
demanded an inspection of the place. The farmer had genuinely tried to be
friendly to his new mother-in-law, hoping that it could be a friendly,
non-antagonistic relationship. All to no avail though, as she kept nagging them
at every opportunity, demanding changes, offering unwanted advice, and generally
making life unbearable to the farmer and his new bride.
While they were walking through the barn, during the forced inspection, the
farmer's mule suddenly reared up and kicked the mother-in-law in the head,
killing her instantly. It was a shock to all no matter their feelings toward her
demanding ways...
At the funeral service a few days later, the farmer stood near the casket and
greeted folks as they walked by. The pastor noticed that whenever a woman would
whisper something to the farmer, he would nod his head yes and say something.
Whenever a man walked by and whispered to the farmer, however, he would shake
his head no, and mumble a reply. Very curious as to this bizarre behavior, the
pastor later asked the farmer what that was all about.
The farmer replied, "The women would say, 'What a terrible tragedy' and I
would nod my head and say 'Yes, it was.'
The men would then ask, 'Can I borrow that mule?' and I would shake my head
and say, 'Can't, it's all booked up for a year.'"