The poor fellow, full of astonishment, did not even understand what his brothers wished of him. After having stood for a time scratching his head, he set off to a little forest of oak-trees which was near at hand. All seemed wonderful and strange to him. Right in his way he came across the dry trunk of a tree. He went up to it, took off his hat, and said—
“I see that other trees in the forest stand up and wear hats of green leaves, but you alone, my poor friend, are bare. The cold will kill you. You are amongst just such brothers as I have. No doubt you are a fool like myself. Will you have my hat, then?”
Folding his arms, he wept tenderly. All of a sudden one of the trees which grew near moved as if it were alive. The idiot was alarmed, and was about to fly, when the tree, addressing him in a man’s voice, said—
“Do not fly, but stop and listen. That tree, which was cut down so prematurely, was my son. No one besides myself has until now wept over his so early blighted life. You alone have watered him with your tears. As a reward for it, you shall henceforth obtain whatever you ask of me, saying the following words:—
“Oak with the golden acorns, I beseech you give me what I want!”
At the moment that the oak ceased, a shower of golden acorns fell upon the idiot, who filled his pockets with them, saluted the oak, thanked it, and returned home.
“Ah, you simpleton!” cried his brothers, “where are the mushrooms?”
“I have in my pocket some oak mushrooms,” said the idiot.
“Eat them yourself, then, for your supper,” said they, “for you will have nothing else, you sluggard. Where is your hat?”
“I covered a poor tree I came across on the road with it; it had nothing on it, and I was afraid it would be frozen,” answered he.