The Golden Goose

The Golden Goose There was once a man who had three sons, the youngest of whom was called the Simpleton, and was despised, laughed at, and neglected, on every occasion, by his brothers. It happened one day that the eldest son wished to go into the forest to cut wood, and before he went his mother gave him a delicious cake and a flask of wine.  When he came into the forest a little old grey man met him, who wished him good day, and said, "Give me a bit of your cake, and let me have a drink of your wine; I am so hungry and thirsty." But the youth answered, "Give you my cake and my wine? I haven't got any; be off with you." And leaving the little man standing there, he went off. Then he began to fell a tree, but he had not been at it long before he made a wrong stroke, and the hatchet hit him in the arm, so that he was obliged to go home  and get it bound up. That was what came of the little grey man. Afterwards the second son went into the wood, and the mother gave to him,  as to the eldest, a cake and a flask of wine. The little old grey man met him also, and begged for a little bit of cake and a drink of wine. But the second son spoke out plainly, saying, "What I give you I lose myself, so be off with you." And leaving the little man standing there, he went off. The punishment followed; as he was chopping away at the tree, he hit himself in the leg so severely that he had to be carried home. Then said the Simpleton, "Father, let me go for once into the forest to cut wood;"  and the father answered, "Your brothers have hurt themselves by so doing ; give it up, you understand nothing about it." But the Simpleton went on begging so long, that the father said at last, "Well, be off with you; you will only learn by experience." The mother gave him a cake and with it a flask of sour beer.  When he came into the forest the little old grey man met him, and greeted him, saying, "Give me a bit of your cake, and a drink from your flask; I am so hungry and thirsty." And the Simpleton answered, "I have only a flour and water cake and sour beer; but if that is good enough for you, let us sit down together and eat. " Then they sat down, and as the Simpleton took out his flour and water cake it became a rich cake, and his sour beer became good wine; then they ate and drank, and afterwards the little man said, "As you have such a kind heart, and share what you have so willingly,  I will bestow good luck upon you. Yonder stands an old tree; cut it down, and at its roots you will find something," and  thereupon the little man took his departure Not long after the Bishop came that way,  and seeing the respected parson following at the heels of the three girls, he called out, "Ho, your reverence, whither away so quickly? You forget that we have another christening to-day;"  and he seized hold of him by his hand;  but no sooner had he touched him than he was obliged to follow on too.  As the five tramped on, one after another, two peasants came up from the fields,  and the parson cried out to them, and begged them to come and set him and the Bishop free, but no sooner had they touched the Bishop than they had to follow on too; and now there were seven following the Simpleton and the goose. By and by they came to a town where a king reigned, who had an only daughter who was so serious that no one could make her laugh;  therefore the king had given out that whoever should make her laugh should have her in marriage. The Simpleton, when he heard this, went with his goose and his hangers-on into the presence of the king's daughter,  and as soon as she saw the seven people following always one after the other,  she found that so funny that she burst out laughing, and seemed as if she could never stop. And so the Simpleton earned a right to her as his bride. The marriage took place immediately, and at the death of the king the Simpleton possessed the kingdom, and lived long and happily with his wife. The end