down, and in its roots you will find something." Saying this the old man
took his departure, and off went the Simpleton and cut down the tree.
When it fell, there among its roots sat a goose, with feathers of pure
gold. He lifted her out, and carried her with him to an inn where he
intended to stay the night.

Now the innkeeper had three daughters, who on seeing the goose were
curious to know what wonderful kind of a bird it could be, and longed to
have one of its golden feathers. The eldest daughter thought to herself,
"Surely a chance will come for me to pull out one of those feathers";
and so when the Simpleton had gone out, she caught the goose by the wing.
But there her hand stuck fast! Shortly afterwards the second daughter
came, as she too was longing for a golden feather. She had hardly touched
her sister, however, when she also stuck fast. And lastly came the third
daughter with the same object. At this the others cried out, "Keep off,
for goodness' sake, keep off!" But she, not understanding why they told
her to keep away, thought to herself, "If they go to the goose, why
should not I?" She sprang forward, but as she touched her sister she too
stuck fast, and pull as she might she could not get away; and thus they
had all to pass the night beside the goose.

The next morning the Simpleton took the goose under his arm and went on
his way, without troubling himself at all about the three girls who were
hanging to the bird. There they went, always running behind him, now to
the right, now to the left, whichever way he chose to go. In the middle
of the fields they met the parson, and when he saw the procession he
called out, "Shame on you, you naughty girls, why do you run after a young
fellow in this way? Come, leave go!" With this he caught the youngest by
the hand, and tried to pull her back, but when he touched her he found he
could not get away, and he too must needs run behind. Then the sexton came