Page 580 - Child's own book

<£ May Heaven reward you for your friendship I 'J said Hans,
and gave him the cow, while the other took the pig out of the
barrow, and gave Hans the rope with which it was tied.
Hans passed on, and thought how everything had turned up
as be wished, and even when a misfortune had happened, he
had reaped the benefit from it. Presently he met a lad carry­
ing a fine white goose under his arm ; so, after ihey had said
“ Good day " to one another, Hans hegan to talk of his good
luck, and how profitably he had exchanged every time. The
boy told him that he was taking the goose to a christening
feast. “ Just hold it,” he continued, catching it up by the
wings ; “ see how heavy it is ■ it has boon fattening for eight
weeks past—whoever roasts it will pet plenty of dripping.”—
“ Yes," said Jlnn9, weighing it in his hand ; *l it is certainly
weighty, but my pig, too, is not at all light." Meanwhile, the
boy kept peering about on all sides, and shaking his head
thoughtfully, and at last he said, “ Perhaps all is not right
with your pig. In the village from whence I come, one has
been stolen out of the stye belonging to the bailiff. I am
afraid you hold that one in your hand. They have sent oat
people, and it would be a bad business if they meet you with
the pig ; the best you can do is to put it in some dark comer.”
Good Hans was struck dumb; but at last he said, “ Oh,
Heaven!— help me in my trouble, Yoti know the neighbour­
hood better than I : do you take the pig, and let me have
your goose/’— u 1 shall run some risk, too," answered the lad ;
“ but [ will not be the cause of your falling into trouble,"
and, so saying, he took hold of the rope and drove the pig into
a bye-path, while Hans took the goose under his arm, and
went on towards home, lightened of his cares. u If I rightly
consider/’ aaid he to himself, “ I have gained by the exchange.
First there is the good roast} the dripping from which will