Some men are born to good luck: all they do or try to do comesright--all that falls to them is so much gain--all their geese areswans--all their cards are trumps--toss them which way you will, theywill always, like poor puss, alight upon their legs, and only move on somuch the faster. The world may very likely not always think of them asthey think of themselves, but what care they for the world? what can itknow about the matter?

One of these lucky beings was neighbour Hans. Seven long years he hadworked hard for his master. At last he said, 'Master, my time is up; Imust go home and see my poor mother once more: so pray pay me my wagesand let me go.' And the master said, 'You have been a faithful and goodservant, Hans, so your pay shall be handsome.' Then he gave him a lumpof silver as big as his head.

Hans took out his pocket-handkerchief, put the piece of silver into it,threw it over his shoulder, and jogged off on his road homewards. As hewent lazily on, dragging one foot after another, a man came in sight,trotting gaily along on a capital horse. 'Ah!' said Hans aloud, 'what afine thing it is to ride on horseback! There he sits as easy and happyas if he was at home, in the chair by his fireside; he trips against nostones, saves shoe-leather, and gets on he hardly knows how.' Hans didnot speak so softly but the horseman heard it all, and said, 'Well,friend, why do you go on foot then?' 'Ah!' said he, 'I have this load tocarry: to be sure it is silver, but it is so heavy that I can't hold upmy head, and you must know it hurts my shoulder sadly.' 'What do you sayof making an exchange?' said the horseman. 'I will give you my horse,and you shall give me the silver; which will save you a great deal oftrouble in carrying such a heavy load about with you.' 'With all myheart,' said Hans: 'but as you are so kind to me, I must tell you onething--you will have a weary task to draw that silver about with you.'However, the horseman got off, took the silver, helped Hans up, gave himthe bridle into one hand and the whip into the other, and said, 'Whenyou want to go very fast, smack your lips loudly together, and cry"Jip!"'

Hans was delighted as he sat on the horse, drew himself up, squared hiselbows, turned out his toes, cracked his whip, and rode merrily off, oneminute whistling a merry tune, and another singing,

'No care and no sorrow, A fig for the morrow! We'll laugh and be merry, Sing neigh down derry!'

After a time he thought he should like to go a little faster, so hesmacked his lips and cried 'Jip!' Away went the horse full gallop; andbefore Hans knew what he was about, he was thrown off, and lay on hisback by the road-side. His horse would have ran off, if a shepherd whowas coming by, driving a cow, had not stopped it. Hans soon came tohimself, and got upon his legs again, sadly vexed, and said to theshepherd, 'This riding is no joke, when a man has the luck to get upona beast like this that stumbles and flings him off as if it would breakhis neck. However, I'm off now once for all: I like your cow now a greatdeal better than this smart beast that played me this trick, and hasspoiled my best coat, you see, in this puddle; which, by the by, smellsnot very like a nosegay. One can walk along at one's leisure behind thatcow--keep good company, and have milk, butter, and cheese, every day,into the bargain. What would I give to have such a prize!' 'Well,' saidthe shepherd, 'if you are so fond of her, I will change my cow for yourhorse; I like to do good to my neighbours, even though I lose by itmyself.' 'Done!' said Hans, merrily. 'What a noble heart that good manhas!' thought he. Then the shepherd jumped upon the horse, wished Hansand the cow good morning, and away he rode.

Hans brushed his coat, wiped his face and hands, rested a while, andthen drove off his cow quietly, and thought his bargain a very luckyone. 'If I have only a piece of bread (and I certainly shall always beable to get that), I can, whenever I like, eat my butter and cheese withit; and when I am thirsty I can milk my cow and drink the milk: and whatcan I wish for more?' When he came to an inn, he halted, ate up all hisbread, and gave away his last penny for a glass of beer. When he hadrested himself he set off again, driving his cow towards his mother'svillage. But the heat grew greater as soon as noon came on, till atlast, as he found himself on a wide heath that would take him more thanan hour to cross, he began to be so hot and parched that his tongueclave to the roof of his mouth. 'I can find a cure for this,' thoughthe; 'now I will milk my cow and quench my thirst': so he tied her to thestump of a tree, and held his leathern cap to milk into; but not a dropwas to be had. Who would have thought that this cow, which was to bringhim milk and butter and cheese, was all that time utterly dry? Hans hadnot thought of looking to that.

While he was trying his luck in milking, and managing the matter veryclumsily, the uneasy beast began to think him very troublesome; and atlast gave him such a kick on the head as knocked him down; and there helay a long while senseless. Luckily a butcher soon came by, driving apig in a wheelbarrow. 'What is the matter with you, my man?' said thebutcher, as he helped him up. Hans told him what had happened, how hewas dry, and wanted to milk his cow, but found the cow was dry too. Thenthe butcher gave him a flask of ale, saying, 'There, drink and refreshyourself; your cow will give you no milk: don't you see she is an oldbeast, good for nothing but the slaughter-house?' 'Alas, alas!' saidHans, 'who would have thought it? What a shame to take my horse, andgive me only a dry cow! If I kill her, what will she be good for? I hatecow-beef; it is not tender enough for me. If it were a pig now--likethat fat gentleman you are driving along at his ease--one could dosomething with it; it would at any rate make sausages.' 'Well,' saidthe butcher, 'I don't like to say no, when one is asked to do a kind,neighbourly thing. To please you I will change, and give you my fine fatpig for the cow.' 'Heaven reward you for your kindness and self-denial!'said Hans, as he gave the butcher the cow; and taking the pig off thewheel-barrow, drove it away, holding it by the string that was tied toits leg.

So on he jogged, and all seemed now to go right with him: he had metwith some misfortunes, to be sure; but he was now well repaid for all.How could it be otherwise with such a travelling companion as he had atlast got?

The next man he met was a countryman carrying a fine white goose. Thecountryman stopped to ask what was o'clock; this led to further chat;and Hans told him all his luck, how he had so many good bargains, andhow all the world went gay and smiling with him. The countryman thenbegan to tell his tale, and said he was going to take the goose to achristening. 'Feel,' said he, 'how heavy it is, and yet it is only eightweeks old. Whoever roasts and eats it will find plenty of fat upon it,it has lived so well!' 'You're right,' said Hans, as he weighed it inhis hand; 'but if you talk of fat, my pig is no trifle.' Meantime thecountryman began to look grave, and shook his head. 'Hark ye!' said he,'my worthy friend, you seem a good sort of fellow, so I can't help doingyou a kind turn. Your pig may get you into a scrape. In the village Ijust came from, the squire has had a pig stolen out of his sty. I wasdreadfully afraid when I saw you that you had got the squire's pig. Ifyou have, and they catch you, it will be a bad job for you. The leastthey will do will be to throw you into the horse-pond. Can you swim?'

Poor Hans was sadly frightened. 'Good man,' cried he, 'pray get me outof this scrape. I know nothing of where the pig was either bred or born;but he may have been the squire's for aught I can tell: you know thiscountry better than I do, take my pig and give me the goose.' 'I oughtto have something into the bargain,' said the countryman; 'give a fatgoose for a pig, indeed! 'Tis not everyone would do so much for you asthat. However, I will not be hard upon you, as you are in trouble.' Thenhe took the string in his hand, and drove off the pig by a side path;while Hans went on the way homewards free from care. 'After all,'thought he, 'that chap is pretty well taken in. I don't care whose pigit is, but wherever it came from it has been a very good friend to me. Ihave much the best of the bargain. First there will be a capital roast;then the fat will find me in goose-grease for six months; and then thereare all the beautiful white feathers. I will put them into my pillow,and then I am sure I shall sleep soundly without rocking. How happy mymother will be! Talk of a pig, indeed! Give me a fine fat goose.'

As he came to the next village, he saw a scissor-grinder with his wheel,working and singing,

'O'er hill and o'er dale So happy I roam, Work light and live well, All the world is my home; Then who so blythe, so merry as I?'

Hans stood looking on for a while, and at last said, 'You must be welloff, master grinder! you seem so happy at your work.' 'Yes,' said theother, 'mine is a golden trade; a good grinder never puts his handinto his pocket without finding money in it--but where did you get thatbeautiful goose?' 'I did not buy it, I gave a pig for it.' 'And wheredid you get the pig?' 'I gave a cow for it.' 'And the cow?' 'I gave ahorse for it.' 'And the horse?' 'I gave a lump of silver as big as myhead for it.' 'And the silver?' 'Oh! I worked hard for that seven longyears.' 'You have thriven well in the world hitherto,' said the grinder,'now if you could find money in your pocket whenever you put your handin it, your fortune would be made.' 'Very true: but how is that to bemanaged?' 'How? Why, you must turn grinder like myself,' said the other;'you only want a grindstone; the rest will come of itself. Here is onethat is but little the worse for wear: I would not ask more than thevalue of your goose for it--will you buy?' 'How can you ask?' saidHans; 'I should be the happiest man in the world, if I could have moneywhenever I put my hand in my pocket: what could I want more? there'sthe goose.' 'Now,' said the grinder, as he gave him a common rough stonethat lay by his side, 'this is a most capital stone; do but work it wellenough, and you can make an old nail cut with it.'

Hans took the stone, and went his way with a light heart: his eyessparkled for joy, and he said to himself, 'Surely I must have been bornin a lucky hour; everything I could want or wish for comes of itself.People are so kind; they seem really to think I do them a favour inletting them make me rich, and giving me good bargains.'

Meantime he began to be tired, and hungry too, for he had given away hislast penny in his joy at getting the cow.

At last he could go no farther, for the stone tired him sadly: and hedragged himself to the side of a river, that he might take a drink ofwater, and rest a while. So he laid the stone carefully by his side onthe bank: but, as he stooped down to drink, he forgot it, pushed it alittle, and down it rolled, plump into the stream.

For a while he watched it sinking in the deep clear water; then sprangup and danced for joy, and again fell upon his knees and thanked Heaven,with tears in his eyes, for its kindness in taking away his only plague,the ugly heavy stone.

'How happy am I!' cried he; 'nobody was ever so lucky as I.' Then up hegot with a light heart, free from all his troubles, and walked on tillhe reached his mother's house, and told her how very easy the road togood luck was.