In a cozy little cottage, not too far from here, lived a man named Peter, his wife, and their little son, who was also named Peter, but everyone just called him Little Peter. They didn't have much, but they had each other, and that was a lot.

One sunny morning, Peter’s wife said, "Peter, dear, our pantry is looking rather bare. We must sell our old horse at the market. It's the only thing of value we have left."

So, Peter kissed his wife and Little Peter goodbye and set off to the market with their old, bony horse. Little Peter waved until his papa was just a tiny dot down the road.

At the market, a farmer with a cheerful face saw Peter’s horse. "That's a fine old horse," he said. "I'll trade you my plump cow for it!" Peter thought, "A cow! We can have milk and butter!" So, he swapped the horse for the cow.

A little further on, a woman with rosy cheeks admired the cow. "What a lovely cow!" she said. "I'll trade you my fluffy sheep for it!" Peter thought, "A sheep! We can have wool for warm clothes!" So, he swapped the cow for the sheep.

Next, he met a boy carrying a big, white goose. "That's a soft sheep!" said the boy. "Want to trade for my goose? It'll be grand for a feast!" Peter thought, "A goose! We could have a special dinner!" So, he swapped the sheep for the goose.

Soon after, a lady with a basket saw his goose. "My, what a fine goose!" she chirped. "I'll give you my best laying hen for it." Peter thought, "A hen! Fresh eggs every day! That’s even better!" So, he swapped the goose for the hen.

As Peter was heading home, feeling quite pleased with his hen, he passed an apple orchard. The farmer there was grumbling. "These apples have gone all mushy and a bit rotten," he said, pointing to a big sack. "But your hen looks healthy. I'll trade you this whole sack of apples for her." Peter looked at the hen, then at the huge sack. "Well," he thought, "apples are apples, and there are so many!" So, he swapped the hen for the sack of rotten apples.

Peter felt a bit tired, so he stopped at an inn for a rest. Two rich gentlemen were sitting nearby. They heard Peter telling the innkeeper about all his trades.
"Your wife will be furious!" laughed one gentleman.
"Oh no," said Peter. "She'll say, 'What Father does is always right!'"
"I bet you a bag of gold she'll scold you!" said the other gentleman.
"I bet you she won't!" said Peter.

So, the two gentlemen went home with Peter, carrying the sack of rotten apples for him. Little Peter ran out to meet them.
"Mama, Papa's home!" he shouted.

Peter’s wife came to the door. "Oh, Peter, you're back! Did you sell the horse?"
"Yes, my dear," said Peter. "I swapped it for a cow."
"A cow!" she cried, clapping her hands. "How wonderful! We can have fresh milk and cheese! You are so clever, Peter!"
The two gentlemen looked at each other.

"Well," Peter continued, "then I swapped the cow for a sheep."
"A sheep!" his wife exclaimed. "Even better! We can have wool for warm socks and sweaters for Little Peter! You always know best!"
The gentlemen nudged each other.

"And then," said Peter, "I swapped the sheep for a goose."
"A goose!" she beamed. "Oh, Peter! Imagine a lovely roast goose for a celebration! You think of everything!"

"But then," Peter went on, "I swapped the goose for a hen."
"A hen!" his wife sang out. "Why, that's the best of all! Fresh eggs every single morning! You are the wisest man, Peter!"
The gentlemen were starting to look very surprised.

"And finally," Peter said, taking a deep breath, "I swapped the hen for this big sack of rotten apples."
Peter’s wife rushed to the sack and peeked inside. Her face lit up. "Rotten apples! Oh, Peter, you remembered! The parson's wife was just saying she needed some old apples to make her special spiced cider vinegar! She'll be so grateful! You truly are the kindest, smartest husband a woman could ask for! Kiss me!" And she gave him a big hug and a kiss. Little Peter giggled.

The two rich gentlemen stared with their mouths open. Then, they burst out laughing. "You win!" they said to Peter, and handed him the heavy bag of gold.

And so, because Peter’s wife always saw the good in everything Peter did, they became quite comfortable. Peter, his loving wife, and Little Peter lived happily, always remembering that a cheerful heart can turn even rotten apples into gold.

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