East O the Sun and West O the Moon | Page 7

Gudrun Thorne-Thomsen
was what he said to the goody,
and he was much pleased with the goose.
Now, he had not gone far before he met another old woman. As soon as
she saw the lovely golden goose she spoke prettily, and coaxed and
begged Tom to give her leave to stroke his lovely golden goose.
"With all my heart," said Taper Tom, and just as she stroked the goose
he said, "If you want to come along, hang on."
The goody pulled and tore, but she was forced to hang on whether she
would or not, and Taper Tom went on as though he alone were with the
golden goose.
When he had gone a bit farther, he met a man who had had a quarrel
with the old woman for a trick she had played him. So, when he saw
how hard she struggled and strove to get free, and how fast she stuck,
he thought he would just pay her off the old grudge, and so he gave her
a kick with his foot.
"If you want to come along, hang on!" called out Tom, and then the old
man had to hop along on one leg, whether he would or not. When he
tore and tugged and tried to get loose--it was still worse for him, for he
all but fell flat on his back every step he took.
In this way they went on a good bit till they had nearly reached the
King's palace.
There they met the King's smith, who was going to the smithy, and had
a great pair of tongs in his hand. Now you must know this smith was a
merry fellow, full of both tricks and pranks, and when he saw this
string come hobbling and limping along, he laughed so that he was
almost bent double. Then he bawled out, "Surely this is a new flock of
geese the Princess is going to have--Ah, here is the gander that toddles

in front. Goosey! goosey! goosey!" he called, and with that he threw his
hands about as though he were scattering corn for the geese.
But the flock never stopped--on it went and all that the goody and the
man did was to look daggers at the smith for making fun of them. Then
the smith went on:
"It would be fine fun to see if I could hold the whole flock, so many as
they are," for he was a stout strong fellow. So he took hold with his big
tongs by the old man's coat tail, and the man all the while screeched
and wriggled. But Taper Tom only said:
"If you want to come along, hang on!" So the smith had to go along too.
He bent his back and stuck his heels into the ground and tried to get
loose, but it was all no good. He stuck fast, as though he had been
screwed tight with his own vise, and whether he would or not, he had to
dance along with the rest.
So, when they came near to the King's palace, the dog ran out and
began to bark as though they were wolves and beggars. And when the
Princess, looking out of the window to see what was the matter, set
eyes on this strange pack, she laughed softly to herself. But Taper Tom
was not content with that:
"Bide a bit," he said, "she will soon have to make a noise." And as he
said that he turned off with his band to the back of the palace.
When they passed by the kitchen the door stood open, and the cook was
just stirring the porridge. But when she saw Taper Tom and his pack
she came running out at the door, with her broom in one hand and a
ladle full of smoking porridge in the other, and she laughed as though
her sides would split. And when she saw the smith there too, she bent
double and went off again in a loud peal of laughter. But when she had
had her laugh out, she too thought the golden goose so lovely she must
just stroke it.
"Taper Tom! Taper Tom!" she called out, and came running out with
the ladle of porridge in her fist, "Give me leave to pet that pretty bird of
yours'?"
"Better come and pet me," said the smith. But when the cook heard that
she got angry.
"What is that you say?" she cried and gave the smith a box on his ears
with the ladle.
"If you want to come along, hang on," said Taper Tom. So she stuck

fast too, and for all her kicks and plunges, and all her scolding and
screaming, and all her riving and striving, she too had to limp along
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