apital tied with a piece of string
by the pond. It would be something for the wife to save the potato
peelings for. She has so often said: 'If we only had a goose!' and now
she can get one, and we shall have it. Shall we exchange? I will give
you the sheep for the goose, and thank you into the bargain," said the
peasant. The other man was quite willing; and so they exchanged, and
the peasant got the goose.

He was now close to the town. The crowd on the road became greater,
and there was a crush and a rush of men and cattle. They were walking
on the road and by the roadside, and at the turn-pike-gate they walked
even in the toll-man's potato-field, where a hen was strutting about
with a string tied to her leg, in order that she should not go astray
in the crowd and so get lost. It was a nice fat hen; it winked with
one eye, and looked very artful. "Cluck! cluck!" it said; what it
thought, when saying it, I do not know; but the peasant thought, as he
saw the hen,

"Now, that is the nicest hen I have ever seen. She is finer than our
parson's hen. I should like to have her. A hen can always pick up
something; she can almost keep herself. I think it would be a good
exchange if I got her for the goose. Shall we exchange?" he said.

"Exchange!" said the other; "that wouldn't be so bad." So they
exchanged; the toll-man got the goose, and the peasant got the hen.

He had done a good deal of business on his way to town; it was very
hot, and he was very tired; he would be all the better for a piece of
bread, and now he was at the inn.

He was going in, and the innkeeper was going out, so they met in the
doorway.

The innkeeper carried a big sack of something.

"What have you there?" said the peasant.

"Apples!" answered the man; "a whole sackful for the pigs."

"Oh, that is a rare lot; I should like mother to see them. Last year
we had only one single apple on the old tree by the peat-house; this
apple we kept on the top of the cupboard until it cracked. 'Well, it
is always property,' said mother; but here she could see any quantity
of property; yes, I should like to show them to her."

"Well, what will you give for them?" asked the man.

"What will I give? I'll give my hen in exchange," he said, and so he
gave his hen in exchange, got the apples, and went into the inn.

Many strangers were present in the room, and they soon heard the whole
story--how the horse was exchanged for the cow, and so on, down to the
appl