Title:  The Golden Goose Book

Author:  L. Leslie Brooke

Illustrator:  L. Leslie Brooke

Release Date:  April 20, 2005 [EBook #15661]

Language:  English

Character set encoding:  ASCII

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THE GOLDEN GOOSE BOOK

BEING THE STORIES OF

The golden goose
the three Bears
the 3 little pigs
Tom thumb

With numerous Drawings in Colour and Black-and-White

by

L. LESLIE BROOKE

LONDON

Frederick Warne and Co., Ltd.

AND NEW YORK

Copyright in all countries signatory to the Berne Convention Frederick Warne & Co.  Ltd.  London, England

FIRST PRINTED 1905

PRINTED IN GREAT BRITAIN

Printed for the publishers by William Clowes and sons, Ltd., London and BRECCLES

THE GOLDEN GOOSE

There was once a man who had three sons, the youngest of whom was called the Simpleton.  He was laughed at and despised and neglected on all occasions.  Now it happened one day that the eldest son wanted to go into the forest, to hew wood, and his Mother gave him a beautiful cake and a bottle of wine to take with him, so that he might not suffer from hunger or thirst.  When he came to the wood he met a little old grey man, who, bidding him good-day, said:  “Give me a small piece of the cake in your wallet, and let me drink a mouthful of your wine; I am so hungry and thirsty.”  But the clever son answered:  “If I were to give you my cake and wine, I should have none for myself, so be off with you,” and he left the little man standing there, and walked away.  Hardly had he begun to hew down a tree, when his axe slipped and cut his arm, so that he had to go home at once and have the wound bound up.  This was the work of the little grey man.

Thereupon the second son went into the wood, and the Mother gave him, as she had given to the eldest, a sweet cake and a bottle of wine.  The little old man met him also, and begged for a small slice of cake and a drink of wine.  But the second son spoke out quite plainly.  “What I give to you I lose myself—­be off with you,” and he left the little man standing there, and walked on.  Punishment was not long in coming to him, for he had given but two strokes at a tree when he cut his leg so badly that he had to be carried home.