the little man
took his departure.

The Simpleton went there, and hewed away at the tree, and when it fell
he saw, sitting among the roots, a goose with feathers of pure gold. He
lifted it out and took it with him to an inn where he intended to stay
the night. The landlord had three daughters who, when they saw the
goose, were curious to know what wonderful kind of bird it was, and
ended by longing for one of its golden feathers. The eldest thought, "I
will wait for a good opportunity, and then I will pull out one of its
feathers for myself;" and so, when the Simpleton was gone out, she
seized the goose by its wing--but there her finger and hand had to stay,
held fast. Soon after came the second sister with the same idea of
plucking out one of the golden feathers for herself; but scarcely had
she touched her sister, than she also was obliged to stay, held fast.
Lastly came the third with the same intentions; but the others screamed
out,

"Stay away! for heaven's sake stay away!"

But she did not see why she should stay away, and thought, "If they do
so, why should not I?" and went towards them. But when she reached her
sisters there she stopped, hanging on with them. And so they had to
stay, all night. The next morning the Simpleton took the goose under his
arm and went away, unmindful of the three girls that hung on to it. The
three had always to run after him, left and right, wherever his legs
carried him. In the midst of the fields they met the parson, who, when
he saw the procession, said,

"Shame on you, girls, running after a young fellow through the fields
like this," and forthwith he seized hold of the youngest by the hand to
drag her away, but hardly had he touched her when he too was obliged to
run after them himself. Not long after the sexton 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 gown; 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 with their hoes
came up from the fields, and the parson cried out to them, and begged
them to come and set him and the sexton free, but no sooner had they
touched the sexton 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 tow