English Original
A long time ago, there lived a poor man whose real name has been forgotten. He was little and old, and his face was wrinkled, which was why his friends called him Mr. Vinegar. His wife was also little and old, and they lived in a little old cottage at the back of a little old field.
"John," said Mrs. Vinegar, "you must go to town and buy a cow. I will milk her and churn butter, and we shall never want for anything."
"That is a good plan," said Mr. Vinegar, so he started off to town while his wife waited by the roadside.
Mr. Vinegar walked up and down the street looking for a cow. After a time, a farmer came that way, leading one that was very pretty and fat.
"Oh, if I only had that cow," said Mr. Vinegar, "I would be the happiest man in the world!"
"She's a very good cow," said the farmer.
"Well," said Mr. Vinegar, "I'll give you these 50 gold pieces for her."
The farmer smiled and held out his hand for the money. "You may have her," he said, "I always like to oblige my friends!"
Mr. Vinegar took hold of the cow's halter and led her up and down the street. "I am the luckiest man in the world," he said, "for only see how all the people are looking at me and my cow!"
But at one end of the street, he met a man playing bagpipes. He stopped and listened.
"Oh, that is the sweetest music I ever heard," he said, "and just see how all the children crowd around the man and give him pennies! If I only had those bagpipes, I would be the happiest man in the world!"
"I'll sell them to you," said the piper.
"Will you? Well then, since I have no money, I will give you this cow for them."
"You may have them," answered the piper, "I always like to oblige a friend."
Mr. Vinegar took the bagpipes, and the piper led the cow away.
"Now we will have some music," said Mr. Vinegar, but try as hard as he might, he could not play a tune. He could get nothing out of the bagpipes but "squeak, squeak". The children, instead of giving him pennies, laughed at him.
The day was chilly, and in trying to play the pipes, his fingers grew very cold. He wished he had kept the cow.
He had just started for home when he met a man who had warm gloves on his hands. "Oh, if I only had those pretty gloves," he said, "I would be the happiest man in the world."
"How much will you give for them?" asked the man.
"Oh, I have no money, but I will give you these bagpipes," answered Mr. Vinegar.
"Well," said the man, "you may have them, for I always like to oblige a friend."
Mr. Vinegar gave him the bagpipes and drew the gloves on over his half-frozen fingers. "How lucky I am," he said as he trudged homeward.
His hands were soon quite warm, but the road was rough and the walking hard. He was very tired when he came to the foot of a steep hill. "How shall I ever get to the top?" he said.
Just then he met a man who was walking the other way. He had a stick in his hand which he used as a cane to help him along.
"My friend," said Mr. Vinegar, "if only I had that stick of yours to help me up this hill, I would be the happiest man in the world!"
"How much will you give me for it?" asked the man.
"Well, I have no money, but I will give you this pair of warm gloves," said Mr. Vinegar.
"Well," said the man, "you may have it, for I always like to oblige a friend."
Mr. Vinegar's hands were now quite warm, so he gave the gloves to the man and took the stout stick to help him along. "How lucky I am!" he said as he toiled upward.
At the top of the hill he stopped to rest. But as he was thinking of all his good luck that day, he heard someone calling his name. He looked up and saw only a green parrot sitting in a tree.
"Mr. Vinegar, Mr. Vinegar," it cried.
"What now?" said Mr. Vinegar.
"You're a dunce, you're a dunce!" answered the bird. "You went to seek your fortune and you found it, then you gave it for a cow, and the cow for some bagpipes, and the bagpipes for some gloves, and the gloves for a stick which you might have cut by the roadside. He He He, you're a dunce! You're a dunce!"
This made Mr. Vinegar very angry. He threw the stick at the bird with all his might. But the bird only answered, "You're a dunce! You're a dunce!" And the stick lodged in the tree where he could not get it again.
Mr. Vinegar went on slowly, for he had many things to think about. His wife was standing by the roadside, and as soon as she saw him, she cried out, "Where's the cow? Where's the cow?"
"Well, I just don't know where the cow is," said Mr. Vinegar. And then he told her the whole story.
中文翻译
很久以前，住着一个穷人，他的真名已被遗忘。他又矮又老，脸上布满皱纹，因此朋友们叫他醋溜先生。他的妻子也是又矮又老，他们住在一块小荒田后面的一间破旧小屋里。
“约翰，”醋溜太太说，“你必须去城里买一头奶牛。我来挤奶、搅拌黄油，这样我们就什么都不缺了。”
“好主意，”醋溜先生说，于是他出发去城里，他的妻子在路边等候。
醋溜先生在街上走来走去寻找奶牛。过了一会儿，一个农夫牵着一头非常漂亮肥壮的奶牛走了过来。
“哦，要是我有那头牛就好了，”醋溜先生说，“那我就是世界上最幸福的人了！”
“这是头很好的牛，”农夫说。
“好吧，”醋溜先生说，“我给你这50枚金币买下它。”
农夫微笑着伸出手接过钱。“你可以牵走它了，”他说，“我总是乐于帮助朋友！”
醋溜先生抓住牛绳，牵着它在街上走。“我是世界上最幸运的人，”他说，“看看所有人都在看着我和我的牛！”
但在街的另一头，他遇到一个吹风笛的人。他停下来聆听。
“哦，这是我听过的最甜美的音乐了，”他说，“看看所有孩子都围着那个人，给他便士！要是我有那风笛，我就是世界上最幸福的人了！”
“我可以卖给你，”吹笛人说。
“真的吗？那好，既然我没钱了，我用这头牛跟你换。”
“你可以拿去了，”吹笛人回答，“我总是乐于帮助朋友。”
醋溜先生拿过风笛，吹笛人牵走了奶牛。
“现在我们可以有音乐听了，”醋溜先生说，但无论他怎么努力，都吹不成调。风笛只发出“吱吱”的怪声。孩子们非但没有给他便士，反而嘲笑他。
天气很冷，在尝试吹奏风笛时，他的手指冻得冰凉。他真希望自己留下了那头牛。
他刚动身回家，就遇到一个手上戴着温暖手套的人。“哦，要是我有那副漂亮手套就好了，”他说，“那我就是世界上最幸福的人了。”
“你出多少钱买？”那人问。
“哦，我没钱了，但我可以把这风笛给你，”醋溜先生回答。
“好吧，”那人说，“你可以拿去了，因为我总是乐于帮助朋友。”
醋溜先生把风笛给了他，将手套戴在冻僵的手指上。“我多幸运啊，”他一边跋涉回家一边说。
他的手很快就暖和了，但道路崎岖，行走艰难。当他走到一座陡峭的山脚下时，已经非常疲惫。“我怎么才能爬到山顶呢？”他说。
就在这时，他遇到一个从对面走来的人。那人手里拿着一根棍子当拐杖用。
“我的朋友，”醋溜先生说，“要是我有你的那根棍子帮我上山，我就是世界上最幸福的人了！”
“你出多少钱买？”那人问。
“嗯，我没钱了，但我可以把这副温暖的手套给你，”醋溜先生说。
“好吧，”那人说，“你可以拿去了，因为我总是乐于帮助朋友。”
醋溜先生的手现在已经很暖和了，于是他把手套给了那人，拿过那根结实的棍子来帮助自己前行。“我多幸运啊！”他一边费力地向上爬一边说。
在山顶，他停下来休息。但正当他想着自己一天的好运时，他听到有人在叫他的名字。他抬起头，只看到一只绿鹦鹉坐在树上。
“醋溜先生，醋溜先生，”它叫道。
“什么事？”醋溜先生说。
“你是个傻瓜，你是个傻瓜！”鸟儿回答。“你出门寻找财富并找到了，然后你用财富换了一头牛，用牛换了一些风笛，用风笛换了一些手套，又用手套换了一根你本可以在路边砍到的棍子。呵呵呵，你是个傻瓜！你是个傻瓜！”
这话让醋溜先生非常生气。他用尽全力把棍子朝鸟儿扔去。但鸟儿只是回答：“你是个傻瓜！你是个傻瓜！”棍子卡在了树上，他再也够不着了。
醋溜先生慢慢地继续走着，因为他有很多事情要想。他的妻子正站在路边，一看到他，她就喊道：“奶牛呢？奶牛呢？”
“嗯，我就是不知道奶牛去哪儿了，”醋溜先生说。然后他把整个故事告诉了她。