brand on the hillside.

He and his wife lived so happily together, and agreed so well, that
whatever the man did the wife thought it so well done that no one could
do it better. No matter what he did, she thought it was always the right
thing.

They lived on their own farm, and had a hundred dollars at the bottom of
their chest and two cows in their cow-shed. One day the woman said to
Gudbrand:

"I think we ought to go to town with one of the cows and sell it, so
that we may have some ready money by us. We are pretty well off, and
ought to have a few shillings in our pocket like other people. The
hundred dollars in the chest we mustn't touch, but I can't see what we
want with more than one cow, and it will be much better for us, as I
shall have only one to look after instead of the two I have now to mind
and feed."

Yes, Gudbrand thought, that was well and sensibly spoken. He took the
cow at once and went to town to sell it; but when he got there no one
would buy the cow.

"Ah, well!" thought Gudbrand, "I may as well take the cow home again. I
know I have both stall and food for it, and the way home is no longer
than it was here." So he strolled homeward again with the cow.

When he had got a bit on the way he met a man who had a horse to sell,
and Gudbrand thought it was better to have a horse than a cow, and so he
changed the cow for the horse.

When he had gone a bit farther he met a man who was driving a fat pig
before him, and then he thought it would be better to have a fat pig
than a horse, and so he changed with the man.

He now went a bit farther, and then he met a man with a goat, and so he
thought it was surely better to have a goat than a pig, and changed with
the man who had the goat.

Then he went a long way, till he met a man who had a sheep. He changed
with him, for he thought it was always better to have a sheep than a
goat.

When he had got a bit farther he met a man with a goose, and so he
changed the sheep for the goose. And when he had gone a long, long way
he met a man with a cock. He changed the goose with him, for he thought
this wise: "It is surely better to have a cock than a goose."

He walked on till late in the day, when he began to feel hungry. So he
sold the cock for sixpence and bought some food for himself. "For it is
always better to keep body and soul together than to have a cock,"
thought Gudbrand.

He then set off again homeward till he came to his neighbor's farm, an