Mr and Mrs Vinegar lived together in a vinegar bottle, which served as their little home. Although their circumstances were modest, Mrs Vinegar took pride in keeping their household tidy. One unfortunate day, however, while her husband was away, she was sweeping the floor when her broom struck something with such force that their entire house came crashing down around her.
Horrified by what she had done, she hurried outside to find her husband.
“Oh, Mr Vinegar!” she cried when she met him. “We are ruined! Our house has been knocked down, and everything is in pieces!”
Mr Vinegar tried to comfort her. After considering their unfortunate situation, he came up with a simple plan.
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“My dear, there is nothing more we can do here. Let us take the door with us and go out into the world to seek our fortune. I shall carry it on my back.”
And so, with their house reduced to a single door, the two set off in search of a better life.
They travelled throughout the day until evening brought them to a thick forest. Exhausted from walking, Mr Vinegar suggested that they climb a tree for the night. He carried the door up first, and together they settled upon it among the branches, hoping to get some rest.
Before long, they fell asleep.
In the middle of the night, Mr Vinegar was awakened by voices coming from beneath the tree. Looking down, he discovered a group of thieves gathered in the forest, dividing the money they had stolen.
“Here, Jack,” said one of them, handing over five pounds. “And here, Bill, take ten pounds. Bob, these three pounds are yours.”
The thieves continued sharing their stolen money, and Mr Vinegar listened in growing terror. He was so frightened that his whole body began to shake. Try as he might to remain still, he trembled so violently that the door beneath them slipped from the branches and came crashing down upon the thieves.
The robbers immediately scattered in every direction.
Mr Vinegar and his wife remained in their hiding place until morning, too frightened to climb down while it was still dark.
When daylight finally arrived, Mr Vinegar carefully descended and went to retrieve their door. But something astonishing awaited him. Scattered beneath it were numerous golden coins!
He could hardly believe his eyes.
“Mrs Vinegar! Come down quickly!” he shouted. “Our fortune is made! We are rich!”
Mrs Vinegar hurried down, and the moment she saw the money, her sadness turned into delight.
After counting the coins, she came up with a sensible plan.
“My dear,” she said, “there are forty guineas here. A fair is being held in the neighbouring town. Take this money and buy a good cow. I shall make butter and cheese from her milk, and you can sell them at the market. That way, we shall have a comfortable living.”
Mr Vinegar was delighted with the suggestion. He took the forty guineas and set off for the fair.
When he arrived, he wandered among the traders until he spotted a beautiful red cow. She was healthy, strong, and an excellent milker. Mr Vinegar admired her greatly.
“If only I owned that cow,” he thought, “I should be the happiest man alive!”
He approached the owner and offered all forty guineas for the animal. The seller agreed, saying that he would make the bargain because Mr Vinegar was a friend.
The money changed hands, and Mr Vinegar happily led his new cow around the fair.
But his happiness did not last long.
As he walked, he noticed a man playing the bagpipes. The instrument produced lively music, and children gathered around the musician. People seemed so entertained that the man was collecting money from his audience.
Mr Vinegar watched in amazement.
“Just imagine how much money I could make with such a wonderful instrument!” he thought. “If I owned those bagpipes, I should be the happiest man alive.”
He approached the musician and praised his instrument.
“What a beautiful thing you have there!” he exclaimed. “You must make a great deal of money playing it.”
“Indeed I do,” the man replied. “It is a remarkable instrument.”
Mr Vinegar could hardly contain his excitement.
“I should dearly love to own it!”
The musician looked at the red cow and offered to exchange his bagpipes for her.
“As you seem a good friend, I shall gladly make the trade.”
Without giving the matter much thought, Mr Vinegar accepted.
And so, the fine red cow was exchanged for a pair of bagpipes.
Proud of his new possession, Mr Vinegar continued through the fair, trying to play a tune. Unfortunately, he had no musical skill whatsoever. Instead of attracting admiring listeners, his dreadful playing brought laughter and mockery. The children followed him, hooting, laughing, and throwing things at him.
Poor Mr Vinegar! His grand plan for making money had quickly fallen apart.
His fingers became painfully cold as he walked away from the fair. Before long, he noticed another man wearing a splendid pair of thick gloves.
Mr Vinegar immediately admired them.
“My fingers are freezing,” he thought. “If only I had those beautiful gloves, I should be the happiest man alive!”
He approached the stranger and complimented him on his gloves.
“Your hands must be wonderfully warm in those,” he said.
“They certainly are,” the man replied. “Even on a cold November day like this, my hands are perfectly comfortable.”
Mr Vinegar explained that he would love to have them.
The stranger agreed to exchange the gloves for the bagpipes. Mr Vinegar accepted eagerly, delighted that he could finally keep his hands warm.
Once again, he had traded away something valuable for something he fancied at the moment.
He continued along the road, feeling pleased with his warm hands. However, the journey was long, and before long his legs grew tired.
Just then, he noticed a man approaching with a strong walking stick.
Mr Vinegar looked at the stick with admiration.
“Oh, what a fine stick!” he exclaimed to himself. “If only I had that, I should be the happiest man alive!”
He stopped the stranger and praised his walking stick.
The man explained that it had served him well on many journeys. When Mr Vinegar expressed his desire to own it, the stranger offered to exchange it for his pair of gloves.
Mr Vinegar gladly agreed.
He handed over the gloves and took possession of the stick. His hands were now cold again, but he was pleased to have something to support him on the remainder of his journey.
By the time he approached the forest where he had left his wife, he had exchanged his forty guineas for a cow, his cow for bagpipes, his bagpipes for gloves, and his gloves for a walking stick.
Yet he still had no idea how foolishly he had behaved.
As he entered the wood, a parrot perched in a tree suddenly began calling out his name.
“Mr Vinegar! Mr Vinegar! You foolish man! You blockhead! You simpleton!”
Mr Vinegar stopped and looked up.
The parrot continued, recounting every foolish bargain he had made. It reminded him that he had spent all forty guineas on a cow, only to exchange the cow for bagpipes he could not play. It then pointed out that he had traded the bagpipes for gloves worth far less, before finally surrendering the gloves for an ordinary walking stick.
The bird laughed at him.
It even pointed out that he could have found a similar stick growing in any hedge without giving away a single thing.
Mr Vinegar was furious.
Unable to bear the parrot’s insults any longer, he raised his walking stick and hurled it at the bird.
Unfortunately, the stick lodged among the branches, leaving him with nothing.
And so Mr Vinegar returned to his wife without his forty guineas, his cow, his bagpipes, his gloves, or even his walking stick.
Mrs Vinegar was horrified when she heard what had happened. All their hopes of building a comfortable life had disappeared because of her husband’s foolish exchanges.
In her anger, she gave him such a severe beating that he was nearly broken from head to foot.
And that was the end of Mr Vinegar’s extraordinary journey from poverty to fortune and back again.
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Moral
The story teaches that foolish decisions and constant dissatisfaction can destroy even the best opportunities. It is important to recognise the value of what we have, think carefully before making exchanges, and avoid sacrificing something useful simply because something else appears more attractive.
Knowledge Check
1. Where did Mr and Mrs Vinegar originally live?
They lived inside a vinegar bottle, which served as their home.
2. How did the couple discover the forty golden guineas?
While hiding in a tree, Mr Vinegar trembled with fear and accidentally caused their door to fall upon a group of thieves. When the thieves fled, he discovered the gold beneath the door.
3. What did Mrs Vinegar suggest they buy with the money?
She suggested buying a cow so that she could make butter and cheese to sell at the market.
4. Why did Mr Vinegar exchange the cow for bagpipes?
He saw a musician attracting a crowd and collecting money. Believing he could make a fortune playing the instrument, he exchanged his cow for it.
5. What did Mr Vinegar eventually receive in exchange for his gloves?
He received an ordinary walking stick.
6. What happened to the walking stick?
After a parrot mocked him for his foolish decisions, Mr Vinegar became angry and threw the stick at the bird. It became lodged in the tree.
7. What is the central lesson of the story?
People should value what they possess and think carefully before exchanging something useful for something that merely appears attractive.
Source
Jacobs, Joseph (collector). English Fairy Tales. Illustrated by John D. Batten. 3rd edition, revised. New York: G. P. Putnam’s Sons, 1894. “Mr. Vinegar,” Tale VI, pp. 27–31.
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