The Golden Goose

A man had three sons, and the youngest was called Simpleton, because the family thought he was foolish.One day the eldest son went into the forest to cut wood, and his mother gave him a fine cake and sweet wine.In the wood a little grey man met him and said, “Give me a bite of your cake and a drink of your wine.”

“If I share with you, I will have none myself,” said the eldest son, and he walked on.But soon his axe turned in his hand, and he had to go home.The second son went next, said the same hard words to the little man, and he too went home with nothing.

Then Simpleton asked to go, and his mother gave him only a plain cake baked in the ashes and some sour beer.The little grey man asked him for food too, and Simpleton said, “Sit down and share what I have.”When they took out the food, the plain cake was a fine cake, and the sour beer was good wine.

“You have a kind heart,” said the little man. “Cut down that old tree, and you will find a gift in its roots.”In the roots sat a goose with feathers of pure gold, and Simpleton picked it up and took it to an inn for the night.The innkeeper had three daughters, and each one wanted a golden feather for herself.

The first daughter caught hold of the goose’s wing — and her hand stuck fast and would not come off.The second sister touched the first to pull her away and stuck too, and then the third stuck to the second.In the morning Simpleton walked off with his goose, and the three girls had to run along behind him.

A parson saw them running and took the last girl’s hand to stop her — and he stuck fast as well.Soon a whole line of people was stumbling along behind Simpleton, and they all came into a city.There lived a princess who never laughed; but when she saw the hopping, tripping line go by, she laughed until she could not stop — and for making her laugh, Simpleton married her, and in time became a kind king.