"
"May Heaven reward your friendship!" said Hans, and at once gave him
the cow.
The man untied the pig from the wheelbarrow, and gave the rope with
which it was bound into Hans's hand.
Hans marched on, thinking: "What a lucky fellow I am. As soon as
anything goes wrong, something turns up and all's right again."
Just then, up came a youth, carrying a fine white goose under his arm.
They were friends, and Hans began to talk about his luck and how
he always came off best in his exchanges. The youth told him he was
taking the goose to a christening feast.
"Just hold it," he continued, seizing it by the wings, "and feel how
heavy it is: yet it was only fattened for eight weeks. It will be a
rich morsel when roasted."
"Yes," said Hans, weighing it with his hand, "it is certainly heavy,
but my pig is by no means to be despised."
Meanwhile the lad was looking thoughtfully around, shaking his head.
"Listen," he said, "I don't think it's all right about your pig. In
the village I have just come through, one has lately been stolen from
the magistrate's own sty. I fear it is the one you have. They have
sent people out, and it would be a bad business if they found you with
the pig.
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