The water of life.
Long before you or I were born,
There reigned,
In a country a great way off,
A king who had three sons.
This king once fell very ill.
So ill that nobody thought he could live.
His sons were very much grieved at their father's sickness.
And as they were walking together very mournfully in the garden of the palace.
A little old man met them and asked what was the matter.
They told him that their father was very ill.
And that they were afraid nothing could save him.
I know what would.
Said the little old man.
It is the water of life.
If he could have a draft of it.
He would be well again.
But it is very hard to get.
Then the eldest son said,
I will soon find it.
And he went to the sick king and prayed.
Baked.
That he might go in search of the water of life.
As it was the only thing that could save him.
No.
Said the king.
I had rather die than place you.
In such great danger.
As you must meet with.
In your journey.
But he begged so hard.
That the king let him go.
And the prince thought to himself,
If I bring my father this water.
.
.
He will make me sole heir to his kingdom.
Then he set out.
And when he had gone on his way sometime.
He came to a deep valley.
Overhung with rocks and woods.
And as he looked around,
He saw standing above him on one of the rocks,
A little ugly dwarf.
With a sugar loaf cap and a scarlet cloak.
And the dwarf called to him and said,
Prince,
Whither so fast?
What is that to THEE,
You ugly imp?
Said the prince haughtily and rode on.
But the dwarf was enraged at his behaviour.
And laid a fairy spell of ill luck.
Upon him.
So that,
As he rode on,
The mountain pass became narrower and narrower,
And at last the way was so straightened that he could not go to step forward.
And when he thought to have turned his horse round and go back the way he came.
He heard a loud laugh.
Ringing round him.
And found that the path.
.
.
Was closed behind him so that he was shut in all round.
He next tried to get off his horse and make his way on foot.
But again,
The laugh rang in his ears.
And he found himself unable to move a step.
And thus he was forced to abide spellbound.
Meantime,
The old king was lingering on in daily hope of his son's return.
Till at last,
The second son said,
I will go in search.
Of the water of life.
For he thought to himself,
My brother is surely dead.
And the kingdom will fall to me if I find the water.
The king was at first very unwilling to let him go.
But at last yielded to his wish.
So he set out and followed the same road which his brother had done.
And met.
With the same elf.
Who stopped him at the same spot in the mountains,
Saying,
As before,
Prince,
Prince,
Whither so fast?
Mind your own affairs,
Busybody.
Said the prince scornfully.
And rode on.
But the dwarf put the same spell upon him as he put on his elder brother.
And he,
Too,
Was at last obliged to take up his abode in the heart of the mountains.
Thus it is with proud,
Silly people who think themselves above everyone else and are too proud to ask or take advice.
When the second prince had thus been gone a long time,
The youngest son said he would go and search for the water of life.
And trusted he should soon be able to make his father well again?
So he set out and the dwarf met him too at the same spot in the valley among the mountains and said,
Prince,
Wither so fast.
And the prince said.
I am going in search of the water of life.
Because my father is ill and liked to die.
Can you help me?
Pray be kind and aid me if you can.
Do you know where it is to be found?
Asked the dwarf.
No,
Said the prince,
I do not.
Pray tell me if you know.
Then.
.
.
As you have spoken to me kindly.
And are wise enough to seek for advice.
I will tell you how and where to go.
The water you seek.
Springs from a well.
In and enchanted.
Castle.
And that you may be able to reach it in safety,
I will give you an iron wand and two little loaves of bread.
Strike the iron door of the castle three times with the wand and it will open.
Two hungry lions will be lying down inside,
Gaping for their prey.
But if you throw them the bread,
They will let you pass.
Then hasten on to the well and take some of the water of life before the clock strikes twelve.
For if you tarry longer.
The door will shut upon you forever.
Then the prince thanked his little friend with the scarlet cloak for his friendly aid and took the wand and the bread.
And went travelling on and on,
Over sea and over land,
Till he came to his journey's end.
And found everything to be as the dwarf had told him.
The door flew open at the third stroke of the wand,
And when the lions were quieted,
He went on through the castle and came at length to a beautiful hall.
Around it.
He saw several knights sitting in a trance.
Then he pulled off their rings and put them on his own fingers.
In another room,
He saw on a table a sword and a loaf of bread,
Which he also took.
Further on,
He came to a room where a beautiful young lady sat upon a couch.
And she welcomed him joyfully and said if he would set her free from the spell that bound her,
The kingdom should be his.
If he would come back in a year and marry her.
Then she told him that the well that held the water of life was in the palace gardens and bade him make haste and draw what he wanted before the clock struck twelve.
He walked on.
And as he walked through beautiful gardens,
He came to a delightful,
Shady spot in which stood a couch.
And he thought to himself,
As he felt tired that He would rest himself for a while and gaze on the lovely scenes around him.
So he laid himself down.
And sleep fell upon him,
Unawares,
So that he did not wake up till the clock was striking a quarter to twelve.
Then he sprang from the couch,
Dreadfully frightened,
Ran to the well,
Filled a cup that was standing by him full of water and hastened to get away in time.
Just as he was going out of the iron door,
It struck 12.
And the door fell so quickly upon him that it snapped off a piece of his heel.
When he found himself safe.
He was overjoyed to think that he had got the water of life.
And as he was going on his way homewards,
He passed by the little dwarf.
Who,
When he saw the sword and the loaf,
Said,
You have made a noble prize.
With the sword,
You can,
At a blow,
Slay whole armies.
And the bread will never fail you.
Then the prince thought to himself.
I cannot go home to my father without my brothers.
So he said,
My dear friend.
Cannot you tell me where my two brothers are,
Who set out in search of the water of life before me?
And never came back.
I have shut them up.
By a child.
Between two mountains.
Said the dwarf.
Because.
.
.
They were proud.
And ill-behaved and scorned to ask advice.
The Prince.
Begged so hard for his brothers.
That the dwarf at last set them free.
Though unwillingly,
Saying,
Beware of them.
For they have.
Bad hearts.
Their brother,
However,
Was greatly rejoiced to see them.
And told them all that had happened to him,
How he had found the water of life and had taken a cup full of it,
And how he had set a beautiful princess free from a spell that bound her,
And how she had engaged to wait a whole year and then to marry him and to give him the kingdom.
Then they,
All three,
Rode on together.
And on their way home came to a country that was laid waste by war and a dreadful famine,
So that it was feared all must die for want of food.
But the prince gave the king of the land the bread.
And all his kingdom,
Eight of it,
And he lent the king the wonderful sword.
And he slew the enemy's army with it.
And thus,
The kingdom was once more in peace and plenty.
In the same manner,
He befriended two other countries through which they passed on their way.
When they came to the sea,
They got into a ship and during their voyage,
The two eldest said to themselves,
Oh,
Brother.
Has got the water which we could not find.
Therefore our father will forsake us and give him the kingdom.
Which is our right.
So they were full of envy and revenge.
And agreed together how they could ruin him.
Then they waited till he was fast asleep.
And poured the water of life out of the cup and took it for themselves,
Giving him bitter sea water instead.
When they came to their journey's end,
The youngest son brought his cup to the sick king that he might drink and be healed.
Scarcely,
However,
Had he tasted the bitter seawater.
When he became worse even than he was before.
And then both the elder sons came in and blamed the youngest for what they had done,
And said that he wanted to poison their father,
But that they had found the water of life and had brought it with them.
He no sooner began to drink of what they brought him.
.
.
Then he felt his sickness leave him and was as strong and well as in his younger days.
Then they went to their brother and laughed at him and said,
Well,
Brother,
You found the water of life,
Did you?
You have had the trouble,
And we shall have the reward.
Pray.
With all your cleverness.
Why did you not manage to keep your eyes open?
Next year,
One of us will take away your beautiful princess,
If you do not take care.
You had better say nothing about this to our father.
For he does not believe a word you say.
And if you tell tales.
You shall lose your life into the bargain.
But be quiet.
We will.
Let you off.
The old king was still very angry with his youngest son.
And thought that he really meant to have taken away his life.
So he called his court together.
And asked,
What should be done?
And all agreed that he ought to be put to death.
The prince knew nothing of what was going on till one day when the king's chief huntsman went to hunting with him and they were alone in the wood together.
The huntsman looked so sorrowful.
That the prince said.
My friend,
What is the matter with you?
I cannot and dare not tell you,
Said he.
But the prince begged very hard and said,
Tell me what it is.
And do not think I shall be angry for.
.
.
I will forgive you.
Alas,
Said the huntsman.
The King.
Has ordered me.
To shoot you.
The prince started at this and said,
Let me live.
And I.
Will change dresses with you.
You shall take my royal coat to show to my father and.
.
.
Do you give me your shabby one?
With all my heart,
Said the huntsman.
I am sure I shall be glad to save you,
For I could not have shot you.
Then he took the prince's coat and gave him the shabby one and went away through the wood.
Sometime after.
Three grand embassies came to the old King's Court.
With rich gifts of gold and precious stones for his youngest son.
Now all these were sent from the three kings to whom he had lent his sword and loaf of bread in order to rid them of their enemy and feed their people.
This touched the old king's heart.
And he thought his son might still be guiltless.
And said to his court,
Oh,
That my son was still alive.
How it grieves me.
That I had him.
He is still alive.
Said the huntsman.
And I am glad that I had pity on him.
But let him go in peace.
Brought home his royal coat.
At this!
The king was overwhelmed with joy!
And made it known throughout all his kingdom that if his son would come back to his court,
He would forgive him.
Meanwhile,
The princess was eagerly waiting till her deliverer should come back.
And had a road made leading up to her palace all of shining gold.
And told her courtiers that whoever came on horseback and rode straight up to the gate upon it was her true lover.
And that they must let him in.
But whoever rode on one side of it they,
Must be sure,
Was not the right one.
And that they must send him away at once.
The time soon came when the eldest brother thought that he would make haste to go to the princess and say that he was the one who had set her free.
And that he should have her for his wife and the kingdom with her.
As he came before the palace and saw the Golden Road.
He stopped to look at it.
And he thought to himself,
It is a pity.
To ride upon this beautiful road.
So he turned aside and rode on the right hand side of it.
But when he came to the gate,
The guards who had seen the road he took said to him he could not be what he said he was and must go about his business.
The second prince set out soon afterwards,
On the same errand.
And when he came to the Golden Road,
And his horse had set one foot upon it,
He stopped to look at it and thought it very beautiful.
And said to himself,
What a pity it is that anything should tread here.
Then he too turned aside and rode on the left side of it.
But when he came to the gate,
The guard said he was not the true prince and that he too must go away about his business.
And away he went.
Now,
When the full year was come round,
The third brother left the forest,
In which he had lain hid for fear of his father's anger,
And set out in search of his betrothed bride.
So he journeyed on.
Thinking of her all the way.
And rode so quickly that he did not even see what the road was made of,
But went with his horse straight over it And as he came to the gate,
It flew open and the princess welcomed him with joy.
And said he was her deliverer.
And should now be her husband and Lord of the Kingdom.
When the first joy at their meeting was over.
The princess told him she had heard of his father having forgiven him.
And of his wish to have him home again.
So.
.
.
Before his wedding with the princess,
He went to visit his father,
Taking her with him.
Then he told him everything.
How his brothers had cheated and robbed him.
And yet that he had borne all those wrongs for the love of his father.
And the old king.
Was very angry.
And wanted to punish his wicked sons.
But they made their escape and got into a ship and sailed away over the wide sea.
And where they went to,
Nobody knew and nobody cared.
And now.
.
.
The old king gathered together his court.
And asked all his kingdom to come and celebrate the wedding.
Of his son.
And the princess.
And young and old,
Noble and squire,
Gentle and simple,
Came at once on the summons.
And among the rest came the friendly dwarf with the sugarloaf hat and a new scarlet cloak.
And the wedding was held,
And the merry bells run,
And all the good people,
They danced and they sung.
And feasted and frolicked.
I can't tell how long.
The Twelve Huntsmen There was once a king's son who had a bride whom he loved very much.
And when he was sitting beside her and very happy.
News came that his father lay sick unto death.
And desire to see him once again before his end.
Then he said to his beloved,
I must now go and leave you.
I give you a ring as a remembrance of me.
When I am king,
I will return and fetch you.
So he rode away.
And when he reached his father,
The latter was dangerously ill and near his death,
He said to him,
Dear son,
I wished to see you once again before my end.
Promise me to marry as I wish.
And he named a certain king's daughter.
.
.
Who was to be his wife.
The son was in such trouble that he did not think what he was doing and said,
Yes,
Dear father,
Your will shall be done.
And thereupon the king shut his eyes and died.
When therefore the sun had been proclaimed king.
And the time of mourning was over.
He was forced to keep the promise which he had given his father.
And caused the king's daughter to be asked in marriage and She was promised to him.
His first betrothed heard of this and fretted so much about his faithfulness that she nearly died.
Then her father said to her,
Dearest child,
Why are you so sad?
You shall have whatsoever you will.
She thought for a moment and said,
Dear Father,
I wish for.
.
.
11 girls exactly like myself in face,
Figure and size.
The father said,
If it be possible,
Your desire shall be fulfilled.
And he caused a search to be made in his whole kingdom until eleven young maidens were found who exactly resembled his daughter in face,
Figure and size.
When they came to the king's daughter.
She had twelve suits of huntsman's clothes made,
All alike.
And the eleven maidens had to put on the huntsman's clothes and she herself put on the twelfth suit.
Thereupon.
.
.
She took her leave of her father and rode away with them.
And rode to the court of her former betrothed.
Whom she loved so dearly.
Then she asked if he required any huntsmen.
And if he would take all of them into his service.
The king looked at her.
And did not know her.
But as they were such handsome fellows,
He said,
Yes,
And that he would willingly take them.
And now they were the King's Twelve Huntsmen.
The king,
However,
Had a lion,
Which was a wondrous animal,
For he knew all concealed and secret things.
It came to pass that one evening he said to the king,
You think you have 12 huntsmen?
Yes,
Said the king.
They are twelve huntsmen.
The lion continued.
You are mistaken.
They are twelve girls.
The king said.
That cannot be true.
How will you prove that to me?
Oh.
Just let some peas be strewn in the antechamber,
Answered the lion.
And then you'll soon see.
Men have a firm step and when they walk over peas,
None of them stir,
But girls trip and skip and drag their feet and the peas roll about.
The king was well pleased with the council and caused the peas to be strewn.
There was,
However,
A servant of the king's.
Who favoured the huntsman.
And when he heard that they were going to be put to this test,
He went to them and repeated everything and said,
The lion wants to make the king believe that you are girls.
Then the king's daughter thanked him and said to her maidens,
Show some strength and step firmly on the peas.
So next morning when the king had the twelve huntsmen called before him and they came into the antechamber where the peas were lying They stepped so firmly on them and had such a strong,
Sure walk.
That not one of the peas either rolled or stirred,
Then they went away again.
And the king said to the lion,
You have lied to me.
They walk just like men.
The lion said,
They have been informed that they were going to be put to the test and have assumed some strength.
Just let 12 spinning wheels be brought into the antechamber.
And they will go to them and be pleased with them.
And that is what no man would do.
The king.
Liked the advice.
And had the spinning wheels placed in the antechamber.
But the servant,
Who was well disposed to the huntsman,
Went to them and disclosed the project.
So,
When they were alone,
The king's daughter said to her eleven girls,
Show some constraint.
And do not look round at the spinning wheels.
And next morning,
When the king had his 12 huntsmen summoned,
They went through the antechamber and never once looked at the spinning wheels.
Then the king again said to the lion,
You have deceived me.
They are men.
For they have not looked at the spinning wheels.
The lion replied,
They have restrained themselves.
The king,
However,
Would no longer believe the lion.
The twelve huntsmen always followed the king to the chase.
And his liking for them continually increased.
Now,
It came to pass that once,
When they were out hunting,
News came that the king's bride was approaching.
When the true bride heard that,
Hurt her so much that her heart was almost broken.
And she fell fainting to the ground.
The king thought something had happened to his dear huntsman,
Ran up to him,
Wanted to help him and drew his glove off.
Then he saw.
The ring!
Which he had given to his first bride.
And when he looked in her face.
.
.
He recognized her.
Then his heart was so touched.
That he kissed her.
And when she opened her eyes,
He said,
You are mine.
And I am yours.
No one in the world can alter that.
He sent a messenger to the other bride.
And entreated her to return to her own kingdom.
For he had a wife already.
And someone who had just found an old key did not require a new one.
Thereupon the wedding was celebrated and the lion was again taken into favour because,
After all,
He had told.
The truth.
The Four Clever Brothers.
Dear Children,
Said a poor man to his four sons.
I have nothing to give you.
You must go out into the wide world and.
.
.
Try your luck.
Begin by learning some craft or another.
And see how you can get on.
So,
The four brothers took their walking sticks in their hands,
And their little bundles on their shoulders,
And after bidding their father goodbye,
Went all out at the gate together.
When they had got on some way,
They came to four crossways,
Each leading to a different country.
Then the eldest said,
Here we must part.
But this day,
Four years,
We will come back to this spot.
And in the meantime,
Each must try what he can do for himself.
So each brother went his way.
And as the eldest was hastening on,
A man met him and asked him where he was going and what he wanted.
I am going to try my luck in the world.
And should like to begin by learning some art or trade?
' answered he.
Then,
Said the man,
Go with me.
And I will teach you to become the punningest thief that ever was.
No,
Said the other.
That is not an honest calling.
And what can one look to earn by it in the end?
The gallows.
Oh,
Said the man,
You need not fear the gallows.
But I will only teach you to steal what will be fair game.
I meddle with nothing but what no one else can get or care anything about and where no one can find you out.
So the young man agreed to follow his trade.
And he soon showed himself.
So clever.
That nothing could escape him that he had once set his mind upon.
The second brother also met a man who,
When he found out what he was setting out upon,
Asked him what craft he meant to follow.
I do not know yet said he Then come with me.
And B.
A star gazer.
It is a noble art.
For nothing can be hidden from you when once you understand the stars.
The plan pleased him much.
And he soon became such a skillful stargazer that when he had served out his time and wanted to leave his master,
He gave him a glass and said,
With this.
You can see all that is passing in the sky and on earth and nothing.
Can be hidden.
From you.
The third brother.
Met a huntsman.
Who took him with him and taught him so well.
All that belonged to hunting,
That he became very clever in the craft of the woods.
And when he left his master.
.
.
He gave him a bow.
And said,
Whatever you shoot at with this bow,
You will be sure to hit.
The youngest brother likewise met a man who asked him what he wished to do.
Would not you like,
Said he,
To be a tailor?
Oh no,
Said the young man,
Sitting cross-legged from morning to night.
Working backwards and forwards with a needle and goose?
Will never suit me.
Oh,
Answered the man,
That is not my sort of tailoring.
Come with me and you will learn quite another kind of craft from that.
Not knowing what better to do,
He came into the pan.
And learnt tailoring from the beginning.
And when he left his master.
.
.
He gave him a needle and said,
You can sew anything with this.
Be it as soft as an egg or as hard as steel.
And the joint will be so fine that no seam will be seen.
After the space of four years.
At the time agreed upon,
The four brothers met at the four crossroads.
And having welcomed each other,
Set off towards their father's home.
Where they told him all that had happened to them and how each had learned some craft.
Then,
One day,
As they were sitting before the house under a very high tree,
The father said I should like to try.
What each of you can do.
In this way.
So he looked up and said to the second son,
At the top of this tree.
There is a chaffinch's nest.
Tell me how many eggs there are in it.
The stargazer took his glass,
Looked up and said,
Five.
Now,
Said the father to the eldest son.
Take away the eggs.
Without letting the bird that is sitting upon them and hatching them know anything of what you are doing.
So the cunning thief climbed up the tree and brought away to his father the five eggs from under the bird.
And it never saw or felt what he was doing,
But kept sitting on at its ease.
Then the father took the eggs and put one on each corner of the table and the fifth in the middle and said to the huntsman,
Cut all the eggs in two pieces.
At one shot.
The huntsman took up his bow.
And at one shot struck all the five eggs as his father wished.
Now comes your turn,
Said he to the young tailor.
Sow the eggs and the young birds in them together again.
So neatly that the shot shall have done them no harm.
Then the tailor took his needle and sewed the eggs,
As he was told.
And when he had done,
The thief was sent to take them back to the nest and put them under the bird without its knowing it.
Then she went on sitting and hatched them and in a few days they crawled out and had only a little red streak across their necks where the tailor had sewn them together.
Well done,
Sons,
Said the old man.
You have made good use of your time,
And learnt something worth the knowing.
But I am sure I do not know which ought to have the prize.
Oh,
That a time might soon come for you to Turn your skill to some account.
Not long after this.
.
.
There was a great bustle in the country.
For the king's daughter had been carried off by a mighty dragon.
And the king mourned over his loss,
Day and night.
And made it known that whoever brought her back to him should have her for a wife.
Then the four brothers said to each other,
Here is a chance for us.
Let us try what we can do.
And they agreed to see whether they could not set the princess free.
I will soon find out where she is,
However,
Said the stargazer as he looked through his glass.
And he soon cried out,
I see her afar off.
Sitting upon a rock in the sea.
And I can spy the dragon close by,
Guarding her.
Then he went to the king and asked for a ship for himself and his brothers.
And they sailed together over the sea till they came to the right place.
There they found the princess sitting,
As the stargazer had said,
On the rock.
And the dragon was lying asleep with his head upon her lap.
I dare not shoot at him,
Said the huntsman,
For I should kill the beautiful young lady also.
Then I will try my skill,
Said the thief.
And went and stole her away from under the dragon so quietly and gently that the beast did not know it,
But went on snoring.
Then away they hastened with her,
Full of joy,
In their boat towards the ship.
But soon came the dragon,
Roaring behind them through the air,
For he awoke and missed the princess.
But when he got over the boat and wanted to pounce upon them and carry off the princess,
The huntsman took up his bow and shot him straight through the heart so that he fell down dead.
They were still not safe,
For he was such a great beast that in his fall he over-set the boat.
And they had to swim in the open sea upon a few planks.
So the tailor took his needle and with a few large stitches put some of the planks together and he sat down upon these and sailed about and gathered up all pieces of the boats and then tacked them together so quickly that the boat was soon ready.
And they then reached the ship and got home safe.
When they had brought home the princess to her father.
There was great rejoicing.
And he said to the four brothers,
One of you.
Shall marry her.
But you must settle amongst yourselves which it is to be.
Then there arose a quarrel between them.
And the stargazer said.
If I had not found the princess out,
All your skill would have been of no use.
Therefore,
She ought to be mine.
Your seeing her would have been of no use,
Said the thief,
If I had not taken her away from the dragon.
Therefore,
She ought to be mine.
No she is mine said the huntsman but if i had not killed the dragon he would after all have torn you and the princess into pieces And if I had not sewn the boat together again,
Said the tailor,
You would all have been drowned.
Therefore,
She is mine.
Then the king put in a word and said,
Each of you is right.
And.
.
.
As all cannot have the young lady,
The best way is for neither of you to have her.
For the truth is,
There is somebody she likes a great deal better.
But to make up for your loss.
I will give each of you as a reward for his skill Half a kingdom.
So.
.
.
The brothers agreed that this plan would be much better than either quarrelling or marrying a lady who had no mind to have them.
And the king then gave to each half a kingdom,
As he had said.
And they lived very happily the rest of their days.
And took good care of their father.
And somebody took better care of the young lady than to let either the dragon or one of the craftsmen have her again.
Lily and the Lion a merchant who had three daughters.
Was once setting out upon a journey.
But before he went,
He asked each daughter what gift he should bring back for her.
The eldest wished for pearls.
The second for jewels.
But the third,
Who was called Lily,
Said,
Dear father,
Bring me.
.
.
A rose.
It was no easy task to find a rose.
For it was the middle of winter.
Yet,
As she was his prettiest daughter and was very fond of flowers,
Her father said he would try what he could do.
So he kissed all three and bid them goodbye.
And when the time came for him to go home.
He had bought pearls and jewels for the two eldest,
But He had sought everywhere,
In vain,
For the rose.
And when he went into any garden and asked for such a thing,
People laughed at him and asked him whether he thought roses grew in snow.
This grieved him very much.
For Lily was his dearest child.
And as he was journeying home,
Thinking what he should bring her.
He came to a fine castle.
And around the castle was a garden.
In one half of which.
.
.
It seemed to be.
Summertime.
And in the other half,
Winter.
On one side,
The finest flowers.
We're in full bloom.
And on the other.
Everything looked dreary and buried in the snow.
A lucky hit,
Said he.
As he called to his servant and told him to go to a beautiful bed of roses that was there and bring him away one of the finest flowers.
This done.
They were riding away well pleased.
When I'm spraying.
Fierce lions.
And roared out.
Whoever has stolen my roses shall be eaten up alive.
And the man said,
I knew not that the garden belonged to you Can nothing save my life?
No,
Said the lion,
Nothing.
Unless you undertake to give me whatever meets you on your return home.
If you agree to this.
.
.
I will give you your life.
And the rose,
Too,
For your daughter.
But the man was unwilling to do so.
And thread.
May.
Be.
My youngest daughter?
Who loves me most and always runs to meet me when I go home.
Then,
The servant was greatly frightened and said,
May perhaps be only a cat or a dog?
And at last the man yielded.
With a heavy heart.
And took the rose and said,
He would give the lion.
Whatever should meet him first on his return.
And as he came near home,
It was Lily.
His youngest and dearest daughter that met him.
She came running and kissed him and welcomed him home.
When she saw that he had brought her the rose,
She was still more glad.
But her father.
Began to be very sorrowful.
Until weeks.
Saying.
Alas.
My dearest child.
I have.
Bought this flower.
At a high price.
For I have said,
I would give you to a wild Lion.
And when he has you,
He will tear you in pieces and eat you.
Then he told her all that had happened.
Answered.
She should not go.
Let what would happen.
But,
She.
Comforted him and said,
Dear Father.
The word you have given must be kept.
I will go to the lion.
Soothe him.
Perhaps he will let me come safe home again.
The next morning,
She asked the way she was to go.
And took leave of her father and went forth.
With a bold heart into the wood.
But the lion.
Was and enchanted.
Prints.
By day,
He and all his court were dead.
Lions.
But in the evening,
They took their right forms again.
And when Lily came to the castle,
He welcomed her so courteously.
That she agreed to do.
Marry him.
The wedding feast was held.
And they lived happily together a long time.
The prince was only to be seen as soon as evening came.
And then he held his court.
But every morning he left his bride and went away by himself.
She knew not whither till the night came again.
After some time,
He said to her,
Tomorrow there will be a great feast in your father's house.
For your eldest sister is to be married.
And if you wish to go and visit her,
My address is.
.
.
Lions shall lead you thither.
Good.
She rejoiced much at the thoughts of seeing her father once more.
And set out with the lions.
And everyone was overjoyed to see her,
For they had thought her dead long since.
But she told them how happy she was.
And stayed till the feast was over and then went back to the wood.
Her second sister was soon after married.
And when Lily was asked to go to the wedding.
She said to the prince.
I will not go alone this time.
You must go with me.
But he would not.
And said that it would be a very hazardous thing.
For if the least ray of the torchlight should fall upon him,
His enchantment would become still worse.
For he should be changed into a dove.
And be forced to wander about the world for seven long years.
However,
She gave him no rest and said she would take care no light should fall upon him.
So,
At last,
They set out together.
And took with them their little child.
And she chose a large hall with thick walls for him to sit in while the wedding torches were lighted.
But.
.
.
Unluckily.
No one saw.
That there was a crack.
In the door.
Then the wedding was held with great pomp.
But as the train came from the church and passed with the torches before the hall,
A very small ray of light.
Fell.
Upon the prince.
In a moment.
He disappeared.
And when his wife came in and looked for him.
.
.
She found only a white dove.
And it said to her,
Seven years must I fly up and down over the face of the earth.
But every now and then I will let fall a white feather.
That will show you the way I am going.
Follow it.
And,
At last,
You may overtake and set me free.
This said,
He flew out at the door.
And poor Lily followed.
And every now and then a white feather fell.
And showed her the way she was to journey.
Thus she went roving on through the wide world.
And looked neither to the right hand nor to the left.
Nor took any rest for seven years.
Then she began to be glad.
And thought to herself that the time was fast coming when all her troubles should end.
Yet repose was still far off.
For one day,
As she was travelling on,
She missed the white feather.
And when she lifted up her eyes.
She could nowhere see the dove.
Now.
Thought she to herself.
No aid of man.
Can be of use to me.
So.
.
.
She went to the sun.
And said,
Thou shinest everywhere.
On the hill's top and the valley's depth.
Hast thou anywhere seen my white dove?
No.
Set the sun.
I have not seen it.
But I will give thee a casket.
Open it when thy hour of need comes.
So she thanked the sun and went on her way till eventide.
And when the moon arose,
She cried unto it and said,
Thou shinest through the night over field and grove.
Hast thou nowhere seen my white dove?
No.
Set the main.
I cannot help thee.
But I will give thee an egg.
Break it when need comes.
Then she.
.
.
Banked the moon.
And went on.
Till the night wind blew.
She raised up her voice to it and said Bow.
Blowest through every tree and under every leaf.
Hast thou not seen my white dove?
No,
Said the night wind.
But I will ask three other winds.
Perhaps they've seen it.
Then the east wind and the west wind came.
And Z.
They,
Too,
Had not seen it.
But the south wind said,
I have seen the white dove.
He has fled to the Red Sea.
And is changed once more.
Into a lion.
For the seven years are passed away,
And there he is.
Fighting with a dragon.
And the dragon is an enchanted princess who seeks to separate him from you.
Then the night wind said,
I will give thee counsel.
Go to the Red Sea.
On the right shore stand many roads.
Count them,
And when thou comest to the eleventh,
Break it off,
And smite the dragon with it.
And so the lion will have the victory.
And both of them will appear to you in their own forms.
Then look round and I will see a griffin.
Wing it like bird.
Sitting by the Red Sea.
Jump onto his back with thy beloved one as quickly as possible and he will carry you over the waters to your home.
I will also give thee this nut,
Continued the night wind,
When you are half way over.
Throw it down.
And out of the waters will immediately spring up an eye nut tree on which the griffin will be able to rest otherwise he would not have the strength to bear you the old way.
If therefore thou dost forget to throw down the knot,
He will let you both fall into the sea.
So.
.
.
Our poor wanderer went forth.
And found all as the night wind had said.
And she plucked the eleventh rod and smote the dragon.
And the lion forthwith became a prince,
And the dragon a princess again.
But Nosuna was the princess released from her spell.
Then she seized the prince by the arm and sprang onto the griffin's back.
And went off,
Carrying the prince away with her.
Thus,
The unhappy traveller was again forsaken and forlorn.
She took heart and said,
As far as the wind blows.
And so long as the cock crows.
I will journey on.
Till I find him once again.
She went on.
For a long,
Long way.
Till,
At length,
She came to the castle where the princess had carried the prince.
And there was a feast got ready.
And she heard that the wedding was about to be held.
Heaven aid me now said she And she took the casket that the sun had given her.
And found that within it.
Lay address as dazzling as the sun itself.
So she put it on.
And went into the palace.
And all the people gazed upon her.
And the dress pleased the bride so much that she asked whether it was to be sold.
Not for gold and silver.
Said she.
For flesh and blood.
The Princess.
Asked what she meant.
And she said,
Let me speak with the bridegroom this night in his chamber.
And I will give thee the dress.
At last,
The princess agreed.
But she told her chamberlain to give the prince a sleeping draft.
That he might not hear or see her.
When evening came,
And the prince had fallen asleep,
She was led into his chamber.
And she sat herself down at his feet and said,
I have followed thee.
Seven years.
I have been.
To the sun,
The moon,
And the night wind to seek thee.
And at last,
I have helped thee to overcome the dragon.
Wilt thou then Forget me?
Quite!
But the prince all the time slept so soundly.
That her voice only passed over him and seemed like the whistling of the wind among the fir trees.
Then,
Poor Lily.
Was led away.
And forced to give up the golden dress.
And when she saw that there was no help for her,
She went out into a meadow and sat herself down.
And wept.
But as she sat,
She bethought herself of The egg.
That the moon had given her.
And when she broke it,
There ran out a hen and twelve chickens of pure blood.
GOLD!
That played about and then nestled under the old one's wings so as to form the most beautiful sight in the world.
And she rose up.
And drove them before her till the bride saw them from her window.
And was so pleased.
That she came forth and asked her if she would sell the brood.
Not for gold or silver.
But for flesh and blood.
Let me again this evening speak with the bridegroom in his chamber.
And I will give thee the whole brood.
Then the princess thought to betray her as before,
And agreed to what she asked.
But when the prince went to his chamber,
He asked the chamberlain why the wind had whistled so in the night.
And the Chamberlain.
Told him all.
How he had given him a sleeping draft.
And how a poor maiden had come and spoken to him in his chamber,
And was to come again that night.
Than the prince.
Took care to throw away the sleeping draft.
And when Lily came and began again to tell him what woes had befallen her and how faithful and true to him she had been,
Who knew?
His beloved wife's voice.
And sprang up and said,
You have awakened me as from a dream.
For the strange princess had thrown a spell around me.
So that I had altogether forgotten you.
But heaven hath sent you to me.
In a lucky hour.
And they stole away out of the palace by night,
Unawares.
And seated themselves on the griffin.
Who flew back with them over the Red Sea.
When they were halfway across,
Lily let the nut fall into the water.
And immediately a large nut tree arose from the sea.
We're on the griffin,
Rested for a while.
And then carried them safely home.
There they found their child.
Now grown up to be comely and fair.
And after all their troubles.
They lived.
Happily together.
To the end.
There.
Gays.
The Miser in the Bush.
A farmer had a faithful and diligent servant.
Who had worked hard for him three years.
Without having been paid.
Any wages.
At last it came into the man's head that he would not go on thus without pay any longer.
So he went to his master and said,
I have worked hard for you a long time.
I will trust you to give me what I deserve to have for my trouble.
The farmer.
Was a sad miser.
And knew that his man was very simple-hearted.
He took out thruppence and gave him for every year's service a penny.
The poor fellow thought it was a great deal of money to have.
And said to himself,
Why should I work hard and.
.
.
Live here on bad fare any longer?
I can now travel into the wide world.
And make myself merry.
With that,
He put his money into his purse and set out,
Roaming over hill and valley.
As he jogged along over the fields,
Singing and dancing,
A little dwarf met him.
And asked him what made him so merry.
Why,
What should make me downhearted,
Said he,
I am sound in health.
And rich in purse What should I care for?
I have saved up my three years earnings and have it all safe in my pocket.
How much may it come to?
Said the little man.
Full.
Throppence.
Replied the countryman.
I wish you would.
Give them to me.
Said the other.
I am.
Very poor.
Than the man.
Pity Tim.
And gave him all he had.
And the little dwarf said in return,
As you have.
Such a kind.
Honest heart.
I will grant you three wishes.
One for every penny.
So,
Choose whatever you like.
Then the countryman rejoiced at his good luck and said,
I like many things better than money.
First.
I will have a bow that will bring down everything I shoot at.
Secondly,
A fiddle.
That will set everyone dancing that hears me play upon it.
And thirdly,
I should like.
That everyone should grant.
What I ask.
The dwarf said he should have his three wishes.
So he gave him the bow and fiddle.
And went his way.
Our honest friend journeyed on his way too.
And if he was married before,
He was now ten times more so.
He had not gone far before he met an old miser.
Close by them stood a tree,
And on the topmost twig sat a thrush,
Singing away most joyfully.
Oh.
What a pretty bird.
Said the miser.
I would give a great deal of money.
To have such a one.
If that's all,
Said the countryman,
I will soon bring it down.
Then he took up his bow and down fell the thrush into the bushes at the foot of the tree.
The miser crept into the bush to find it,
But directly he had got into the middle.
His companion took up his fiddle and played away.
And the miser began to dance and spring about,
Tapering higher and higher in the air,
The thorns soon began to tear his clothes till they all hung in rags about him.
And he himself was all scratched and wounded so that the blood ran down.
Oh,
For heaven's sake!
Pride the Miser.
Master!
Master.
Pray let the fiddle alone.
What have I done to deserve this?
Thou hast shaved many a poor soul close enough,
Said the other,
Thou art only meeting thy reward.
So he played up another tune.
Then the miser began to beg and promise and offered money for his liberty.
But he did not come up to the musician's price.
For some time,
And he danced him along,
Brisker and brisker,
And the miser bid higher and higher,
Till at last he offered a round hundred of florins.
That he had in his purse and had just gained by.
.
.
Cheating sample villa.
When the countryman saw so much money,
He said,
I will agree to your proposal.
So he took the purse.
Put up his fiddle.
And travel done.
Very pleased with his bargain.
Meanwhile,
The miser crept out of the bush half-naked and in a piteous plight.
And began to ponder.
Now he should take his revenge.
And serve his late companion some trick.
At last he went to the judge.
And complained that a rascal had robbed him of his money and beaten him into the bargain.
And that the fellow who did it carried a bow at his back and a fiddle hung round his neck.
Then the judge sent out his officers to bring up the accused wherever they should find him.
And he was soon caught and brought up to be tried.
The miser began to tell his tale and said he had been robbed of his money.
No.
You gave it me.
For playing a tune to you,
Said the countryman.
But the judge told him that was not likely.
And cut the matter short by ordering him Off to the gallows.
So away he was taken.
But as he stood on the steps,
He said,
My Lord Judge.
Grant me one last request.
Anything but thy life replied the other No,
Said he,
I do not ask my life.
Only to let me play upon my fiddle for the last time.
The miser cried out.
Oh no!
No!
For heaven's sake,
Don't listen to him.
Don't listen to him.
But the judge said.
.
.
This is only this once He will soon have done.
The fact was,
He could not refuse the request on account of the dwarf's third gift.
Then the miser said,
Bind me fast,
Bind me fast for pity's sake.
But the countryman seized his fiddle and struck up a tune.
And at the first note.
Judge,
Clerks and jailer were in motion.
All began capering and no one could hold the miser.
At the second note,
The hangman let his prisoner go and danced also,
And by the time he had played the first bar of the tune,
All were dancing together.
Judge,
Court,
And miser,
And all the people who had followed to look on.
At first,
The thing was merry and.
.
.
Pleasant enough.
But when it had gone on a while.
And there seemed to be no end of playing or dancing.
They began to cry out and beg him to leave off.
That he stopped not a whit the more for their entreaties.
Till the judge not only gave him his life but promised to return him the hundred florins Then he called to the miser,
Tell us now,
You vagabond,
Where you got that gold.
Or I shall play on.
For your amusement only.
Bye.
Stole it!
Said the miser.
In the presence of all the people.
I acknowledge.
Did I stole it?
And that you earned it fairly.
The Countryman.
Stopped his fiddle.
And left the miser to take his place at the table.
The gallows.
Rumpelstiltskin.
By the side of a wood,
In a country,
A long way off.
Ran a fine stream of water.
And upon the stream there stood a mill.
The Miller's house was close by and the Miller,
You must know,
Had a very beautiful daughter.
She was,
Moreover,
Very shrewd and clever.
And the Miller was so proud of her.
That he one day told the king of the land,
Who used to come and hunt in the wood,
That his daughter could spin gold out of straw.
Now,
This king was very fond of money,
And when he heard the miller's boast,
His greediness was raised,
And he sent for the girl to be brought before him.
Then he led her to a chamber in his palace where there was a great heap of straw and gave her a spinning wheel and said,
All this must be spun into gold before morning as you love your life.
It was in vain that the poor maiden said that it was only a silly boast of her father,
For that she could do no such thing as spin straw into gold.
The chamber door was locked.
And she.
.
.
Was left.
Alone.
She sat down in one corner of the room and began to bewail her hard fate.
When,
On a sudden,
The door opened and a droll-looking little man hobbled in and said,
Good morrow to you,
My good lass.
What are you weeping for?
Alas,
Said she.
I must spin this straw into gold and i know not how will you give me?
Said the Hobgoblin,
To do it.
For you.
My necklace?
Replied the maiden.
He took her at her word and sat himself down to the wheel.
And whistled and sang.
Round about,
Round about,
Low and behold,
Reel away,
Reel away,
Straw into gold.
And round about the wheel went merrily.
The work was quickly done and the straw was all spun into gold.
When the king came and saw this he was greatly astonished and pleased.
But his heart grew still more greedy of gain.
And he shut up the poor Miller's daughter again with a fresh task.
Then she knew not what to do.
And sat down once more to Weep.
But the dwarf soon opened the door and said,
Will you give me to do your task?
Duh.
Ring on my finger?
" said she.
So.
.
.
Her little friend took the ring.
And began to work at the wheel again,
And whistled and sang,
Round about,
Round about,
Low and behold,
Reel away,
Reel away,
Straw into gold.
Till,
Long before morning,
All was done again.
The king was greatly delighted to see all this glittering treasure.
But still,
He had not enough.
So he took the miller's daughter to a yet larger heap and said,
All this must be spun tonight.
And if it is?
You shall be my queen.
As soon as she was alone,
That dwarf came in.
And said,
What will you give me to spin gold for you this third time?
I.
.
.
Have nothing left.
Said she.
Then say you will give me,
Said the little man,
The first little child that you may have when you are queen.
That may never be,
Thought the miller's daughter.
And as she knew no other way to get her task done.
She said she would do what he asked.
Round went the wheel again to the old song,
And the mannequin once more spun the heap into gold.
The king came in the morning and finding all he wanted,
Was forced to keep his word,
So he married the miller's daughter and she really became queen.
At the birth of her first little child,
She was very glad.
Forgot the dwarf and what she had said.
But one day.
He came into her room,
Where she was sitting playing with her baby,
And put her in mind of it.
Then she grieved sorely at her misfortune.
And said she would give him all the wealth of the kingdom if he would let her off.
But in vain.
Till at last her tears softened him,
And he said,
I will give you.
Three days,
Grace.
And if,
During that time,
You tell me my name?
You shall keep your child.
Now,
The Queen lay awake all night,
Thinking of all the odd names that she had ever heard.
And she sent messengers all over the land to find out new ones.
The next day,
The little man came.
And she began with,
Timothy.
Ichabod.
Benjamin.
Jeremiah and all the names she could remember.
But to all and each of them he said,
Madam,
That is not my name.
The second day.
She began with all the comical names she could hear of.
Bandi legs.
Hunchback,
Crookshanks and so on.
But the little gentleman still said to every one of them,
Madam,
That is not my name.
The third day,
One of the messengers came back and said,
I have travelled two days without hearing of any other names.
But.
.
.
Yesterday,
As I was climbing a high hill,
Among the trees of the forest,
Where the fox and the hare bid each other goodnight,
I saw a little hut.
And before the heart burnt afire,
And round about the fire,
A funny little dwarf was dancing upon one leg and singing,
Merrily the feast I'll make.
Today I'll brew,
Tomorrow bake.
Merrily I'll dance and sing for next day will a stranger bring little does my lady dream Rumpelstiltskin is my name.
When the Queen heard this.
.
.
She jumped for joy.
And as soon as her little friend came,
She sat down upon her throne.
And called all her court round to enjoy the fun.
And the nurse stood by her side with the baby in her arms as if it was quite ready to be given up.
The little man began to chuckle.
At the thought of having the poor child to take home with him to his hut in the woods.
And he cried out,
Now,
Lady,
What is my name?
Is it?
John.
Asked she.
No,
Madam.
Is it?
Tom.
No,
Madam.
Is it?
Jemmy It is not.
Can your name be?
Rumpelstiltskin?
" said the lady slyly.
Some witch told you that.
Some witch told you that.
Cried the little man and dashed his right foot in a rage so deep into the floor that he was forced to lay hold of it with both hands to pull it out.
Then he made the best of his way off.
While the nurse laughed and the baby crowed.
And all the court.
Jeered at him.
For having had so much trouble for nothing and said,
We wish you a very good morning.
And a merry feast,
Mr Rumpelstiltskin!
The robber bridegroom.
There was once a miller who had one beautiful daughter.
And as she was grown up,
He was anxious that she should be well married and provided for.
He said to himself,
I will give her.
.
.
To the first suitable man who comes and asks for her hand.
Not long after,
A suitor appeared.
And as he appeared to be very rich.
And the miller could see nothing in him with which to find fault.
He betrothed his daughter to him.
But the girl.
.
.
Did not care for the man as a girl ought to care for her betrothed husband.
She did not feel that she could trust him.
And she could not look at him,
Nor think of him.
Without an inward shudder.
One day he said to her,
You have not yet paid me a visit.
Although we have been betrothed for some time.
I do not know where your house is,
She answered.
My house is out there,
In the dark forest,
He said.
She tried to excuse herself by saying that she would not be able to find the way thither.
Her betrothed only replied,
You must come and see me next Sunday.
I have already invited guests for that day.
And that you may not mistake the way,
I will strew ashes along the path.
When Sunday came.
And it was time for the girl to start.
A feeling of dread came over her.
Which she could not explain.
And that she might be able to find her path again,
She filled her pockets with peas and lentils to sprinkle on the ground as she went along.
On reaching the entrance to the forest,
She found the path strewed with ashes.
And these she followed,
Throwing down some peas on either side of her at every step she took.
She walked the whole day.
Until she came to the deepest,
Darkest part of the forest.
There,
She saw.
A lonely house.
Looking so grim and mysterious.
That it did not please her at all.
She stepped inside.
But not a soul was to be seen.
And a great day.
Silence reigns.
Throughout.
Suddenly,
A voice cried,
Turn back,
Turn back,
Young maiden fair,
Linger not in this murderer's lair.
The girl looked up.
And saw that the voice came from a bird hanging in a cage on the wall.
Again,
It cried,
Turn back.
Turn back,
Young maiden fair.
Linger not in this murderer's lair!
The girl.
Passed on.
Going from room to room of the house.
They were all empty.
And still she saw no one.
At last,
She came to the cellar.
And there sat a very,
Very old woman who could not keep her head from shaking.
You tell me,
Asked the girl.
If my betrothed husband lives here?
Ah you poor child answered the old woman What a place for you to come to.
This is a murderer's den.
You think yourself.
A promised bride.
And that your marriage will soon take place.
But it is with death that you will keep your marriage feast.
Do you see that large cauldron of water?
Which I am obliged to keep.
On the fire.
As soon as they have you in their power.
They will kill you without mercy.
And cook and eat you for they are eaters of men.
If I did not take pity on you and save you,
You would be lost.
Thereupon,
The old woman led her behind a large cask,
Which quite hid her from view,
As still as a mouse,
" she said.
Do not move or speak.
Or it will be all over with you.
Tonight.
When the robbers are all asleep,
We will flee together.
I have long been waiting for an opportunity to escape.
The words were hardly out of her mouth when the godless crew returned,
Dragging another young girl along with them.
They were all drunk and paid no heed to her cries and lamentations.
They gave her wine to drink,
Three glasses full,
One of white wine,
One of red,
And one of yellow.
And with that.
.
.
Her heart gave way and she died.
Then they tore off her dainty clothing,
Laid her on a table,
And cut her beautiful body into pieces and sprinkled salt upon it.
The poor betrothed girl crouched trembling and shuddering behind the cask.
For she saw what a terrible fate had been intended for her by the robbers.
One of them now noticed a gold ring still remaining on the little finger of the murdered girl.
And as he could not draw it off easily,
He took a hatchet and cut off the finger.
But the finger sprang into the air and fell behind the cask into the lap of the girl who was hiding there.
The robber took a light and began looking for it.
But he could not find it.
Have you looked behind the large cask?
' said one of the others.
But the old woman called out,
Come and eat your suppers.
And let the thing be till tomorrow.
The finger won't run away.
The old woman is right,
Said the robbers.
And they ceased,
Looking for the finger,
And sat down.
The old woman then mixed a sleeping draught with their wine,
And before long they were all lying on the floor of the cellar,
Fast asleep and snoring.
As soon as the girl was assured of this,
She came from behind the cask.
She was obliged to step over the bodies of the sleepers who were lying close together,
And every moment she was filled with renewed dread,
Lest she should awaken them.
But.
.
.
God helped her so that she passed safely over them,
And then she and the old woman went upstairs,
Opened the door,
And hastened as fast as they could from the murderer's den.
They found the ashes scattered by the wind,
But the peas and lentils had sprouted.
And grown sufficiently above the ground to guide them in the moonlight along the path.
All night long they walked.
And it was morning before they reached the mill.
Then the girl told her father all that had happened.
The day came that had been fixed for the marriage.
The bridegroom arrived,
And also a large company of guests for the miller had taken care to invite all his friends and relations.
As they sat at the feast,
Each guest in turn was asked to tell a tale.
The bride sat still and did not say a word.
And you,
My love,
Said the bridegroom,
Turning to her,
Is there no tale you know?
Tell us something.
I will tell you a dream then.
Said the bride.
I went alone through a forest.
And came at last to a house.
Not a soul could I find within,
But A bird that was hanging in a cage on the wall cried,
Turn back.
Turn back,
Young maiden fair.
Linger not in this murderer's lair.
And again,
A second time,
It said these words.
My darling.
This is only a dream.
I went on through the house,
From room to room,
But they were all empty.
And everything was so.
.
.
Grim.
And mysterious.
At last I went down to the cellar.
And there sat a very,
Very old woman who could not keep her head still.
I asked her.
.
.
If my betrothed lived here?
And she answered.
You poor child.
You are come to a murderer's den.
Your betrothed does indeed live here,
But he will kill you without mercy and afterwards cook and eat you.
My darling,
This is only a dream.
The old woman hid me behind a large cask,
And scarcely had she done this.
When the robbers returned home,
Dragging a young girl along with them.
They gave her three kinds of wine to drink,
White,
Red,
And yellow,
And with that,
She died.
My darling This is only a dream.
Then they tore off her dainty clothing and cut her beautiful body into pieces and sprinkled salt upon it.
My darling.
This is only a dream.
And one of the robbers saw that there was a gold ring still left on her finger.
And as it was difficult to draw off,
He took a hatchet and cut off her finger.
But the finger sprang into the air and fell behind the great cask.
Into my lap.
And here is the finger with the ring.
And with these words the bride drew forth the finger.
And showed it to the assembled guests.
The bridegroom,
Who,
During this recital,
Had grown deadly pale.
Up and tried to escape,
But the guests seized him and held him fast they delivered him up to justice.
And he and all his murderous band were condemned to death for their wicked deeds.
The Frog Prince.
One fine evening,
A young princess put on her bonnet and clogs and went out to take a walk by herself in a wood.
And when she came to a cool spring of water that rose in the midst of it,
She sat herself down to rest a while.
Now,
She had a golden ball in her hand,
Which was her favourite plaything.
And she was always tossing it up into the air and catching it again as it fell.
After a time,
She threw it up so high.
That she missed catching it as it fell,
And the ball bounded away and rolled along upon the ground,
Till at last it fell down into the spring.
The princess looked into the spring after her ball.
But it was very deep.
So deep that she could not see the bottom of it.
Then she began to bewail her loss and said,
Alas!
If I could only get my ball again.
I would give all my fine clothes and jewels and everything that I have in the world.
Whilst she was speaking,
A frog put its head out of the water.
And said Princess,
Why do you weep so bitterly?
Alas,
Said she.
What can you do for me,
You nasty frog?
My golden ball has fallen into the spring.
The frog said.
I want not your pearls and jewels and fine clothes,
But If you will love me and let me live with you and eat from off your golden plate and sleep upon your bed,
I will bring you your ball again.
What nonsense,
Thought the princess.
This silly frog is talking.
He can never even get out of the spring to visit me.
Though.
He may be able to get my ball for me.
And therefore I will tell him he shall have what he asks.
So.
She said to the frog.
Wow.
If you will bring me my bowl.
I will do all you ask.
Then the frog put his head down and dived deep under the water,
And after a little while,
He came up again with the ball in his mouth and threw it on the edge of the spring.
As soon as the young princess saw her bowl,
She ran to pick it up.
And she was so excited.
Overjoyed to have it in her hand again.
That she never thought of the frog,
But ran home with it as fast as she could.
The frog called after her.
Stay!
Princess!
And take me with you as you said.
But she did not stop to hear a word.
The next day,
Just as the princess had sat down to dinner,
She heard a strange noise.
Tap,
Tap.
Plash.
Plash.
Something was coming up the marble staircase.
And soon afterwards,
There was a gentle knock at the door,
And a little voice cried out and said,
Open the door,
My princess dear.
Open the door to thy true love here.
And mind the words that thou and I said by the fountain call in the green woodshade.
Then the princess ran to the door and opened it.
And there.
.
.
She saw the frog!
Whom she had quite forgotten.
At this site.
She was sadly frightened.
And,
Shutting the door as fast as she could,
Came back to her seat.
The king,
Her father,
Seeing that something had frightened her,
Asked her what was the matter.
There is hope.
A nasty frog.
Said she,
At the door.
That lifted my ball for me out of the spring.
I told him that.
.
.
He should live with me here.
Thinking that he could never get out of the spring,
But.
.
.
There he is!
At the door.
He wants to come in.
While she was speaking,
The frog knocked again at the door.
And said,
Open the door,
My princess dear.
Open the door to thy true love here.
And mind the words that thou and I said by the fountain cool in the greenwood shade.
Then the king said to the young princess,
As you have given your word,
You must keep it.
So go and let him in.
She did so.
And the frog hopped into the room and then straight on tap,
Tap,
Plash,
Plash from the bottom of the room to the top till he came up close to the table where the princess sat.
Pray.
Lift me upon chair,
Said he to the princess,
And let me sit next to you.
As soon as she had done this,
The frog said,
Put your plate nearer to me,
That I may eat out of it.
This,
She did.
And when he had eaten as much as he could,
He said,
Now I am tired.
Carry me upstairs and put me into your bed.
And the princess though very unwilling,
Took him up in her hand.
And put him upon the pillow of her own bed,
Where he slept all night long.
As soon as it was light,
He jumped up,
Hopped downstairs,
And went out of the house.
Now then,
Thought the princess,
At last he is gone and I shall be troubled with him no more.
But.
.
.
She was mistaken,
For when night came again,
She heard the same tapping at the door and the frog came once more and said,
Open the door,
My princess dear,
Open the door to thy true love here.
And mind the words that thou and I said by the fountain call in the greenwood shade.
And when the princess opened the door The frog came in.
And slept upon her pillow as before till the morning broke.
And the third night,
He did the same.
But.
.
.
When the princess awoke on the following morning,
She was astonished to see instead of the frog.
A handsome prince.
Gazing on her with the most beautiful eyes she had ever seen,
And standing at the head of her bed.
He told her that he had been enchanted by a spiteful fairy who had changed him into a frog.
And that he had been fated so to abide till some princess should take him out of the spring and let him eat from her plate and sleep upon her bed for three nights.
You,
Said the prince,
Have broken his cruel charm and now I have nothing to wish for but that you should go with me into my father's kingdom where I will marry you and love you as long as you live.
The young princess,
You may be sure,
Was not long in saying yes to all this,
And as they spoke,
A gay coach drove up with eight beautiful horses,
Decked with plumes of feathers and a golden harness,
And behind the coach rode the prince's servant,
Faithful Heinrich,
Who had bewailed the misfortunes of his dear master during his enchantment so long and so easily.
Bitterly that his heart had well nigh burst.
They then took leave of the king and got into the coach with eight horses,
And all set out full of joy and merriment for the prince's kingdom,
Which they reached safely.
And there they lived happily a great many years.
The willow wren,
And the bear.
Once,
In summertime,
The bear and the wolf were walking in the forest.
And the bear heard a bird singing so beautifully.
That he said.
Brother Wolf.
What bird is it that sings so well?
That is the king of birds,
Said the wolf.
Before whom we must bow down.
In reality,
The bird was the willow wren.
If that's the case said the bear i should very much like to see his royal palace Come,
Take me thither.
That is not done quite as you seem to think,
" said the wolf.
You must wait.
Until the Queen comes.
Soon afterwards,
The Queen arrived with some food in her beak,
And the Lord King came too.
And they began to feed their young ones.
The bear would have liked to go at once,
But the wolf held him back by the sleeve and said no.
You must wait until the Lord and Lady Queen have gone away again.
So.
.
.
They took stock of the hole where the nest lay.
And trotted away.
The bear,
However.
Could not rest until he had seen the royal palace.
And,
When a short time had passed,
Went to it again.
The king and queen had just flown out,
So he peeped in and saw five or six young ones lying there.
What is that?
The Royal.
Palace!
" cried the bear.
It is a wretched palace.
And you are not King's children.
You are disreputable children.
When the young wrens heard that.
.
.
They were frightfully angry and screamed,
No,
That we are not.
Our parents are honest people.
BEAR.
You will have to pay for that.
The bear and the wolf grew uneasy.
And turned back and went into their holes.
The young willow wrens,
However,
Continued to cry and scream.
And when their parents again brought food,
They said,
We will not so much as touch one fly's leg.
No,
Not if we were dying of hunger.
Until you have settled whether we are respectable children or not.
The bear?
Has been here?
And has insulted us.
Then the old king said Be easy.
He shall be punished.
And he at once flew with the queen to the bear's cave and called in Old Growler.
Why have you insulted my children?
You shall suffer for it.
We will punish you by a bloody war.
Thus,
War was announced to the bear.
And all four-footed animals were summoned to take part in it.
Oxen,
Asses,
Cows,
Deer,
And every other animal the earth contained.
And the will-o-wren summoned everything which flew in the air.
Not only birds,
Large and small,
But midges and hornets,
Bees and flies had to come.
When the time came for the war to begin.
The Willow Wren sent out spies to discover who was the enemy's commander-in-chief.
The gnat,
Who was the most crafty,
Flew into the forest where the enemy was assembled and hid herself beneath a leaf of the tree where the password was to be announced.
There stood the bear,
And he called the fox before him and said,
Fox.
You are the most cunning of all animals.
You shall be general and lead us.
Good.
Said the fox.
But what signal shall we agree upon?
No one knew that.
So the fox said,
I have a fine,
Long,
Bushy tail,
Which almost looks like a plume of red feathers.
When I lift my tail up,
Quite I,
All is going well and you must charge.
But if I let it hang down,
Run away as fast as you can.
When the gnat had heard that,
She flew away again and revealed everything down to the minutest detail to the willow wren.
When day broke,
And the battle was to begin,
All the four-footed animals came running up with such a noise that the earth trembled.
The willow-wren with his army also came flying through the air,
With such a humming and whirring and swarming that everyone was uneasy and afraid.
And on both sides,
They advanced against each other.
But the willow wren sent down the hornet with orders to settle beneath the fox's tail and sting with all his might.
When the fox felt the first sting,
He started so that he lifted one leg from pain,
But He bore it and still kept his tail high in the air.
At the second sting,
He was forced to put it down for a moment.
At the third.
.
.
He could hold out no longer,
Screamed,
And put his tail between his legs.
When the animals saw that.
.
.
They thought all was lost and began to flee,
Each into his hole.
And.
.
.
The birds had won the battle.
Then the king and queen flew home to their children and cried,
Children,
Rejoice.
Eat and drink to your heart's content.
We have won the battle.
But the young wrens said,
We will not eat yet.
The bear must come to the nest and beg for pardon.
And say that we are honourable children.
Before we will do that.
Then the willow wren flew to the bear's hole and cried,
Growler!
You are to come to the nest to my children and beg their pardon.
Or else every rib of your body shall be broken.
So the bear crept thither in the greatest fear and begged their pardon.
And now,
At last,
The young wrens were satisfied and sat down together and ate and drank.
And made merry till quite late into the night.
Tom Thumb.
A poor woodman.
Sat in his cottage one night.
Smoking his pipe by the fireside.
While his wife sat by his side,
Spinning.
How?
Lonely it is,
Wife,
Said he,
As he puffed out a long curl of smoke.
For you and me to sit here by ourselves.
Without any children to play about and amuse us.
While other people seem so happy and merry.
With their children.
What you say is very true said the wife sighing and turning round her wheel How happy should I be if I had but one child?
If it were ever so small.
Nay,
If it were no bigger than my thumb.
I should be very happy.
And love it.
Dearly.
Odd as you may think it.
It came to pass that this good woman's wish was fulfilled.
Just in the very way she had wished it.
For not long afterwards,
She had a little boy.
Who was quite healthy and strong,
But was not much bigger than my thumb.
They said.
We cannot say we have not got what we wished for.
And little as he is,
We will love him dearly.
And they called him.
Thomas Thumb.
They gave him plenty of food.
Yet,
For all they could do.
He never grew bigger.
But kept just the same size as he had been when he was born.
Still,
His eyes were sharp and sparkling,
And he soon showed himself to be a clever little fellow who always knew well what he was about.
One day,
As the woodman was getting ready to go into the wood to cut fuel,
I wish i had someone to bring the cart after me For I want to make haste.
Oh,
Father,
Cried Tom,
I will take care of that.
The cart shall be in the wood by the time you want it.
Then the woodman laughed and said,
How can that be?
You cannot reach up to the horse's bridle!
Never mind that,
Father,
Said Tom.
If my mother will only harness the horse,
I will get into his ear and tell him which way to go.
Well,
Said the father.
We will try for once.
When the time came,
The mother harnessed the horse to the cart.
And put Tom into his ear.
And as he sat there,
The little man told the beast how to go,
Crying out,
Go on and stop as he wanted and thus the horse went on just as well as if the woodman had driven it himself into the wood.
It happened that as the horse was going a little too fast,
And Tom was calling out,
Gently,
Gently.
Two strangers came up.
What an idiot.
Odd thing that is?
" said one.
There is a cart going along.
And i hear a carter talking to the horse but yet I can see no one.
That is queer indeed said the other Let us follow the cart and see where it goes.
So they went on into the wood till at last they came to the place where the woodman was.
Then Tom Thumb,
Seeing his father,
Cried out,
See father,
Here I am with the cart,
All right and safe.
Now,
Take me down.
So his father took hold of the horse with one hand and with the other took his son out of the horse's ear and put him down upon a straw where he sat as merry as you please.
The two strangers were,
All this time,
Looking on.
And did not know what to say for wonder.
At last,
One took the other aside and said,
That little urchin will make our fortune if we can get him.
And carry him about from town to town as a show.
We must buy him.
So they went up to the woodman and asked him what he would take for the little man.
He will be better off,
Said they,
With us than with you.
Aye.
Won't sell him at all,
" said the father.
My own flesh and blood is dearer to me than all the silver and gold in the world.
But,
Tom.
.
.
Hearing of the bargain they wanted to make,
Crept up his father's coat to his shoulder and whispered in his ear,
Take the money father and let them have me.
I'll soon come back to you.
So the woodman at last said,
He would sell Tom to the strangers.
For a large piece of gold.
And there you paid the price.
Where would you like to sit?
Said one of them.
Oh.
Put me on the rim of your hat.
That will be a nice gallery for me.
I can walk about there and see the country as we go along.
So they did,
As he wished.
And when Tom had taken leave of his father,
They took him away with them.
They journeyed on till it began to be dusky.
And then the little man said,
Let me get down.
I'm tired.
So the man took off his hat and put him down on a clod of earth.
In a ploughed field by the side of the road.
But Tom ran about amongst the furrows and at last slipped into an old mouse hole.
Good night my masters said he i'm off Mind and look sharp after me the next time.
Then they ran at once to the place and poked the ends of their sticks into the mouse hole.
But all in vain.
Tom only crawled farther and farther in,
And at last it became quite dark.
So that they were forced to go their way without their prize.
As sulky as could be.
When Tom found they were gone,
He came out of his hiding place.
What dangerous walking it is,
Said he.
In this ploughed field.
I were to fall from one of these great clods.
I should undoubtedly break my neck!
At last,
By good luck,
He found a large,
Empty snail shell.
"'This is lucky,
' said he.
"'I can sleep here very well.
' And in he crept.
" just as he was falling asleep.
He heard two men passing by,
Chatting together.
And one said to the other,
How can we rob that rich parson's house of his silver and gold?
I'll tell you,
Cried Tom.
Noise.
Who's that?
Said the thief,
Frightened.
I'm sure I heard someone speak.
They stood still,
Listening.
And Tom said,
Take me with you and I'll soon show you how to get the Parsons money.
Where are you?
Said they.
Look about on the ground,
Answered he,
And listen where the sound comes from.
At last,
The thieves found him out and lifted him up in their hands.
You.
Little urchin,
' they said.
What can you do for us?
Why,
I can get between the iron window bars of the Parson's house and throw you out whatever you want.
That's a good thought said the thieves Come along,
We shall see what you can do.
When they came to the Parsons' house,
Tom slid through the window bars into the room and then called out as loud as he could bawl,
Will you have.
.
.
All that is here.
At this the thieves were frightened and said softly softly speak low that you may not awaken anybody.
But Tom seemed as if he did not understand them,
And bawled out again.
How much will you have?
Shall I throw it all out?
Now,
The cook lay in the next room.
And hearing a noise,
She raised herself up in her bed and listened.
Meantime,
The thieves were frightened and ran off a little way.
But at last they plucked up their hearts and said,
The little urchin is only trying to make fools of us.
So they came back and whispered softly to him,
Saying,
Now,
Let us have no more of your roguish jokes,
But throw us out some of the money.
Then Tom called out as loud as he could,
Very well,
Hold your hands,
Here it comes.
The cook heard this quite plain,
So she sprang out of bed and ran to open the door.
The thieves ran off as if a wolf was at their tails,
And the maid,
Having groped about and found nothing,
Went away for a light.
By the time she came back,
Tom had slipped off into the barn.
And when she had looked about and searched every hole and corner and found nobody She went to bed.
Thinking she must have been.
.
.
Dreaming with her eyes open?
The little man crawled about in the hayloft.
And at last found a snug place to finish his night's resting.
So he laid himself down,
Meaning to sleep till daylight and then find his way home to his father and mother.
But Alas.
How woefully he was undone.
What crosses and sorrows happen to us all in this world.
The cook got up early before daybreak to feed the cows and going straight to the hayloft carried away a large bundle of hay with the little man in the middle of it fast asleep.
He still,
However,
Slept on and did not awake till he found himself in the mouth of the cow.
For the cook had put the hay into the cow's rick,
And the cow had taken Tom up in a mouthful of it.
Good luck-a day!
Said he.
How came I to tumble into the mill?
But he soon found out where he really was and was forced to have all his wits about him that he might not get between the cow's teeth and so be crushed to death.
At last,
Down he went into her stomach.
It is rather dark.
Said he.
They forgot to build windows in this room to let the sun in.
A candle would be no bad thing.
Though he made the best of his bad luck,
He did not like his quarters at all.
And the worst of it was that more and more hay was always coming down,
And the space left for him became smaller and smaller.
At last,
He cried out as loud as he could,
Don't bring me!
Any more?
Bye!
Don't bring me any more hay!
The maid happened to be just then milking the cow.
Hearing someone speak.
Seeing nobody?
Being quite sure it was the same voice that she had heard in the night.
She was so frightened that she fell off her stool and overset the milk pail.
As soon as she could pick herself up out of the dirt,
She ran off as fast as she could to her master,
The parson.
And said,
Sir?
Sir?
The cow is talking.
But the parson said,
Woman,
Thou art surely mad.
However,
He went with her into the cow house to try and see what was the matter.
Scarcely had they set foot on the threshold when Tom called out,
Don't bring me any more hay!
Then.
.
.
The person himself was frightened.
And,
Thinking the cow was surely bewitched,
Told his man to kill her on the spot.
So the cow was killed and cut up,
And the stomach in which Tom lay was thrown out upon a dunghill.
Tom soon set himself to work to get out.
Which was not a very easy task,
But at last,
Just as he had made room to get his head out,
Fresh ill luck befell him.
A hungry wolf sprang out and swallowed up the whole stomach with Tom in it at one gulp and ran away.
Tom,
However,
Was still not disheartened.
And thinking the wolf would not dislike having some chat with him as he was going along.
He called out.
My good friend.
I can show you a famous treat.
"'Where's that?
' said the wolf.
" in.
.
.
Such and such a house,
Said Tom,
Describing his own father's house.
You can crawl through the drain into the kitchen.
And then into the pantry and there you will find cakes,
Ham,
Bye!
Cold chicken,
Roast pig,
Apple dumplings,
And everything that your heart can wish.
The wolf did not want to be asked twice.
So that very night he went to the house and crawled through the drain into the kitchen and then into the pantry and ate and drank there to his heart's content.
As soon as he had had enough,
He wanted to get away.
But.
.
.
He had eaten so much.
That he could not get out by the same way he came in.
This was just what Tom had reckoned upon.
And now.
.
.
He began to set up a great shout,
Making all the noise he could.
Will you be easy?
Said the wolf.
You'll awaken everybody in the house if you make such a clatter.
What's that to me said the little man you have had your frolic now i've a mind to be merry myself And he began singing and shouting as loud as he could.
The woodman and his wife,
Being awakened by the noise,
Peeped through a crack in the door.
But when they saw a wolf was there,
You may well suppose that they were sadly frightened.
And the woodman ran for his axe and gave his wife a scythe.
"'Do you stay behind?
' said the woodman.
"'And when I have knocked him on the head,
"'you must rip him up with the scythe.
'" tom heard all this and cried out father father I am here!
The wolf has swallowed me!
And his father said,
Heaven be praised!
We have found our dear child again!
And he told his wife not to use the scythe for fear she should hurt him.
Then he aimed a great shot.
Blow and struck the wolf on the head.
And killed him on the spot.
And when he was dead,
They cut open his body and set Tommy free.
Ah said the father what fears we have had for you Yes,
Father,
Answered he.
I have traveled all over the world i think in one way or other since we parted And now.
I am very glad to come home and get fresh air again.
Why?
"'Where have you been?
' said his father.
I have been.
In a mouse hole.
And in a snail shell?
And down a cow's throat and in the wolf's belly.
And yet,
Here I am again,
Safe and sound.
Well,
Said they,
You are come back.
And we will not sell you again for all the riches in the world.
Then they hugged and kissed their dear little son.
And gave him plenty to eat and drink,
For he was very hungry.
And then they fetched new clothes for him,
For his old ones had been quite spoiled on his journey.
So.
.
.
Master Thumb stayed at home with his father and mother.
In peace.
For though he had been so great a traveller,
And had done and seen so many fine things.
And was fond enough of telling the whole story,
He always agreed that after all,
There's no place like home.
The Golden Bird.
A certain king had a beautiful garden.
And in the garden stood a tree which bore golden apples.
These apples were always counted and about the time when they began to grow ripe,
It was found that every night,
One of them was gone.
The king became very angry at this.
And ordered the gardener to keep watch all night under the tree.
The gardener set his eldest son to watch.
But about twelve o'clock,
He fell asleep.
And in the morning,
Another of the apples was missing.
Then the second son was ordered to watch,
And at midnight he too fell asleep.
And in the morning another apple was gone.
Then the third son offered to keep watch.
But the gardener at first would not let him,
For fear some harm should come to him.
However,
At last he consented.
And the young man laid himself under the tree to watch.
As the clock struck twelve,
He heard a rustling noise in the air,
And a bird came flying that was of pure gold.
And as it was snapping at one of the apples with its beak,
The gardener's son jumped up and shot an arrow at it.
But the arrow did the bird no harm.
Only it dropped a golden feather from its tail and then flew away.
The golden feather was brought to the king in the morning.
And all the council was called together.
Everyone agreed.
That it was worth more than all the wealth of the kingdom.
But the king said,
One feather is of no use to me.
I must have the whole bird.
Then the gardener's eldest son set out and thought to find the golden bird very easily.
And when he had gone but a little way,
He came to a wood.
And by the side of the wood he saw a fox sitting.
So he took his bow and made ready to shoot at it.
Then the fox said,
Do not shoot me,
For I will give you good counsel.
I know what your business is,
And that you want to find the golden bird.
You will reach a village in the evening.
And when you get there,
You will see two inns opposite to each other.
One of which is very pleasant and beautiful to look at.
Go not in there,
But rest for the night in the other,
Though it may appear to you to be very poor and mean.
But the son thought to himself,
And can such a beast as this know about the matter?
So he shot his arrow at the fox.
But he missed it.
And it set up its tail above its back and ran into the wood.
Then he went his way.
And in the evening came to the village where the two inns were.
And in one of these were people singing and dancing and feasting.
But the other looked very.
.
.
Dirty and poor.
I should be very silly,
Said he,
If I went to that shabby house and left this charming place.
So.
.
.
He went in to the smart house and ate and drank at his ease and forgot the bird.
And his country,
Too.
Time passed on.
And as the eldest son did not come back,
And no tidings were heard of him,
The second son set out.
And the same thing happened to him.
He met the fox,
Who gave him the good advice.
But when he came to the two inns,
His eldest brother was standing at the window where the merrymaking was and called to him to come in.
And he could not withstand the temptation but went in and forgot the golden bird and his country in the same manner.
Time passed on again.
And the youngest son,
Too,
Wished to set out into the wide world to seek for the golden bird.
But his father would not listen to it for a long while,
For he was very fond of his son,
And was afraid that some ill luck might happen to him also and prevent his coming back.
However,
At last it was agreed he should go.
For he would not rest at home.
And as he came to the wood he met the fox and heard the same good counsel.
But he was thankful to the fox and did not attempt his life as his brothers had done.
So,
The fox said.
Sit upon my tail and you will travel faster.
So he sat down.
And the fox began to run.
And away they went,
Over stock and stone,
So quick that their hair whistled in the wind.
When they came to the village,
The sun followed the fox's counsel.
And without looking about him went to the shabby inn and rested there all night at his ease.
In the morning came the fox again and met him as he was beginning his journey and said,
Go straight forward till you come to a castle before which lie a whole troop of soldiers fast asleep and snoring.
Take no notice of them,
But go into the castle and pass on and on till you come to a room where the golden bird sits in a wooden cage.
Close by it stands a beautiful golden cage,
But do not try to take the bird out of the shabby cage and put it into the handsome one.
Otherwise you will repent it Then the fox stretched out his tail again,
And the young man sat himself down,
And away they went,
Over stock and stone,
Till their hair whistled in the wind.
Before the castle gate,
All was as the fox had said.
The sun went in and found the chamber,
Where the golden bird hung in a wooden cage,
And below stood the golden cage,
And the three golden apples that had been lost were lying close by it.
Then,
Thought he to himself,
It will be a very droll thing.
To bring away such a fine bird in this shabby cage?
So.
.
.
He opened the door and took hold of it and put it into the golden cage.
But the bird set up such a loud scream!
That all the soldiers awoke.
And they took him prisoner.
And carried him before the king.
The next morning the court sat to judge him.
And when all was heard,
It sentenced him to die.
Unless.
.
.
He should bring the king the golden horse which could run as swiftly as the wind.
And if he did this,
He was to have the golden bird given him for his own.
So,
He set out once more on his journey,
Sighing and in great despair,
When on a sudden his friend the fox met him.
And said,
You see now what has happened on account of your not listening to my counsel.
I will still,
However,
Tell you how to find the golden horse,
If you will do as I bid you.
You must go straight on till you come to the castle where the horse stands in his stall.
By his side will lie the groom fast asleep and snoring.
Take away the horse quietly.
But be sure to put the old leathern saddle upon him,
And not the golden one that is close by it.
Then the sun sat down on the fox's tail.
And away they went,
Over stock and stone,
Till their hair whistled in the wind.
All went right.
And the groom lay snoring with his hand upon the golden saddle.
Butt.
When the sun looked at the horse,
He thought it a great pity.
To put the leathern saddle upon it.
I will.
Give him the good one,
Said he.
I am sure he deserves it.
As he took up the golden saddle.
The groom awoke and cried out so loud that all the guards ran in and took him prisoner.
And in the morning he was again brought before the court to be judged and was sentenced to die.
But.
.
.
It was agreed that if he could bring thither the beautiful princess,
He should live.
And have the bird and the horse given him for his own.
Then he went his way.
Very sorrowful.
But the old fox came and said,
Why did you not listen to me?
If you had,
You would have carried away both the bird and the horse.
Yet will I once more give you counsel.
Go straight on!
And in the evening you will arrive at a castle.
At 12 o'clock at night,
The princess goes to the bathing house.
Go up to her and give her a kiss and she will let you lead her away.
But take care you do not suffer her to go and take leave of her father and mother.
Then the fox stretched out his tail,
And so away they went,
Over stock and stone,
Till their hair whistled again.
As they came to the castle,
All was as the fox had said.
And at 12 o'clock,
The young man met the princess going to the bath and gave her the kiss.
And she agreed to run away with him.
But begged with many tears that he would let her take leave of her father.
At first he refused,
But she wept still more and more.
And fell at his feet till at last He consented.
But the moment she came to her father's house,
The guards awoke.
And he was taken prisoner.
Again.
Then he was brought before the king.
And the king said,
You shall never have my daughter.
Unless in eight days you dig away the hill that stops the view from my window.
This hill was so big.
That the whole world could not take it away.
And when he had worked for seven days and had done very little.
The fox came and said,
Lie down.
Go to sleep.
I will work for you.
And in the morning he awoke and the hill was gone!
So he went merrily to the king and told him that now that it was removed,
He must give him the princess.
Then the king was obliged to keep his word.
And away went the young man and the princess.
And the fox came and said to him,
We will have all three.
The princess,
The horse and the bird.
Ah,
Said the young man.
That would be a great thing.
And how can you contrive it?
If you will only listen,
Said the fox,
It can be done.
When you come to the king and he asks for the beautiful princess,
You must say,
Here she is,
Then he will be very joyful.
And you will mount the golden oars that they are to give you and put out your hand to take leave of them but shake hands with the princess last.
Then lift her quickly onto the horse behind you,
Clap your spurs to his side and gallop away as fast as you can.
All went right.
Then the fox said,
When you come to the castle where the bird is,
I will stay with the princess at the door.
You will ride in and speak to the king.
And when he sees that it's the right horse,
He will bring out the bird.
But you must sit still and say that you want to look at it to see whether it is the true golden bird.
And when you get it into your hand,
Ride away!
This,
Too,
Happened,
As the fox said.
They carried off the bird,
The princess mounted again,
And they rode on to a great wood.
Then the fox came and said,
Kill me.
And cut off my head and my feet.
The young man refused to do it.
So the fox said,
I will,
At any rate.
Give you good counsel.
Beware!
Of two things.
Ransom no one from the gallows and sit down by the side of no river.
Then away he went.
Wow.
Filthy young man.
It is no hard matter to keep that advice.
He rode on with the princess.
Till at last he came to the village where he had left his two brothers.
And there he heard a great noise and uproar.
And when he asked what was the matter,
The people said,
Two men are going to be hanged.
As he came nearer.
.
.
He saw that the two men were his brothers.
Who had turned robbers.
So,
He said.
Cannot they in any way be saved?
But the people said,
Unless he would bestow all his money upon the rascals and buy their liberty.
Then he did not stay to think about the matter,
But paid what was asked,
And his brothers were given up.
And went on with him towards their home.
And as they came to the wood where the fox first met them,
It was so cool and pleasant that the two brothers said,
Let us sit down by the side of the river and rest a while to eat and drink.
So he said yes and forgot the fox's counsel.
And sat down on the side of the river and while he suspected nothing They came behind and threw him down the bank.
And took the princess,
The horse and the bird and went home to the king,
Their master,
And said,
All this have we won by our labour.
Then there was great rejoicing made.
But.
.
.
The horse would not eat.
The bird would not sing.
And the princess wept.
The youngest son fell to the bottom of the river's bed.
Luckily,
It was nearly dry.
But his bones were almost broken.
And the bank was so steep.
That he could find no way to get out.
Then the old fox came once more and scolded him for not following his advice,
Otherwise no evil would have befallen him.
Yeah said he i cannot leave you here so Lay hold of my tail and hold fast.
Then he pulled him out of the river and said to him,
As he got upon the bank,
Your brothers have set watch to kill you if they find you in the kingdom.
So.
He dressed himself as a poor man and came secretly to the king's court.
And was scarcely within the doors,
When the horse began to eat,
And the bird to sing,
And the princess left off weeping.
Then he went to the king and told him all his brothers' roguery,
And they were seized and punished.
And he had the princess given to him again,
And after the king's death,
He was heir to his kingdom.
A long while after.
He went to walk one day in the wood,
And the old fox met him and besought him with tears in his eyes to kill him.
And cut off his head and feet.
And at last he did so.
And in a moment,
The fox was changed into a man and turned out to be the brother of the princess.
Who had been lost a great many,
Many years.
Hans in luck.
Some men are born to good luck.
All they do or try to do comes right.
All that falls to them is so much gain.
All their geese are swans.
All their cards are trumps.
Toss them which way you will,
They will always,
Like porpoise,
Alight upon their legs.
And only move on so much,
The faster.
The world may very likely not always think of them as they think of themselves,
But What care they for the world?
What can it know about the matter?
One of these lucky beings was neighbour Hans.
Seven long years he had worked hard for his master.
At last,
He said,
Master,
My time is up.
I must go home and see my poor mother once more.
So pray,
Pay me my wages and let me go.
And the master said,
You have been a faithful and good servant,
Hans,
So your pay shall be handsome.
Then he gave him a lump of 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 he went lazily on,
Dragging one foot after another.
A man came in sight,
Trotting gaily along on a capital horse.
Ah!
Said Hans aloud.
What a fine thing it is to ride on horseback!
There he sits,
As easy and happy as if he was at home,
In the chair by his fireside.
He trips against no stones,
Saves shoe leather,
And gets on he hardly knows how.
Hans did not 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 to carry.
To be sure,
It is silver,
But it is so heavy.
But I can't hold up my head.
And you must know,
It hurts my shoulder,
Sadly.
What do you say of 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 of trouble in carrying such a heavy load about with you.
With all my heart,
Said Hans.
As you are so kind to me,
I must tell you one thing.
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 him the bridle into one hand and the whip into the other,
And said,
When you want to go very fast,
Smack your lips loudly together and cry,
YIP!
Hans was delighted as he sat on the horse,
Drew himself up,
Squared his elbows,
Turned out his toes,
Cracked his whip and rode merrily off,
One minute 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 he smacked his lips and cried,
Yippee!
Away went the horse,
Full gallop.
And before Hans knew what he was about,
He was thrown off.
And lay on his back by the roadside.
His horse would have ran off if a shepherd who was coming by driving a cow had not stopped it.
Hans soon came to himself and got upon his legs again.
Sadly vexed.
And said to the shepherd,
This riding is no joke.
When a man has the luck to get upon a beast like this that stumbles and flings him off?
As if it would break his neck!
However.
.
.
I'm off now,
Once for all.
Bye!
Like your cow now!
A great deal better than this smart beast that played me this trick and has spoiled my best coat,
You see,
In this puddle.
Which,
By the by,
Smells not very like a nose-gay.
One can walk along at one's leisure behind that cow.
Keep good company.
And have milk,
Butter and cheese every day into the bargain?
What would I give to have such a prize?
Well said the shepherd if you were so fond of her I will change my cow for your horse.
I like to do good to my neighbours,
Even though I lose by it myself.
Done!
Said Hans merrily.
What a noble heart that good man has,
Thought he.
Then the shepherd jumped upon the horse,
Wished Hans and the cow good morning,
And away he rode.
Hans brushed his coat,
Wiped his face and hands,
Rested a while.
And then drove off his cow quietly.
And thought his bargain a very lucky one.
If I have only a piece of bread,
And I certainly shall always be able to get that,
I can,
Whenever I like,
Eat my butter and cheese with it.
And when I am thirsty,
I can milk my cow and drink the milk!
What can I wish for more?
When he came to an inn.
He halted,
Ate up all his bread,
And gave away his last penny for a glass of beer.
When he had rested himself,
He set off again,
Driving his cow towards his mother's village.
But the heat grew greater as soon as noon came on,
Till at last,
As he found himself on a wide heath that would take him more than an hour to cross,
He began to be so hot and parched that his tongue clave to the roof of his mouth.
I can find a cure for this,
Thought he.
Now I will milk my cow and quench my thirst.
So he tied her to the stump of a tree and held his leathern cap to milk into,
But.
.
.
Not a drop was to be had.
Who would have thought that this cow,
Which was to bring him milk and butter and cheese,
Was,
All that time,
Utterly Dry.
Hans had not thought of looking to that.
While he was trying his luck in milking and managing the matter very clumsily,
The uneasy beast began to think him very troublesome.
And at last gave him such a kick on the head as knocked him down.
And there he lay.
A long while.
Senseless.
Luckily.
.
.
A butcher soon came by,
Driving a pig in a wheelbarrow.
What is the matter with you,
My man?
Said the butcher as he helped him up.
Hans told him what had happened,
How he was dry and wanted to milk his cow,
But found the cow was dry too.
Then the butcher gave him a flask of ale,
Saying,
There,
Drink and refresh yourself.
Your cow will give you no milk.
Don't you see?
She's an old beast.
Good for nothing but the slaughterhouse.
Alas!
Alas,
Said Hans.
Who would have thought it?
What a shame!
To take my horse and give me only a dry cow?
If i kill her What will she be good for?
I hate cow beef.
But it's not tender enough for me.
If it were a pig now.
Like that fat gentleman you were driving along at his ease?
One could do something with it.
It would at any rate make sausages.
Well.
.
.
Said the 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,
Fat pig 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 the wheelbarrow,
Drove it away,
Holding it by the string that was tied to its leg.
On he jogged.
And all seemed now to go right with him.
He had met with 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 at last got?
The next man he met was a countryman carrying a fine white goose.
The countryman stopped to ask what was o'clock.
This led to further chat,
And Hans told him all his luck,
How he had had so many good bargains,
And how all the world went gay and smiling with him.
The countryman then began to tell his tale and said he was going to take the goose to a christening.
Feel,
Said he,
However yet is.
And yeah,
It is only eight weeks 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 in his hand.
But if you talk of fat,
My pig is no trifle.
Meantime,
The countryman began to look grave and shook his head.
Mark ye,
Said he,
My worthy friend.
You seem a good sort of fellow.
So I can't help doing you a kind turn.
You pig!
May get you into a scrape.
In the village I just came from,
The squire has had a pig stolen out of his stye.
I was dreadfully afraid when I saw you that you had got the squire's pig.
If you have,
They may catch you.
It will be a bad job for you.
The least they 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 out of this scrape!
Know nothing of where the pig was either bred or born but He may have been the Squires for all I can tell.
You know this country better than I do.
Take my pig and give me the goose.
I ought to have something into the bargain.
Said the countryman.
Give a fat goose for a pig indeed!
It's not everyone would do so much for you as that.
However.
.
.
I will not be hard upon you as you are in trouble.
Then he 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 pig it is,
But wherever it came from,
It has been a very good friend to me.
I have 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 there are 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 my mother will be talk of a pig indeed give me a fine The Hat.
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 own.
Then who so blithe,
So merry,
As I?
Hans stood looking on for a while.
And at last said,
You must be well off,
Master Grinder.
You seem so happy at your work.
Yes,
Said the other,
Mine is a golden trade.
A good grinder never puts his hand into his pocket without finding money in it.
Where did you get that beautiful goose?
I did not buy it.
I gave a pig for it.
Oh,
Where did you get the pig?
I gave a cow for it.
And the cow.
I gave a horse for it.
And the horse?
I gave a lump of silver as big as my head for it.
And the silver.
Oh.
I worked hard for that.
Seven long years.
You have thriven well in the world,
Hitherto,
Said the grinder.
Now.
If you could find money in your pocket whenever you put your hand in it.
Your fortune would be made.
Very true.
How is that to be managed?
How?
Why?
You must turn grinder like myself said the other you only want a grindstone the rest will come of itself here is one that is but little the worse for wear I would not ask more than the value of your goose for it.
Will you buy?
How can you ask?
Said Hans.
I should be the happiest man in the world!
If I could have money whenever I put my hand in my pocket?
What could I want more?
There's the goose!
Now,
Said the grinder,
As he gave him a common rough stone that lay by his side,
This is a most capital stone.
Do but work it well enough and you can make an old nail cut with it.
Hans took the stone and went his way with a light heart.
His eyes sparkled for joy.
And he said to himself,
Surely.
I must have been born in a lucky year.
Everything I could want or wish for comes of itself.
People are so kind.
They seem really to think I do them a favour in letting them make me rich.
And giving me good bargains.
Meantime,
He began to be tired.
And hungry too,
For he had given away his last penny in his joy at getting the cow.
At last he could go no farther,
For the stone tired him sadly,
And he dragged himself to the side of a river that he might take a drink of water and rest a while.
So he laid the stone carefully by his side on the bank,
But as he stooped down to drink,
He forgot it,
Pushed it a little.
And down it rolled,
Plump,
Into the stream.
For a while,
He watched it sinking in the deep.
Clear water.
Then,
Sprang up 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 he got with a light heart.
Free from all his troubles.
And walked on till he reached his mother's house and told her how very easy the road to good luck was.
Once.
Briar Rose.
A king and queen,
Once upon a time,
Reigned in a country a great way off.
Where there were,
In those days,
Fairies.
Now,
This king and queen had plenty of money,
And plenty of fine clothes to wear,
And plenty of good things to eat and drink,
And a coach to ride out in every day.
But,
Though they had been married many years,
They had no children.
And this grieved them very much indeed.
But one day,
As the Queen was walking by the side of the river at the bottom of the garden,
She saw a poor little fish that had thrown itself out of the water and lay gasping and nearly dead on the bank.
Then the queen took pity on the little fish and threw it back again into the river.
And before it swam away,
It lifted its head out of the water and said,
I know what your wish is,
And it shall be fulfilled.
In return for your kindness to me,
You will soon have a daughter!
What the little fish had foretold soon came to pass.
And the queen had a little girl.
So very beautiful that the king could not cease looking on it for joy.
And said he would hold a great feast and make merry and show the child to all the land.
So he asked his kinsmen and nobles and friends and neighbours But the Queen said,
I will have the fairies also,
That they might be kind and good to our little daughter.
There were thirteen fairies in the kingdom.
But.
.
.
As the king and queen had only twelve golden dishes for them to eat out of,
They were forced to leave one of the fairies without asking her.
So.
.
.
Twelve fairies came.
Each with a high red cap on her head and red shoes with high heels on her feet and a long white wand in her hand.
And after the feast was over,
They gathered round in a ring and gave all their best gifts to the little princess.
One gave her goodness,
Another Beauty.
Another riches,
And so on,
Till she had all that was good in the world.
Just as eleven of them had done blessing her,
A great noise was heard in the courtyard.
And word was brought that the thirteenth fairy was come.
With a black cap on her head and black shoes on her feet and a broomstick in her hand.
And presently,
Up she came,
Into the dining hall.
Now.
As she had not been asked to the feast.
She was very angry.
And scolded the King and Queen very much.
And set to work to take her revenge.
So she cried out,
The king's daughter shall in her 15th year be wounded by a spindle and fall down.
DEAD.
Then the twelfth of the friendly fairies who had not yet given her gift came forward and said that the evil wish must be fulfilled,
But that she could soften its mischief.
So,
Her gift was that the King's daughter,
When the spindle wounded her,
Should not really die,
But should only fall asleep for a hundred years.
However.
The king hoped still to save his dear child altogether from the threatened evil.
So he ordered that all the spindles in the kingdom should be bought up and burnt.
But all the gifts of the first 11 fairies were,
In the meantime,
Fulfilled.
For the princess was so beautiful and well-behaved and good and wise that everyone who knew her loved her.
It happened that.
.
.
On the very day she was 15 years old,
The king and queen were not at home.
And she was left alone in the palace.
So she roved about by herself and looked at all the rooms and chambers,
Till at last she came to an old tower,
To which there was a narrow staircase ending with a little door.
In the door,
There was a golden key.
And when she turned it,
The door sprang open,
And there sat an old lady,
Spinning away,
Very busily.
Why,
How now,
Good mother,
Said the princess,
What are you doing there?
Spinning,
" said the old lady and nodded her head,
Humming a tune while bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz How prettily that little thing turns round,
Said the princess and took the spindle.
And began to try and spin.
But scarcely had she touched it before the fairy's prophecy was fulfilled.
The spindle wounded her.
And she fell down lifeless on the ground.
However,
She was not dead,
But had only fallen into a deep sleep.
And the king and the queen,
Who had just come home,
And all their court,
Fell asleep too.
And the horses slept in the stables,
And the dogs in the court,
The pigeons on the housetop,
And the very flies slept upon the walls.
Even the fire on the hearth left off blazing and went to sleep.
The jack stopped and the spit that was turning about with the goose upon it for the king's dinner stood still.
And the cook,
Who was at that moment pulling the kitchen boy by the hair to give him a box on the ear for something he had done amiss,
Let him go and both fell asleep.
The butler,
Who was slyly tasting the ale,
Fell asleep with the jug at his lips.
And thus everything.
Stood still.
And slept soundly.
A large hedge of thorns soon grew round the palace.
And every year it became higher and thicker.
Till at last the old palace was surrounded and hidden.
So that not even the roof or the chimneys could be seen.
But there went a report through all the land of the beautiful sleeping Briar Rose.
For so the king's daughter was called.
So that,
From time to time,
Several king's sons came and tried to break through the thicket into the palace.
This,
However,
None of them could ever do.
But the thorns and bushes laid hold of them,
As it were with hands,
And there they stuck fast and died wretchedly.
After many,
Many years.
There came a king's son into that land.
And an old man told him the story of the Thicket of Thorns.
And how a beautiful palace stood behind it.
And how a wonderful princess called Briar Rose lay in it,
Asleep with all her court.
He told,
Too,
How he had heard from his grandfather that many,
Many princes had come and had tried to break through the thicket,
But that they had all stuck fast in it and died.
Then the young prince said,
All this shall not frighten me.
I will go and see this briar rose.
The old man tried to hinder him.
But he was bent upon going.
Now.
That very day,
The hundred years were ended.
And as the prince came to the thicket,
He saw nothing but beautiful flowering shrubs.
Through which he went with ease,
And they shut in after him as thick as ever.
Then he came at last to the palace,
And there in the court lay the dogs asleep.
And the horses were standing in the stables,
And on the roof sat the pigeons,
Fast asleep,
With their heads under their wings.
And when he came into the palace,
The flies were sleeping on the walls,
The spit was standing still,
The butler had the jug of ale at his lips,
Going to drink a draught,
The maid sat with a fowl in her lap,
Ready to be plucked.
And the cook in the kitchen was still holding up her hand as if she was going to beat the boy.
Then he went on still farther,
And all was so still.
He could hear every breath.
He drew.
Till at last he came to the old tower.
And opened the door of the little room in which Briar Rose was.
And there she lay.
Fast asleep.
On a couch by the window.
She looked so pretty.
Beautiful.
That he could not take his eyes off her.
So he stooped down and gave her a kiss.
But the moment he kissed her,
She opened her eyes and awoke,
And smiled upon him.
And they went out together,
And soon the king and queen also awoke,
And all the court.
And gazed on each other with great wonder.
And the horses shook themselves and the dogs jumped up and barked.
The pigeons took their heads from under their wings and looked about and flew into the fields.
The flies on the walls buzzed again.
The fire in the kitchen blazed up.
Round went the jack,
And round went the spit,
With the goose for the king's dinner upon it,
The butler finished his draught of ale,
The maid went on plucking the fowl,
And the cook gave the boy the box on his ear.
And then the prince and Briar Rose were married.
And the wedding feast was given.
And they lived happily together.
All their lives long.
The fisherman and his wife.
There was once a fisherman who lived with his wife in a pigsty close by the seaside.
The fishermen used to go out all day long a-fishing.
And one day,
As he sat on the shore with his rod,
Looking at the sparkling waves and watching his line,
All of a sudden his float was dragged away deep into the water.
And in drawing it up,
He pulled out a great fish.
But the fish said,
Pray,
Let me live.
I'm not a real fish.
I am an enchanted prince.
Put me in the water again and let me go!
Uh-oh,
Said the man.
You need not make so many words about the matter.
I will have nothing to do with a fish that can talk.
So swim away,
Sir,
As soon as you please.
Then he put him back into the water.
And the fish darted straight down to the bottom and left.
A long streak of blood behind him on the wave.
When the fisherman went home to his wife in the pigsty,
He told her how he had caught a great fish and how it had told him it was an enchanted prince.
And how,
On hearing it speak,
He had let it go again.
Did you not ask it for anything?
Said the wife.
We live very wretchedly here.
In this nasty,
Dirty pigsty.
Do go back and tell the fish we want them.
A snug little cottage.
The fisherman did not much like the business.
However,
He went to the seashore,
And when he came back there,
The water looked all different.
Yellow and green.
And he stood at the water's edge and said,
O man of the sea,
Hearken to me!
My wife,
Ilsebill,
Will have her own will.
And hath sent me to beg a boon of thee.
Then the fish came swimming to him and said,
Well,
What is her will?
What does your wife want?
Ah,
Said the fisherman.
She says that when I had caught you,
I ought to have asked you for something before I let you go.
She does not like living any longer in the pigsty and wants a snug little cottage.
Go home then,
Said the fish.
She is in the cottage already.
So,
The man went home.
And saw his wife standing at the door of a nice trim little cottage.
Come in,
Come in,
Said she.
It's not this.
Much better than that filthy pigsty we had!
And there was a parlour and a bedchamber and a kitchen and behind the cottage there was a little garden planted with all sorts of flowers and fruits and there was a courtyard behind full of ducks and chickens.
Ah,
Said the fisherman,
How happily we shall live now!
We will try to do so at least,
Said his wife.
Everything went right for a week or two.
And then Dame Ilsebill said,
There is not near room enough for us in this cottage The courtyard and the garden are a great deal too small.
I should like to have.
A large stone castle to live in.
Go to the fish again and tell him to give us a castle.
Wife,
Said the fisherman,
I don't like to go to him again.
But perhaps you will be angry.
We ought to be easy with this pretty cottage to live in.
Nonsense,
Said the wife.
He will do it very willingly,
I know.
Go along and try.
The fisherman went.
But his heart was very heavy.
And when he came to the sea,
It looked blue and gloomy.
Though it was very calm.
And he went close to the edge of the waves and said,
O man of the sea,
Hearken to me.
My wife,
Ilsebill,
Will have her own will,
And hath sent me to beg a boon of thee.
Well what does she want now said the fish ah said the man dolefully my wife wants to live in a stone castle.
Go home then,
Said the fish.
She is standing at the gate of it already.
So away went the fisherman and found his wife standing before the gate of a great castle.
See,
Said she,
Is not this grand?
That.
They went into the castle together.
And found a great many servants there.
And the rooms all richly furnished and full of golden chairs and tables.
And behind the castle was a garden,
And around it was a park half a mile long,
Full of sheep and goats and hares and deer.
And in the courtyard were stables and cowhouses?
Wow.
Said the man.
Now we will live cheerful and happy in this beautiful castle.
For the rest of our lives.
Perhaps we may.
Said the wife.
But let us sleep upon it,
Before we make up our minds to that.
So,
They went to bed.
The next morning,
When Dame Ilsebill awoke,
It was broad daylight,
And she jogged the fisherman with her elbow and said,
Get up,
Husband,
And bestir yourself,
For we must be King of all the land.
Wife,
Wife,
Said the man.
Why should we wish?
To be the king.
I will not be king.
Then I will,
Said she.
Wife,
Said the fisherman.
How can you be king?
This fish cannot make you a king.
Husband,
Said she,
Say no more about it.
But go and try!
I will be king.
So the man went away,
Quite sorrowful to think that his wife should want to be King?
This time the sea looked a dark grey colour and was overspread with curling waves and the ridges of foam.
As he cried out.
O man of the sea,
Hearken to me.
My wife,
Ilsebill,
Will have her own will,
And has sent me to beg a boon of thee.
Well,
What would she have now?
Said the fish.
Alas!
Said the poor man.
My wife?
Wants to Bee.
King!
Go home,
Said the fish.
She is king already.
Then the fisherman went home and as he came close to the palace he saw a troop of soldiers and heard the sound of drums and trumpets.
And when he went in he saw his wife sitting on a throne of golden diamonds with a golden crown upon her head,
And on each side of her stood six fair maidens,
Each a head taller than the other,
Wow.
Wife,
Said the fisherman,
Are you?
King.
Yes,
Said she,
I am king.
And when he had looked at her for a long time Hmm.
.
.
Life.
What a fine thing it is to.
.
.
Be king Now we shall never have anything more to wish for as long as we live.
I don't know how that may be,
Said she.
Never!
It was a long time.
I am king,
It is true,
But.
.
.
I begin to be tired of that.
And I think I should like to be.
Emperor.
Ah,
Last wife.
Why should you wish to be Emperor?
Said the fisherman.
Husband,
Said she,
Go to the fish.
I say,
I will be emperor.
Oh,
Wife replied the fisherman.
The fish cannot make an emperor!
I'm sure.
And I should not lie to ask him for such a thing.
I am king,
Said Ilsebill,
And you are my slave.
So go at once!
So,
The fisherman was forced to go.
And he muttered as he went along,
This will come to no good.
It is too much to ask.
The fish will be tired at last and then we shall be sorry for what we have done.
He soon came to the seashore.
And the water was quite black and muddy.
And a mighty whirlwind blew over the waves and rolled them about,
But he went as near as he could to the water spring and said,
Oh,
Man of the sea,
Hearken to me.
My wife,
Ilsebel,
Will have her own will.
And has sent me to beg a boon of thee.
"'What would she have now?
' said the fish.
"'Uh,
' said the fisherman,
"'she wants to be a fisherman.
'" Emperor.
Go home,
Said the fish.
She is emperor already.
So he went home again,
And as he came near,
He saw his wife,
Ilsebill,
Sitting on a very lofty throne,
Made of solid gold,
With a great crown on her head,
Full two yards high.
And on each side of her stood her guards and attendants in a row,
Each one smaller than the other,
From the tallest giant down to a little dwarf no bigger than my finger.
And before her stood princes and dukes and earls.
And the fisherman went up to her and said,
Why?
Are you?
Emperor.
Yes,
Said she,
I am emperor.
Hmm.
Said the man as he gazed upon her.
What a fine thing it is!
Emperor.
Husband,
Said she.
Why should we stop?
At the end Hoorah!
I will be Pope.
Next?
Ah,
Wife.
Wife!
Said he.
How can you be Pope?
There is but one Pope at a time in Christendom.
Husband,
Said she,
I will be Pope.
This very day.
Replied the husband.
Bish!
I cannot make you pump!
What nonsense,
Said she.
If he can make an emperor,
He can make a pope.
Go and try him.
So,
The fisherman went.
But when he came to the shore,
The wind was raging.
And the sea was tossed up and down in boiling waves.
And the ships were in trouble.
And rolled fearfully upon the tops of the billows.
In the middle of the heavens there was a little piece of blue sky,
But towards the south all was red,
As if a dreadful storm was rising.
At this sight,
The fisherman was dreadfully frightened,
And he trembled so that his knees knocked together.
But still he went down near to the shore and said,
Oh man of the sea!
Harken to me!
My wife,
Ilsebel,
Will have her own will.
And I sent me to beg a bone of thee.
What does she want now?
Said the fish.
Ah said the fisherman my wife wants to be Go home,
Said the fish.
She is.
.
.
Pope already!
Then the fisherman went home and found Ilsebill sitting on a throne that was two miles high.
And she had three great crowns on her head,
And around her stood all the pomp and power of the church.
And on each side of her were two rows of burning lights of all sizes,
The greatest,
As large as the highest and biggest tower in the world,
And the least no larger than a small rush light.
Wife?
" said the fisherman as he looked at all this greatness.
Are you.
.
.
Poe?
Yes,
Said she,
I am Pope.
Wow.
Why?
Replied he.
It is a grand thing to be Pope And now,
You must be easy.
But you can be nothing greater.
I will think about that,
Said the wife.
Then they went to bed.
But Dame Ilsebill could not sleep all night for thinking what she should be next.
At last,
As she was dropping asleep,
Morning broke and the sun rose.
Thought she as she woke up and looked at it through the window.
After all.
.
.
I cannot prevent the sun rising.
At this thought.
She was very angry.
And wakened her husband and said.
Husband.
Go to the fish and tell him,
I must be lord of the sun and moon.
The fisherman was half asleep.
But the thought frightened him so much.
That he started and fell out of bed.
Alas.
Wife!
Said he.
Can't you be easy with being Poe?
No.
Said she.
I'm very uneasy.
As long as the sun and moon rise,
Without my leave,
Go to the fish at once.
Then the man went,
Shivering with fear.
And as he was going down to the shore,
A dreadful storm arose.
So that the trees and the very rocks shook.
And all the heavens became black with stormy clouds,
And the lightnings played,
And the thunders rolled,
And you might have seen in the sea great black waves swelling up like mountains with crowns of white foam upon their heads.
And the fisherman.
Crept towards the sea.
And cried out as well as he could.
O man of the sea!
Archon to me!
My wife,
Ilsebill,
Will have her own will.
And I sent me to beg a boon of thee.
What does she want now?
" said the fish.
Ah said he she wants to be Lord of the Sun and Moon.
Go home,
Said the fish,
To your pigsty again.
And there they live to this very day.
Cat skin.
There was once a king.
Whose queen had hair of the purest gold.
And was so beautiful that her match was not to be met with on the whole face of the earth.
But this beautiful queen fell ill.
And when she felt that her end drew near,
She called the king to her and said,
Promise me.
The Jew.
Will never marry again.
Unless you meet with a wife who is as beautiful as I am and who has golden hair like mine.
Then,
When the King in his grief promised all she asked,
She shut her eyes and died.
But the king was not to be comforted.
And for a long time never thought of taking another wife.
At last,
However,
His wise men said,
This will not do.
The king must marry again,
That we may have a queen.
So,
Messengers were sent far and wide to seek for a bride as beautiful as the late Queen.
But there was no princess in the world so beautiful.
And if there had been,
Still there was not one to be found who had golden hair.
So.
.
.
The messengers came home and had handled their trouble for nothing.
Now,
The king had a daughter.
Who was just as beautiful as her mother and had the same golden hair.
And when she was grown up,
The king looked at her and saw that she was just like this late queen.
Then he said to his courtiers,
May I not marry my daughter?
She is the very image of my dead wife.
Unless I have her,
I shall not find any bride upon the whole earth,
And you say there must be a queen.
When the courtiers heard this.
.
.
They were shocked.
And said For Pete!
Should a father should marry his daughter?
Out of so great a sin no good can come.
And his daughter was also shocked.
But hoped the king would soon give up such thoughts?
So,
She said to him,
Before I marry anyone.
I must have.
.
.
Three tresses.
One must be of gold,
Like the sun.
Another must be of shining silver like the moon.
And a third must be dazzling as the stars.
Besides this,
I want a mantle.
Of a thousand different kinds of fur put together.
To which every beast in the kingdom must give a part of his skin.
And thus she thought he would think of the matter no more.
But the king made the most skillful workmen in his kingdom weave the three dresses.
One golden like the sun,
Another silvery like the moon,
And a third sparkling like the stars,
And his hunters were told to hunt out all the beasts in his kingdom.
And to take the finest fur out of their skins?
And thus a mantle of a thousand furs was made.
When all were ready,
The king sent them to her.
But she got up in the night when all were asleep.
And took three of her trinkets.
A golden ring,
A golden necklace,
And a golden brooch.
And packed the three dresses,
Of the sun,
The moon,
And the stars,
Up in a nutshell,
And wrapped herself up in the mantle,
Made of all sorts of fur,
And besmeared her face and hands with soot.
Then she threw herself upon heaven for help in her need,
And went away.
And journeyed on the whole night,
Till at last she came to a large wood.
As she was very tired.
She sat herself down in the hollow of a tree and soon fell asleep.
And there she slept on till it was midday.
As the king to whom the wood belonged was hunting in it,
His dogs came to the tree and began to snuff about and run round and round and bark.
Look sharp,
Said the king to the huntsman,
And see what sort of game lies there.
And the huntsman went up to the tree and when they came back again said in the hollow tree there lies a most wonderful beast such as we never saw before Its skin seems to be made of a thousand kinds of fur.
But there it lies,
Fast asleep.
See?
Said the king,
If you can catch it alive and we will take it with us.
So the huntsman took it up.
And the maiden awoke.
And was greatly frightened and said,
I am a poor child that has neither father nor mother left.
Have pity on me,
And take me with you.
Then they said,
Yes,
Miss Catskin.
You will do for the kitchen.
You can.
.
.
Sweep up the ashes and do things of that sort.
So.
They put her into the coach and took her home to the king's palace.
Then they showed her a little corner under the staircase,
Where no light of day ever peeped in,
And said,
Catskin,
You may lie and sleep there.
And she was sent into the kitchen and made to fetch wood and water to blow the fire,
Pluck the poultry,
Pick the herbs,
Sift the ashes and do all the dirty work.
Thus,
Catskin lived for a long time,
Very sorrowfully.
Pretty princess,
Thought she.
What will now become of thee?
But.
.
.
It happened one day that a feast was to be held in the king's castle,
So she said to the cook,
May I go up a little while and see what is going on?
I will take care and stand behind the door.
And the cook said,
Yes,
You may go,
But be back again in half an hour's time to rake out the ashes.
Then she took her little lamp and went into her cabin and took off the fur skin and washed the soot from off her face and hands so that her beauty shone forth like the sun from behind the clouds.
She next opened her nut shell and brought out of it the dress that shone like the sun.
And so went to the feast.
Everyone made way for her.
For nobody knew her and they thought she could be no less than a king's daughter.
But the king came up to her and held out his hand and danced with her.
And he thought in his heart,
I never saw anyone half so beautiful!
When the dance was at an end,
She curtsied.
And when the king looked round for her.
.
.
She was gone.
No one knew with us.
The guards that stood at the castle gate were called in,
But they had seen no one.
The truth was that she had run into her little cabin,
Pulled off her dress,
Blackened her face and hands,
Put on the furskin cloak,
And was catskin again.
When she went into the kitchen to her work and began to rake the ashes,
The cook said,
Let that alone till the morning and heat the king's soup.
I should like to run up now and give a peep,
But take care you don't let a hair fall into it or you will run a chance of never eating again.
As soon as the cook went away,
Catskin heated the king's soup and toasted a slice of bread first,
As nicely as ever she could.
And when it was ready.
.
.
She went and looked in the cabin for her little golden ring and put it into the dish in which the soup was.
When the dance was over,
The king ordered his soup to be brought in and it pleased him so well.
That he thought he had never tasted any so good before.
At the bottom.
He saw a gold ring lying.
And as he could not make out how it had got there,
He ordered the cook to be sent for.
The cook was frightened when he heard the order and said to Catskin,
You must have let a hair fall into the soup!
If it be so,
You will have a good beating.
Then he went before the king.
And he asked him who had cooked the soup.
I did.
Answered the cook.
But the king said,
That is not true.
It was better done than you could do it.
Then he answered,
To tell the truth,
I did not cook it.
But catskin did.
Then let catskin come up,
" said the king.
And when she came,
He said to her,
Are you?
Our poor child,
Said she,
That has lost both father and mother.
How came you in my palace?
Asked he.
Bye.
Um Good for nothing.
Said she but to be scullion girl and to have boots and shoes thrown at my head.
But.
.
.
How did you get the ring that was in the soup?
Asked the king.
Then she would not own that she knew anything about the ring.
So the king sent her away again about her business.
After a time,
There was another feast.
And Catskin asked the cook to let her go up and see it as before.
Yes,
Said he,
But come again in half an hour and cook the king the soup that he likes so much.
Then she ran to her little cabin,
Washed herself quickly,
And took her dress out,
Which was silvery as the moon,
And put it on.
And when she went in,
Looking like a king's daughter,
The king went up to her and rejoiced at seeing her again.
And when the dance began,
He danced with her.
After the dance was at an end,
She managed to slip out so slyly that the king did not see where she was gone.
But she sprang into her little cabin and made herself into cat skin again and went into the kitchen to cook the soup.
Whilst the cook was above stairs,
She got the golden necklace and dropped it into the soup.
Then it was brought to the king,
Who ate it,
And it pleased him as well as before.
So he sent for the cook,
Who was again forced to tell him that cat skin had cooked it.
Catskin was brought again before the king.
But she still told him that she was only fit to have boots and shoes thrown at her head.
Catskin was brought again before the king.
But she still told him that she was only fit to have boots and shoes thrown at her head.
But when the king had ordered a feast to be got ready for the third time.
.
.
It happened just the same as before.
You must be a witch-catskin,
Said the cook,
For you always put something into your soup so that it pleases the king better than mine.
However,
He let her go up as before.
Then she put on her dress,
Which sparkled like the stars,
And went into the ballroom in it.
And the king danced with her again and thought she had never looked so beautiful as she did then.
So.
Whilst he was dancing with her,
He put a gold ring on her finger without her seeing it.
And ordered that the dance should be kept up a long time.
When it was at an end,
He would have held her fast by the hand,
But she slipped away and sprang so quickly through the crowd that he lost sight of her.
And she ran as fast as she could into her little cabin under the stairs.
But this time she kept away too long and stayed beyond the half hour.
So she had not time to take off her fine dress and threw her fur mantle over it.
And in her haste,
Did not blacken herself all over with soot,
But left one of her fingers white.
Then she ran into the kitchen and cooked the king's soup.
And as soon as the cook was gone,
She put the golden brooch into the dish.
When the king got to the bottom.
He ordered Catskin to be called once more.
And soon saw the white finger.
And the ring that he had put on it whilst they were dancing.
So he seized her hand and kept fast hold of it,
And when she wanted to loose herself and spring away,
The fur cloak fell off a little on one side and the starry dress sparkled underneath it.
Then he got hold of the fur and tore it off.
And her golden hair and beautiful form were seen.
And she could no longer hide herself.
So she washed the soot and ashes from her face and showed herself to be the most beautiful princess upon the face of the earth.
But the king said,
You are my beloved bride.
And we will never more be parted from each other.
And the wedding feast was held.
And a merry day it was,
As ever was heard of or seen in that country.
Or indeed in any other.
Cat and mouse in partnership.
A certain cat had made the acquaintance of a mouse.
And had said so much to her about the great love and friendship she felt for her.
That,
At length,
The mouse agreed that they should live and keep house together.
But we must make a provision for winter.
Or else we shall suffer from hunger.
Said the cat.
And you,
Little mouse,
Cannot venture everywhere or you will be caught in a trap someday.
The good advice was followed,
And a pot of fat was bought.
But they did not know where to put it.
At length,
After much consideration,
The cat said,
I know no place where it will be better stored up than in the church,
For no one dares take anything away from there.
We will set it beneath the altar.
And not touch it until we are really in need of it.
So the pot was placed in safety.
But.
.
.
It was not long before the cat had a great yearning for it.
And said to the mouse.
I want to tell you something,
Little mouse.
My cousin has brought a little son into the world and has asked me to be godmother.
He is white with brown spots,
And I am to hold him over the font at the christening.
Let me go out today and you look after the house by yourself.
Yes yes answered the mouse by all means go and if you get anything very good to eat Think of me.
I should like a drop of sweet red christening wine myself.
All this,
However,
Was untrue.
Cat had no cousin.
And had not been asked to be godmother.
She went straight to the church,
Stole to the pot of fat,
Began to lick at it,
And licked the top of the fat off.
Then she took a walk upon the roofs of the town,
Looked out for opportunities,
And then stretched herself in the sun and licked her lips whenever she thought of the pot of fat.
And not until it was evening did she return home.
Well,
Here you are again,
Said the mouse.
No doubt you have had a merry day.
All went off well,
Answered the cat.
What name did they give the child?
Top.
Oh.
Said the cat quite coolly.
Aww.
Cried the mouse.
That is very odd.
And uncommon name.
Is it a usual one in your family?
What does that matter?
Said the cat.
It is no worse than Crumb Stealer,
As your godchildren are called.
Before long,
The cat was seized by another fit of yearning.
She said to the mouse,
You must do me a favor.
And once more managed the house for a day alone.
I am again asked to be godmother.
And as the child has a white ring round its neck.
.
.
I cannot refuse!
The good mouse consented.
But the cat crept behind the town walls to the church and devoured half the pot of fat.
Nothing ever seems so good as what one keeps to oneself.
Said she.
And was quite satisfied with her day's work.
When she went home,
The mouse inquired,
And what was the child christened?
Hello.
Done.
Aunts of the cat.
Done!
What are you saying?
I'd never heard the name in my life!
I'll wager anything it is not in the calendar.
The cat's mouth soon began to water for some more licking.
All good things go in threes,
Said she.
I am asked to stand godmother again!
The child is quite black.
Only it has white pores,
But with that exception,
It has not a single white hair on its whole body.
This only happens once every few years.
You will let me go,
Won't you?
Close Half done.
Answer the mouse.
They are such odd names.
They make me very happy.
Thoughtful.
You sit at home,
Said the cat,
In your dark grey fur coat and long tail.
And are filled with fancies.
That's because you do not go out in the daytime.
During the cat's absence,
The mouse cleaned the house and put it in order but the greedy cat.
Entirely emptied the pot of fat.
When everything is eaten up.
One has some power.
Peace.
Said she to herself.
And well-filled and fat.
She did not return home till night.
The mouse at once asked what name had been given to the third child.
It will not please you more than the others said the cat he is called Bye!
Gone.
Aww.
Gone!
Cried the mouse.
That is the most suspicious name of all.
I have never seen it in print.
Ooo Gone?
What can that mean?
And she shook her head,
Curled herself up,
And lay down to sleep.
From this time forth,
No one invited the cat to be godmother,
But When the winter had come,
And there was no longer anything to be found outside,
The mouse thought of their provision.
And said come cat we will go to our pot of fat which we have stored up for ourselves we shall enjoy that Yes,
Answered the cat.
You will enjoy it as much as you would enjoy sticking that dainty tongue of yours out of the window.
They set out on their way.
But when they arrived,
The pot of fat certainly was still in its place,
But it was empty.
Alas,
Said the mouse.
Now I see what has happened.
Now it comes to light.
You!
Are a true friend.
You have devoured all when you were standing godmother first top off Then,
Half done,
Then.
.
.
Will you hold your tongue?
Cried the cat.
One word more and I will eat you too!
All gone was already on the poor mouse's lips.
Scarcely had she spoken it before the cat sprang on her,
Seized her,
And swallowed her down.
Verily,
That is the way of the world.
The fox and the cat.
It happened that the cat met the fox in a forest.
And as she thought to herself,
He is clever and full of experience and much esteemed in the world.
She spoke to him in a friendly way.
Good day,
Dear Mr Fox.
How are you?
How is all with you?
How are you getting on in these hard times?
The Fox.
Full of all kinds of arrogance,
Looked at the cat from head to foot.
And for a long time did not know whether he would give any answer or not.
At last,
He said,
You wretched!
Beard cleaner.
You piebald fool!
You hungry mouse hunter.
What can you be thinking of?
Have you the cheek?
To ask how I am getting on.
What have you learnt?
How many arts do you understand?
I understand but one,
Replied the cat modestly.
What art is that?
Asked the fox.
When the hounds are following me,
I can spring into a tree and save myself.
Is that.
.
.
Boing!
Said the fox.
I am master of a hundred arts.
And have into the bargain a sackful of cunning.
You make me sorry for you.
Come with me.
I will teach you how people get away from the hounds.
Just then came a hunter with four dogs.
The cat sprang nimbly up a tree and sat down at the top of it,
Where the branches and foliage quite concealed her.
Open your sack,
Mr Fox!
Open your sack!
Cried the cat to him.
But the dogs had already seized him and were holding him fast.
Awww.
Mr Fox,
Cried the cat.
You with your hundred arts are left in the lurch.
Had you been able to climb like me?
You would not have lost your life.
Little Red Cap,
Or as it's more commonly known in English,
Little Red Riding Hood.
Once upon a time,
There was a dear little girl who was loved by everyone who looked at her.
But most of all by her grandmother.
And there was nothing that she would not have given to the child.
Once she gave her a little cap of red velvet,
Which suited her so well that she would never wear anything else.
So she was always called Little Red Cap.
One day,
Her mother said to her,
Come,
Little red cap.
Here is a piece of cake and a bottle of wine.
Take them to your grandmother.
She is ill and weak.
And they will do her good.
Set out before it gets hot.
And when you are going,
Walk nicely and quietly and do not run off the path or you may fall and break the bottle and then your grandmother will get nothing.
And when you go into her room,
Don't forget to say,
Good morning.
And don't peep into every corner before you do it.
I will take great care.
Said Little Red Cap to her mother.
And gave her hand on it.
The grandmother lived out in the wood,
Half a league from the village.
And just as Little Red Cap entered the wood,
A wolf met her.
Redcap did not know what a wicked creature he was.
And was not at all afraid of him.
Good day,
Little red cat.
Said he.
Thank you kindly,
Wolf.
Wither away so early,
Little red cat?
To my grandmothers.
What have you got?
In your apron.
Cake and wine.
Yesterday was baking day,
So poor sick grandmother is to have something good to make her stronger.
Where does your grandmother live?
Little red cat.
A good quarter of a league farther on in the wood.
Her house stands under the three large oak trees.
The nut trees are just below.
You surely must know it,
" replied Little Red Cap.
The wolf thought to himself.
What a tender young creature.
What a nice plum!
Mouthful.
She will be better to eat than the old woman.
I must act craftily.
So as to catch both.
So he walked for a short time by the side of Little Red Cap,
And then he said,
See,
Little red cap,
How pretty the flowers are about here?
Why do you not look round?
I believe,
Too,
That you do not hear how sweetly the little birds are singing.
You walk gravely along as if you were going to school.
While everything else out here in the wood is.
.
.
Mary?
Little red cap raised her eyes.
And when she saw the sunbeams dancing here and there through the trees,
And pretty flowers growing everywhere,
She thought,
Suppose i take grandmother a fresh nose gay that would please her too It is so early in the day that I shall still get there in good time.
And sew.
She ran from the path into the wood to look for flowers.
And whenever she had picked one,
She fancied that she saw a still prettier one farther on and ran after it.
And so,
Got deeper and deeper into the wood.
Meanwhile,
The wolf ran straight to the grandmother's house and knocked at the door.
Who is there?
Little red cap replied the wolf She is.
.
.
Bringing cake and wine.
Open the door.
Lift the lamp.
Called out the grandmother.
Bye!
I'm too weak.
And cannot get up.
The wolf lifted the latch.
The door sprang open and without saying a word,
He went straight to the grandmother's bed and devoured her.
Then he put on her clothes,
Dressed himself in her cap,
Laid himself in bed and drew the curtains.
Little red cap,
However.
Had been running about picking flowers,
And when she had gathered so many that she could carry no more,
She remembered her grandmother.
And set out on the way to her.
She was surprised to find the cottage door standing open.
And when she went into the room,
She had such a strange feeling.
That she said to herself.
Oh dear.
How uneasy I feel today.
At other times.
I like being with grandmother so much.
She called out,
Good morning.
But received no answer.
So she went to the bed and drew back the curtains.
There lay her grandmother with her cap pulled far over her face.
And looking very strange.
Oh!
Grandmother,
" she said.
Big ears you have.
The better to hear you with,
My child.
Was the reply.
Grandmother!
What big eyes you have,
She said.
The better to see you with,
My dear.
Grandmother.
What large hands you have!
The better to hug you with?
Oh!
Grandmother.
What a terrible big mouth you have!
The better.
To eat you with!
And scarcely had the wolf said this then with one bound he was out of bed and swallowed up red cap.
When the wolf had appeased his appetite.
He lay down again in the bed,
Fell asleep,
And began to snore very loud.
The huntsman was just passing the house and thought to himself,
Now the old woman is snoring.
I must just see if she wants anything.
So,
He went into the room.
And when he came to the bed.
.
.
He saw that.
.
.
The wolf was lying in it.
Do I find you here?
You old sinner,
Said he,
I have long sought you.
Then,
Just as he was going to fire at him.
.
.
It occurred to him that the wolf might have devoured the grandmother.
And that she might still be saved?
So,
He did not fire,
But took a pair of scissors and began to cut open the stomach of the sleeping wolf.
When he had made two snips,
He saw.
.
.
The little red cap shining.
And then he made two snips more and the little girl sprang out crying,
How frightened I have been!
How dark it was inside the wolf!
And after that,
The aged grandmother came out,
Alive also,
But scarcely able to breathe.
Redcap,
However,
Quickly fetched great stones with which they filled the wolf's belly And when he awoke,
He wanted to run away,
But the stones were so heavy that.
.
.
He collapsed at once and fell dead.
Then all three were delighted.
The huntsman drew off the wolf's skin and went home with it.
The grandmother ate the cake and drank the wine which Redcap had brought,
And revived.
But Redcap thought to herself.
As long as I live.
I will never by myself leave the path to run into the wood when my mother has forbidden me to do so.
It also related that once,
When Redcap was again taking cakes to the old grandmother,
Another wolf spoke to her.
And try to entice her from the path.
Redcap,
However,
Was on her guard.
And went straight forward on her way and told her grandmother that she had met the wolf.
And that he had said good morning to her,
But with such a wicked look in his eyes,
That if they had not been on the public road,
She was certain he would have eaten her up.
Well said the grandmother We will see.
Shut the door that he may not come in.
Soon afterwards,
The wolf knocked and cried,
Open the door,
Grandmother.
I am Little Red Cap and I'm bringing you some cakes.
But they did not speak.
Or open the door.
So the greybeard stole twice or thrice round the house and at last jumped on the roof.
Intending to wait until Redcap went home in the evening and then to steal after her and devour her in the darkness?
But the grandmother saw what was in his thoughts.
In front of the house was a great stone trough.
So she said to the child,
Take the pail,
Red cat.
I made some sausages yesterday.
Carry the water in which I boiled them to the trough.
Redcap carried until the great trough was quite full.
Just then,
The smell of the sausages reached the wolf.
And he sniffs.
And peeped down and at last stretched out his neck so far that he could no longer keep his footing and began to slip and slipped down from the roof straight into the great trough and was drowned.
But Redcap went joyously home.
And no one ever did anything to harm her.
Again.
The mouse,
The bird,
And the sausage.
Once upon a time,
A mouse,
A bird and a sausage entered into partnership and set up house together.
For a long time,
All went well.
They lived in great comfort and prospered so far as to be able to add considerably to their stores.
The bird's duty was to fly daily into the wood and bring in fuel.
The mouse fetched the water and the sausage saw to the cooking.
When people are too well off.
They always begin to long for comfort.
Something new.
And so it came to pass that the bird,
While out one day,
Met a fellow bird,
To whom he boastfully expatiated on the excellence of his household arrangements.
But the other bird sneered at him for being a poor simpleton who did all the hard work while the other two stayed at home and had a good time of it.
For when the mouse had made the fire and fetched in the water,
She could retire into her little room and rest until it was time to set the table.
The sausage had only to watch the pot to see that the food was properly cooked.
And when it was near dinner time,
He just threw himself into the broth or rolled in and out among the vegetables three or four times.
And there they were,
Buttered and salted and ready to be served.
Then.
.
.
When the bird came home and had laid aside his burden,
They sat down to table,
And when they had finished their meal,
They could sleep their fill till the following morning.
And that was really it.
A very delightful life.
Influenced by those remarks.
The bird,
Next morning,
Refused to bring in the wood.
Telling the others that he had been their servant long enough.
And had been a fool into the bargain,
And that it was now time to make a change.
And to try some other way of arranging the work.
Beg and pray as the mouse and the sausage might,
It was of no use.
The bird remained master of the situation.
And.
.
.
The venture had to be made.
They therefore drew lots,
And it fell to the sausage to bring in the wood,
To the mouse to cook,
And to the bird to fetch the water.
And now what happened?
The sausage started in search of wood,
The bird made the fire,
And the mouse put on the pot.
And then these two waited till the sausage returned with the fuel for the following day.
But the sausage remained so long away.
That they became uneasy.
And the bird flew out to meet him.
He had not flown far,
However,
When he came across A dog?
Who,
Having met the sausage,
Had regarded him as his legitimate booty,
And so seized and swallowed him.
The bird complained to the dog of this bare-faced robbery.
But nothing he said was of any avail,
For the dog answered that he found false credentials on the sausage,
And that was the reason his life had been forfeited.
He picked up the wood.
And flew sadly home.
And told the mouse all he had seen and heard.
They were both very unhappy.
But agreed to make the best of things and to remain with one another.
So now the bird set the table and the mouse looked after the food and.
.
.
Wishing to prepare it in the same way as the sausage,
By rolling in and out among the vegetables to salt and butter them,
She jumped into the pot.
But she stopped short long before she reached the bottom,
Having already parted not only with her skin and hair,
But also.
.
.
With life.
Presently.
The bird came in and wanted to serve up the dinner.
But.
.
.
He could nowhere see the cook.
In his alarm and flurry,
He threw the wood here and there about the floor,
Called and searched,
No cook was to be found.
Pen.
Some of the wood that had been carelessly thrown down caught fire and began to blaze.
The bird hastened to fetch some water,
But his pail fell into the well,
And he after it.
.
.
And as he was unable to recover himself,
Hey!
Was drowned.
Hansel and Gretel.
Hard by a great forest dwelt a poor woodcutter.
With his wife and his two children.
The boy was called Hansel and the girl Gretel.
He had little to bite and to break,
And once,
When great dearth fell on the land,
He could no longer procure even daily bread.
Now,
When he thought over this by night in his bed and tossed about in his anxiety,
He groaned and said to his wife,
What is to become of us?
How are we to feed our poor children?
When we no longer have anything even for ourselves?
I'll tell you what,
Husband,
Answered the woman,
Early tomorrow morning.
We will take the children out into the forest to where it is the thickest.
There we will light a fire for them and give each of them one more piece of bread and then we will go to our work and leave them alone.
They will not find the way home again and we shall be rid of them.
No.
Wife,
Said the man.
I will not do that.
How can I bear to leave my children alone in the forest?
The wild animals would soon come and tear them to pieces.
Oh.
.
.
You fool,
Said she,
Then we must all four die of hunger.
You may as well plane the planks for our coffins.
And she left him no peace until he consented.
But I feel very sorry for the poor children all the same.
Set the match The two children had also not been able to sleep for hunger and had heard what their stepmother had said to their father.
Gretel Whip.
Bitter tears.
And said to Hansel.
Now.
All.
Is over with us.
Be quiet,
Gretel,
" said Hansel.
Do not distress yourself.
I will soon find a way to help us.
And when the old folks had fallen asleep,
He got up,
Put on his little coat,
Opened the door below and crept outside.
The moon shone brightly.
And the white pebbles which lay in front of the house glittered like real silver pennies.
Hansel stooped and stuffed the little bucket of his coat with as many as he could get in.
Then he went back and said to Gretel,
Be comforted,
Dear little sister.
And sleep in peace.
God will not forsake us.
And he lay down again in his bed.
When day dawned,
But before the sun had risen,
The woman came and awoke the two children,
Saying,
Get up,
You sluggards!
We are going into the forest to fetch wood.
She gave each a little piece of bread and said,
There is something for your dinner,
But do not eat it up before then,
For you will get nothing else.
Gretel took the bread under her apron,
As Hansel had the pebbles in his pocket,
Then they all set out together on the way to the forest.
When they had walked a short time,
Hansel stood still and peeped back at the house.
And did so again and again.
His father said,
What are you looking at there and staying behind for?
Pay attention.
And do not forget how to use your legs!
Father said hansel i am looking at my little white cat which is sitting up on the roof.
Wants to say goodbye to me.
The wife said,
Fool.
That is not your little cat!
That is the morning sun,
Which is shining on the chimneys.
Hansel,
However,
Had not been looking back at the cat,
But had been constantly throwing one of the white pebble stones out of his pocket on the road.
When they had reached the middle of the forest.
The father said,
Now,
Children.
Pile up some wood and I will light a fire that you may not be cold.
Hansel and Gretel gathered brushwood together as high as a little hill.
The brushwood was lighted,
And when the flames were burning very high,
The woman said,
Now,
Children,
Lay yourselves down by the fire and rest.
We will go into the forest and.
.
.
Cut some wood.
When we have done,
We will come back and fetch you away.
Hansel and Gretel sat by the fire.
And when noon came,
Each ate a little piece of bread.
And as they heard the strokes of the wood axe,
They believed that their father was near.
It was not the axe,
However,
But a branch which he had fastened to a withered tree,
Which the wind was blowing backwards and forwards.
And as they had been sitting such a long time,
Their eyes closed with fatigue and they fell fast asleep.
When at last they awoke,
It was already dark night.
Gretel began to cry.
And said,
How are we to get out of the forest now?
But Hansel comforted her and said,
Wait a little.
Until the moon has risen.
And then we will soon find the way.
And when the full moon had risen,
Hansel took his little sister by the hand and followed the pebbles,
Which shone like newly coined silver pieces,
And showed them the way.
They walked the whole night long.
And by break of day came once more to their father's house.
They knocked at the door.
And when the woman opened it and saw that it was Hansel and Gretel,
She said.
You!
Naughty children.
Why have you slept so long in the forest?
We thought you were never coming back at all.
The father,
However,
Rejoiced.
For it had cut him to the heart to leave them behind alone.
Not long afterwards,
There was once more great dearth throughout the land.
And the children heard their mother saying at night to their father Everything is eaten again.
We have one half loaf left,
And that is the end.
The children must go!
We will take them farther into the woods so that they will not find their way out again.
There is no other means of saving ourselves.
The man's heart was heavy.
And he thought,
It would be better for you to share the last mouthful with your children.
The woman,
However,
Would listen to nothing that he had to say,
But scolded and reproached him.
He who says A must say B likewise,
And as he had yielded the first time,
He had to do so a second time also.
The children,
However,
Were still awake.
And had heard the conversation.
When the old folks were asleep.
Hansel,
Again,
Got up.
And wanted to go out and pick up pebbles,
As he had done before.
The woman had locked the door!
And Hansel could not get out.
Nevertheless,
He comforted his little sister and said,
Do not cry,
Gretel.
Go to sleep quietly.
The good God will help us.
Early in the morning came the woman and took the children out of their beds.
That piece of bread was given to them,
But it was still smaller than the time before.
On the way into the forest,
Hansel crumbled his in his pocket and often stood still and threw a morsel on the ground.
Hansel Why do you stop and look round?
" said the father.
Go on.
Bye!
I'm looking back at my little pigeon.
Which is sitting on the roof and wants to say goodbye to me.
Answered Hansel.
Fool,
Said the woman,
That is not your little pigeon.
That is the morning sun that is shining on the chimney.
Hansel,
However.
Little by little through all the crumbs on the path.
The woman led the children still deeper into the forest,
Where they had never in their lives been before.
Then a great fire was again made.
And the mother said,
Just sit there,
You children.
And when you are tired you may sleep a little.
We are going into the forest to cut wood.
And in the evening,
When we are done,
We will come and fetch you away.
When it was noon.
Gretel shared her piece of bread with Hansel,
Who had scattered his,
By the way.
Then they fell asleep.
And evening passed.
But no one came to the poor children.
They did not awake until it was dark night.
And Hansel comforted his little sister and said,
Just wait Gretel.
Until the moon rises.
And then we shall see the crumbs of bread,
Which I have strewn about.
They will show us our way home again.
When the moon came,
They set out.
But.
.
.
They found no crumbs.
For the many thousands of birds which fly about in the woods and fields.
Had picked them all up.
Hansel said to Gretel.
We shall soon.
Find the way.
But they did not find it.
They walked the whole night,
And all the next day too,
From morning till evening,
But they did not get out of the forest.
And were very hungry.
For they had nothing to eat but two or three berries which grew on the ground.
And as they were so weary that their legs would carry them no longer.
They lay down beneath a tree.
And fell asleep.
It was now three mornings since they had left their father's house.
They began to walk again,
But they always came deeper into the forest.
And If help did not come soon,
They must die of hunger and weariness.
When it was midday,
They saw a beautiful snow-white bird sitting on a bough.
Which sang so delightfully that they stood still and listened to it.
And when its song was over,
It spread its wings and flew away before them,
And they followed it until they reached a little house.
On the roof of which it alighted.
And when they approached the little house,
They saw that it was built of bread.
And covered with cakes.
But that the windows were of clear sugar.
We will set to work on that,
" said Hansel.
And have a good meal.
I will eat a bit of the roof.
And you,
Gretel,
Can eat some of the window.
It will taste sweet.
Hansel reached up above and broke off a little of the roof to try how it tasted,
And Gretel leant against the window and nibbled at the panes.
Then.
A soft voice cried from the parlor.
Nibble nibble gnaw.
Who is nibbling at my little house?
The children answered,
The wind!
The wind.
The heaven-born wind.
And went on eating without disturbing themselves.
Hansel,
Who liked the taste of the roof,
Tore down a great piece of it,
And Gretel pushed out the whole of one round windowpane,
Sat down and enjoyed herself with it.
Suddenly.
.
.
The door opened,
And a woman as old as the hills,
Who supported herself on crutches,
Came creeping out.
Hansel and Gretel was so terribly frightened.
That they let fall what they had in their hands.
The old woman,
However,
Nodded her head and said,
Oh.
You dear children.
Has brought you here.
Do come in.
And stay with me.
No harm shall happen to you.
She took them both by the hand and led them into her little house.
THEN.
Good food was set before them,
Milk and pancakes with sugar,
Apples and nuts.
Afterwards,
Two pretty little beds were covered with clean white linen and Hansel and Gretel lay down in them and thought they were in heaven.
The old woman had only pretended to be so kind.
She was,
In reality,
A wicked witch who lay in wait for children and had only built the little house of bread in order to entice them there.
When a child fell into her power.
She killed it.
Cooked and ate it,
And that was a feast day with her.
Witches have red eyes and cannot see far,
But they have a keen scent like the beasts and are aware when human beings draw near.
When Hansel and Gretel came into her neighbourhood,
She laughed with malice and said,
Mockingly,
I have them.
They shall not escape me again.
Early in the morning,
Before the children were awake,
She was already up.
And when she saw both of them sleeping and looking so pretty with their plump and rosy cheeks,
She muttered to herself,
That will be a dainty mouthful.
Then she seized Hansel with her shrivelled hand,
Carried him into a little stable and locked him in behind a grated door.
Scream as he might,
It would not help him.
Then she went to Gretel.
Shook her till she awoke and cried,
Get up lazy thing.
Fetch some water.
And cook something good for your brother.
He is in the stable outside and is to be made.
Fat.
When he is fat.
I We'll eat him.
Gretel began to weep.
Bitterly.
But it was all in vain,
For she was forced to do what the Wicked Witch commanded.
And now.
.
.
The best food was cooked for poor Hansel.
Gretel got nothing but Crab shells!
Every morning,
The woman crept to the little stable and cried,
Hansel,
Stretch out your finger.
That I may feel if you will soon be fat.
Hansel,
However,
Stretched out a little bone to her.
And the old woman,
Who had dim eyes,
Could not see it and thought it was Hansel's finger.
And was astonished that there was no way of fattening him.
When four weeks had gone by and Hansel still remained thin.
She was seized with impatience and would not wait any longer.
Now then,
Gretel,
She cried to the girl,
Stir yourself and bring some water.
Let Hansel be fat or lean.
Tomorrow I will kill him.
And cook him.
Ah,
How the poor little sister did lament when she had to fetch the water.
And how her tears did flow down her cheeks.
Dear God.
Do help us,
She cried.
If the wild beasts in the forest had but devoured us,
We should at any rate have died together.
Just keep your noise to yourself,
Said the old woman.
It won't help you at all.
Early in the morning,
Gretel had to go out and hang up the cauldron with the water and light the fire.
We will bake first,
Said the old woman.
I've already heated the oven and kneaded the dough.
She pushed poor Gretel out to the oven,
From which flames of fire were already darting.
Creep in said the witch and see if it is properly heated so that we can put the bread in.
And once Gretel was inside,
She intended to shut the oven and let her bake in it and then she would eat her too.
But Gretel saw what she had in mind and said,
I do not know how I am to do it.
How do I get in?
Silly goose!
Said the old woman.
The door is big enough.
Just look,
I can get in myself!
And she crept up and thrust her head into the oven.
Then Gretel gave her a push that drove her far into it and shut the iron door and fastened the bolt.
Oh.
Then she began to howl.
Quite horribly but Gretel ran away and the.
.
.
Godless witch was miserably burnt to the ground.
Gretel,
However,
Ran like lightning to Hansel,
Opened his little stable and cried,
Hansel,
We are saved!
The old witch is dead.
Hansel sprang like a bird from its cage when the door is opened.
How they did rejoice and embrace each other and dance about and kiss each other and as they had no longer any need to fear her.
They went into the witch's house and in every corner there stood chests full of pearls and jewels.
"'These are far better than pebbles,
' said Hansel,
And thrust into his pockets whatever could be got in,
And Gretel said,
"'I too will take something home with me,
' and filled her pinafore full.
"'But now we must be off,
' said Hansel,
"'that we may get out of the witch's forest.
'" when they had walked for two hours.
They came to a great stretch of water.
We cannot cross,
" said Hansel.
I see no foot plank and no bridge and there is also no ferry,
Answered Gretel.
But… A white duck is swimming there.
If I ask her,
She will help us over.
Then she cried.
Little duck Little duck!
Dost thou see,
Hansel and Gretel are waiting for thee?
There's never a plank or bridge in sight.
Take us across,
On thy back so white.
The dog?
Came to them.
And Hansel seated himself on his back and told his sister to sit by him.
No,
Replied Gretel,
That will be too heavy for the little duck.
She shall take us across one after the other.
The good little duck did so.
And when they were once safely across and had walked for a short time,
The forest seemed to be more and more familiar to them.
And at length.
They saw from afar their father's house.
Then they began to run.
Rushed into the parlour and threw themselves round their father's neck.
The man had not known one happy hour since he had left the children in the forest.
The woman,
However,
Was dead.
Gretel emptied her pinafore until pearls and precious stones ran about the room,
And Hansel threw one handful after another out of his pocket to add to them.
Then all anxiety was at an end.
And they lived together in perfect happiness.
My tail is done.
There runs a mouse.
Whosoever catches it may make himself a big fur cap out of it.
Snow White and Rose Red.
There was once a poor widow.
Who lived in a lonely cottage.
In front of the cottage was a garden,
Wherein stood two rose trees.
One of which were white and the other red roses.
She had two children who were like the two rose trees.
And one was called Snow White and the other Rose Red.
They were as good and happy as ever.
As busy and cheerful as ever two children in the world were.
Oh,
No.
Snow White was more quiet and gentle than Rose Red.
Rose Red liked better to run about in the meadows and fields,
Seeking flowers and catching butterflies.
But Snow White sat at home with her mother and helped her with her housework or read to her when there was nothing to do.
The two children were so fond of one another that they always held each other by the hand when they went out together.
And when Snow White said,
We will not leave each other.
Rose Red answered,
Never,
So long as we live.
And their mother would add,
What one has,
She must share with the other.
They often ran about the forest alone and gathered red berries,
And no beasts did them any harm,
But came close to them,
Trustfully.
The little hare would eat a cabbage leaf out of their hands,
The roe grazed by their side,
The stag leapt merrily by them,
And the birds sat still upon the boughs and sang whatever they knew.
No mishap overtook them.
If they had stayed too late in the forest and night came on,
They laid themselves down near one another upon the moss and slept until morning came And their mother knew this,
And did not worry on their account.
Once when they had spent the night in the wood and the dawn had roused them.
They saw.
A beautiful child in a shining white dress sitting near their bed.
He got up and looked quite kindly at them.
But said nothing.
And went into the forest.
And when they looked round,
They found that they had been sleeping quite close to a precipice.
And would certainly have fallen into it in the darkness if they had gone only a few paces further.
And their mother told them that it must have been the angel who watches over good children.
Snow White and Rose Red kept their mother's little cottage so neat.
That it was a pleasure to look inside it.
In the summer,
Rose Red took care of the house,
And every morning laid a wreath of flowers by her mother's bed before she awoke.
In which was a rose from each tree.
In the winter,
Snow White lit the fire and hung the kettle on the hob.
The kettle was of brass and shone like gold.
Gold!
So brightly was it polished.
In the evening,
When the snowflakes fell,
The mother said,
Go,
Snow White,
And bolt the door.
And then they sat round the hearth and the mother took her spectacles and read aloud out of a large book.
And the two girls listened as they sat and spun.
And close by them lay a lamb upon the floor.
And behind them,
Upon a perch,
Sat a white dove,
With its head hidden beneath its wings.
One evening,
As they were thus sitting comfortably together,
Someone knocked at the door,
As if he wished to be let in.
The mother said,
Quick,
Rose red,
Open the door.
It must be a traveler who is seeking shelter.
Rose Red went and pushed back the bolt,
Thinking that it was a poor man.
It was not.
It was a bear!
That stretched his broad black head within the door.
Rose Red screamed and sprang back.
The lamb bleated,
The dove fluttered,
And Snow White hid herself behind her mother's bed.
But the bear began to speak and said,
Do not be afraid.
I will do you no harm.
I am half frozen.
And only want to warm myself a little beside you.
Poor bear,
" said the mother.
Lie down by the fire.
I'm gonna eat.
Take care that you do not burn your coat.
Then,
She cried,
Snow White,
Rose Red,
Come out.
The bear will do you no harm.
He means well.
So,
They both came out.
And by and by,
The lamb and dove came nearer.
And were not afraid of him.
The bear said,
Here,
Children.
Knock the snow out of my coat a little.
So they brought the broom and swept the bear's hide clean.
And he stretched himself by the fire and growled contentedly and comfortably.
It was not long before they grew quite at home and played tricks with their clumsy guest.
They tugged his hair with their hands,
Put their feet upon his back and rolled him about or they took a hazel switch and beat him,
And when he growled,
They laughed.
But the bear took it all in good part.
Only when they were too rough,
He called out,
Leave me alive,
Children.
Snow White,
Rose Red,
Will you beat your wooer dead?
When it was bedtime and the others went to bed.
The mother said to the bear.
You can lie there by the hearth.
And then you will be safe from the cold and the bad weather.
As soon as day dawned,
The two children let him out,
And he trotted across the snow into the forest.
Henceforth,
The bear came every evening at the same time.
Laid himself down by the hearth and let the children play.
Amuse themselves with him as much as they liked.
And they got so used to him that the doors were never fastened until their black friend had arrived.
When spring had come and all outside was green.
The bear said one morning to Snow White,
I must go away.
And cannot come back for the whole summer.
Where are you going then dear bear asked snow white i must go into the forest and guard my treasures from the Wicked dwarves.
In the winter,
When the earth is frozen hard,
They are obliged to stay below.
And cannot work their way through,
But now… when the sun has thawed and warmed the earth.
They break through it and come out to pry and steal.
And what once gets into their hands and in their caves.
Does not easily see daylight again.
Snow white was quite sorry at his departure And as she unbolted the door for him,
And the bear was hurrying out.
He caught against the bolt and a piece of his hairy coat was torn off.
And it seemed to snow white.
As if She had seen it.
Gold shining through it?
But she was not sure about it.
The bear ran away quickly and was soon out of sight behind the trees.
A short time afterwards,
The mother sent her children into the forest to get firewood.
There,
They found a big tree which lay felled on the ground,
And close by the trunk,
Something was jumping backwards and forwards in the grass.
They could not make out what it was.
When they came nearer,
They saw a dwarf.
With an old,
Withered face and a snow-white beard a yard long.
The end of the beard was caught in a crevice of the tree and the little fellow was jumping about like a dog tied to a rope and did not know what to do.
He glared at the girls with his fiery red eyes and cried,
Why do you stand there?
Can you not come here and help me?
"'What are you up to,
Little man?
' asked Rose Red.
You stupid.
.
.
Crying.
Goose!
Answered the dwarf.
I was going to split the tree to get a little wood for cooking.
The little bit of food that we people get is immediately burnt up with heavy logs.
We do not swallow so much as you.
Coarse,
Greedy folks.
I had just driven the wedge safely in and everything was going as I wished.
But the cursed wedge was too smooth and suddenly sprang out and the tree closed so quickly that I could not pull out my beautiful white beard.
So now it is tight.
And I cannot get away and the silly sleek.
Milk-faced things laugh.
Oh dears,
You are.
The children tried very hard.
But they could not pull the beard out.
It was caught too fast.
I will run and fetch someone,
" said Rose Red.
You senseless goose snarled the dwarf why should you fetch someone you are already too too many for me Can you not think of something better?
Don't.
"'Be impatient,
' said Snow White.
" I will help you.
And she pulled her scissors out of her pocket.
Cut off the end of the beard.
As soon as the dwarf felt himself free,
He laid hold of a bag which lay amongst the roots of the tree,
And which was full of gold.
And lifted it up,
Grumbling to himself.
Um.
.
.
Off a piece of my fine skin.
Beard!
Bad luck to you.
And then he swung the bag upon his back and went off.
Without even once looking at the children.
Some time afterwards,
Snow White and Rose Red went to catch a dish of fish.
As they came near the brook,
They saw.
.
.
Something like a large grasshopper jumping towards the water as if it were going to leap in.
They ran to it and found.
.
.
It was the dwarf.
Where are you going?
Said Rose Red.
You surely don't want to go into the water?
I am not such a fool.
Fool!
Cried the dwarf.
Don't you see that the accursed fish wants to pull me in?
The little man had been sitting there fishing And unluckily,
The wind had tangled up his beard.
With the fishing line.
A moment later,
A big fish made a bite.
And the feeble creature had not strength to pull it out,
The fish kept the upper hand and pulled the dwarf towards him.
He held on to all the reeds and rushes,
But it was of little good,
For he was forced to follow the movements of the fish and was in urgent danger of being dragged into the water.
The girls came just in time!
They held him fast and tried to free his beard from the line?
But all in vain.
Beard and line were entangled fast together.
There was nothing to do but to.
.
.
Bring out the scissors!
And cut the beard.
Whereby a small part of it was lost.
When the dwarf saw that He screamed out.
Is that civil?
You!
Toadstool!
To this figure of man's face.
Was it not enough to clip off the end of my beard?
Now you have cut off the best part of it.
I cannot let myself be seen by my people.
I wish you had.
.
.
Been made to run the souls off your shoes.
Then he took out a sack of pearls which lay in the rushes and without another word he dragged it away.
And disappeared behind a stone.
It happened that soon afterwards,
The mother sent the two children to the town to buy needles and thread.
And leases and ribbons.
The road led them across a heath upon which huge pieces of rock lay strewn about.
There,
They noticed a large bird hovering in the air.
Flying slowly round and round above them.
It sank lower and lower and at last settled near a rock.
Not far away.
Immediately,
They heard a loud bang.
Tears cry They ran up and saw with horror that the eagle had seized their old acquaintance,
The dwarf,
And was going to carry him off.
The children,
Full of pity,
At once took tight hold of the little man and pulled against the eagles so long that at last he let his booty go.
As soon as the dwarf had recovered from his first fright,
He cried with his shrill voice.
Could you not have done it,
Morgan?
For Leigh?
You dragged up my brown coat so that it is all torn and full of holes you clumsy creatures.
Then.
.
.
He took up a sack full of precious stones.
And slipped away again,
Under the rock,
Into his hole.
The girls,
Who by this time were used to his ingratitude.
Went on their way and did their business in town.
As they cross the heath again on their way home.
They surprised the dwarf.
Who had emptied out his bag of precious stones in a clean spot and had not thought that anyone would come there so late.
The evening sun shone upon the brilliant stones.
They glittered and sparkled with all colours,
So vivid.
Beautifully.
That the children stood still and stared at them.
Why do you stand?
Gaping there,
Cried the dwarf.
And his ashen-gray face became dim.
Copper red with rage.
He was still cursing when a loud growling was heard.
And a black bear came trotting towards them out of the forest.
The dwarf sprang up in a fright.
But he could not reach his cave,
For the bear was already close.
Then,
In the dread of his heart,
He cried,
Dear mr bear spare me i will give you all my treasures look the beautiful jewels lying there grant me my life What do you want with such a slender little fellow as I?
You would not feel me between your teeth!
Take these two wicked girls!
They are tender morsels for you.
Fat as young quails.
For mercy's sake,
Eat them!
The bear.
Took no heed of his words.
But gave the wicked creature a single blow with his paw.
And he did not move again The girls had run away,
But the bear called to them.
Snow White and Rose Red,
Do not be afraid.
Wait.
I will come with you.
They recognized his voice and waited.
And when he came up to them,
Suddenly.
.
.
His bear skin fell off.
And he stood there.
A handsome man.
Clothed all in gold.
I am a king's son.
He said.
And I.
Was bewitched by that wicked dwarf.
Who had stolen my treasures.
I've had to run about the forest as a savage bear.
Until I was freed.
By his death.
Now he has got his well-deserved punishment.
Snow White was married to him.
And rose red to his brother,
And they divided between them the great treasure which the dwarf had gathered together in his cave.
The old mother lived peacefully and happily with her children for many years.
She took the two rose trees with her.
And they stood before her window.
And every year bore the most beautiful roses,
White and red.
The Goose Girl.
The king of a great land died.
And left his queen to take care of their only child.
This child was a daughter.
Who was very beautiful.
And her mother loved her dearly and was very kind to her.
And there was a good fairy too,
Who was fond of the princess and helped her mother to watch over her.
When she grew up,
She was betrothed to a prince who lived a great way off.
And as the time drew near for her to be married,
She got ready to set off on her journey to his country.
Then the Queen,
Her mother,
Packed up a great many costly things.
Jewels and gold and silver,
Trinkets,
Fine dresses,
And,
In short,
Everything that became a royal bride.
And she gave her a waiting maid to ride with her and give her into the bridegroom's hands and each had a horse for the journey.
Now,
The princess's horse was the fairy's gift and it was called Falada and could speak.
When the time came for them to set out,
The fairy went into her bedchamber and took a little nap.
And cut off a lock of her hair and gave it to the princess,
And said,
Take care of it,
Dear child,
For it is a charm that may be of use to you on the road.
Then they all took a sorrowful leave of the princess.
And she put the lock of hair into her bosom,
Got upon her horse and set off.
On her journey to her bridegroom's kingdom.
One day,
As they were riding along by a brook,
The princess began to feel very thirsty.
And she said to her maid,
Pray get down and fetch me some water in my golden cup out of yonder brook,
For I want to drink.
No,
Said the maid.
If you are thirsty,
Get off yourself and stoop down by the water and drink.
I shall not be your waiting maid any longer.
Then she was so thirsty that she got down and knelt over the little brook and drank.
For she was frightened and dared not bring out her golden cart.
And she wept and said,
Alas.
What will become of me?
And the law.
Answered her and said,
Alas,
Alas,
If thy mother knew it,
Sadly,
Sadly,
Would she rue it.
But the princess was very gentle and meek.
So she said nothing to her maid's ill behaviour,
But got upon her horse again.
Then all rode farther on their journey,
Till the day grew so warm,
And the sun so scorching,
That the bride began to feel very thirsty again,
And at last,
When they came to a river,
She forgot her maid's rude speech and said,
Pray.
Get down and fetch me some water to drink in my golden cup.
But the maid answered her and even spoke more haughtily than before.
Drink if you will,
But I shall not be your waiting maid.
Then the princess was so thirsty that she got off her horse and lay down and held her head over the running stream.
And cried and said,
What will become of me?
And the lock of hair answered her again.
Alas,
Alas,
If thy mother knew it,
Sadly.
Sadly,
Would she rue it?
And as she leaned down to drink,
The lock of hair fell from her bosom and floated away with the water.
Now,
She was so frightened that she did not see it,
But her maid saw it,
And was very glad for she knew the charm.
And she saw that the poor bride would be in her power.
Now that she had lost the hair.
So when the bride had done drinking,
And would have got upon Falada again,
The maid said,
I shall ride upon fallow there.
And you may have my horse instead.
So.
.
.
She was forced to give up her horse and soon afterwards to take off her royal clothes.
And put on her maids shabby ones.
At last,
As they drew near the end of their journey,
This treacherous servant threatened to kill her mistress if she ever told anyone what had happened.
But Faladaar saw it all,
And marked it well.
Then the waiting maid got upon Falada,
And the real bride rode upon the other horse,
And they went on in this way,
Till at last they came to the royal court.
There was great joy at their coming,
And the prince flew to meet them,
And lifted the maid from her horse,
Thinking she was the one who was to be his wife,
And she was led upstairs to the royal chamber.
But the true princess was told to stay in the court below.
The old king happened just then to have nothing else to do.
So he amused himself by sitting at his kitchen window looking at what was going on.
And he saw her in the courtyard.
As she looked very pretty and elegant.
Too delicate for a waiting maid.
He went up into the royal chamber to ask the bride who it was she had brought with her that was thus left standing in the court below.
I brought her with me for the sake of her company on the road,
Said she.
Pray give the girl some work to do that she may not be idle.
The old king could not for some time think of any work for her to do.
But at last he said,
I have a lad who takes care of my geese.
She may go and help him.
The name of this lad that the real bride was to help in watching the king's geese was Curdken.
But the false bride said to the prince,
Dear husband,
Pray do me one piece of kindness.
That I will,
Said the prince.
Then tell one of your slaughterers to cut off the head of the horse I rode upon,
For it was very unruly.
Plagued me sadly on the road.
But the truth was she was very much afraid lest Falada should someday or other speak and tell all she had done to the princess.
She carried her point.
And the faithful Faladar was killed.
But when the true princess heard of it,
She.
.
.
Wanked.
And begged the man to nail up Falada's head against a large,
Dark gate of the city,
Through which she had to pass every morning and evening,
That there she might still see him sometimes.
Then the slaughterer said he would do as she wished.
And cut off the head and nailed it up under the dark gate.
Early the next morning,
As she and Curdken went out through the gate,
She said sorrowfully,
Fa la da.
Fa la da.
There.
Thou hangest.
And the head answered.
Bride,
Bride,
There thou gangest,
Alas!
Alas,
If thy mother knew it,
Sadly.
Sad.
Would she ruin?
Then they went out of the city and drove the geese on.
And when she came to the meadow,
She sat down upon a bank there,
And let down her waving locks of hair,
Which were all of pure silver.
And when Curdken saw it glitter in the sun.
He ran up and would have pulled some of the locks out,
But she cried.
Blow,
Breezes,
Blow!
Let Curdken's hat go!
Blow,
Breezes,
Blow!
Let him after it go!
O'er hills,
Dales,
And rocks!
Away,
Be it world!
Till the silvery locks are all combed and curled.
Then there came a wind so strong that it blew off Curdken's hat,
And away it flew over the hills,
And he was forced to turn and run after it.
Till,
By the time he came back,
She had done combing and curling her hair and had put it up again,
Safe.
Then he was very angry and sulky and would not speak to her at all.
But they watched the geese until it grew dark in the evening and then drove them homewards.
The next morning,
As they were going through the dark gate,
The poor girl looked up at Falada's head and cried,
Falada,
Falada,
There thou hangest.
And the head answered,
Bride,
Bride,
There thou gangest.
Alas,
Alas.
If thy mother knew it,
Sadly,
Sadly.
Would she rue it?
Then she drove on the geese and sat down again in the meadow and began to comb out her hair as before.
And Curdken ran up to her and wanted to take hold of it,
But she cried out quickly.
Blow,
Breezes,
Blow!
Let Curdken's hat go!
Blow,
Breezes,
Blow!
Let him after it go!
O'er hills,
Dales,
And rocks,
Away be it whirled,
Till the silvery locks are all coned and curled!
Then the wind came and blew away his hat and off it flew a great way over the hills and far away so that he had to run after it.
And when he came back she had bound up her hair again and all was safe.
So they watched the geese till it grew dark.
In the evening,
After they came home,
Curdken went to the old king and said,
I cannot have that strange girl to help me to keep the geese any longer.
Why?
Said the king.
Because instead of doing any good,
She does nothing but tease me all day long.
Then the king made him tell what had happened.
And Curdken said,
When we go in the morning through the dark gate with our flock of geese,
She cries and talks with the ed of a horse that hangs upon the wall and says,
Falada,
Falada,
There thou angest?
And the Ed answers,
Bride,
Bride,
There thou gangest?
Alas,
Alas,
If thy mother knew it,
Sadly,
Sadly,
Would she rue it?
And Curdken went on,
Telling the king what had happened upon the meadow where the geese fed.
How his hat was blown away and how he was forced to run after it and to leave his flock of geese to themselves.
But the old king.
Told the boy to go out again the next day.
And when morning came,
He placed himself behind the dark gate and heard how she spoke to Falada and how Falada answered.
Then he went into the field and hid himself in a bush by the meadow side,
And he soon saw with his own eyes how they drove the flock of geese and how,
After a little time,
She let down her hair that glittered in the sun.
And then he heard her say,
Blow,
Breezes,
Blow!
Let Curdken's hat go!
Blow,
Breezes,
Blow!
Let him after it go!
O'er hills,
Dales and rocks,
Away be it whirled,
Till the silvery locks are all combed and curled.
And soon came a gale of wind and carried away Curdken's hat.
And away went Kirtken after it,
While the girl went on combing and curling her hair.
All this the old king saw.
He went home without being seen,
And when the little goose girl came back in the evening,
He called her aside and asked her why she did so.
But she burst into tears and said,
That I must not tell you or any man.
Or I shall lose my life.
But the old king begged so hard.
That she had no peace till she had told him all the tale from beginning to end,
Word for word.
And it was very lucky for her that she did so,
For when she had done,
The king ordered royal clothes to be put upon her and gazed on her with wonder.
She was so beautiful.
Then he called his son and told him that he had only a false bride,
For the she was merely a waiting maid,
While the true bride stood by.
And the young king rejoiced when he saw her beauty and heard how meek and patient she had been.
And without saying anything to the false bride.
.
.
The king ordered a great feast to be got ready for all his court.
The bridegroom sat at the top with the false princess on one side and the true one on the other.
But nobody knew her again,
For her beauty was quite dazzling to their eyes.
And she did not seem at all like the little goose girl,
Now that she had her brilliant dress on.
When they had eaten and drank and were very merry.
The old king said he would tell them a tale.
So he began and told all the story of the princess As if it was one that he had once heard.
And he asked the true waiting maid what she thought ought to be done to anyone who would behave thus.
Nothing better,
Said this false bride,
Than that she should be thrown into a cask,
Stuck round with sharp nails,
And that two white horses should be put to it and should drag it from street to street till she was dead.
Thou art she.
Said the old king,
And as thou hast judged thyself,
So shall it be done to thee.
And the young king was then married to his true wife.
And they reigned over the kingdom in peace and happiness all their lives.
And the good fairy came to see them and restored the faithful Faladaar to life again.
Snowdrop.
It was the middle of winter,
When the broad flakes of snow were falling around,
That the Queen of a country many thousand miles off sat working at her window.
The frame of the window was made of fine black ebony.
And as she sat looking out upon the snow,
She pricked her finger.
And three drops of blood fell upon it.
Then she gazed thoughtfully upon the red drops that sprinkled the white snow and said,
Would that my little daughter may be as white as that snow.
As red as that blood and as black as this ebony window frame.
And so,
The little girl really did grow up.
Her skin was as white as snow,
Her cheeks as rosy as the blood,
And her hair as black as ebony.
And she was called.
.
.
Snowdrop.
But this queen died.
And the king soon married another wife who became queen.
And was very beautiful.
But so vain.
That she could not bear to think that anyone could be handsomer than she was.
She had a fairy-looking glass,
To which she used to go and then she would gaze upon herself in it and say,
Tell me,
Glass.
Tell me true.
Of all the ladies in the land,
Who is fairest?
Tell me.
And the glass had always answered,
Thou Queen art the fairest in all the land.
But Snowdrop grew more and more beautiful.
And when she was seven years old,
She was as bright as the day,
And fairer than the Queen herself.
Then the glass one day answered the queen when she went to look in it as usual.
Thou,
Queen,
Art fair and beauteous to see,
But.
.
.
Snowdrop is lovelier far than thee.
When she heard this,
She turned pale with rage and envy.
And called to one of her servants and said,
Take Snowdrop away.
Into the wide wood,
That I may never see her any more.
Then the servant led her away.
But his heart melted when Snowdrop begged him to spare her life.
And he said,
I will not hurt you.
Thou pretty child.
So.
He left her by herself.
And though he thought it most likely that the wild beasts would tear her in pieces,
He felt as if a great weight were taken off his heart when he had made up his mind not to kill her,
But to leave her to her fate.
With the chance of someone finding and saving her?
Then pour snowdrop.
Wandered along through the wood.
In great fear.
And the wild beasts roared about her.
But none did her any harm.
In the evening she came to a cottage among the hills and went in to rest,
For her little feet would carry her no further.
Everything was spruce and neat in the cottage.
On the table was spread a white cloth and there were seven little plates,
Seven little loaves and seven little glasses with wine in them.
And seven knives and forks laid in order,
And by the wall stood seven little beds.
As she was very hungry,
She picked a little piece of each loaf and drank a very little wine out of each glass.
And after that,
She thought she would lie down and rest.
So she tried all the little beds,
But one was too long and another was too short,
Till at last the seventh suited her.
And there she laid herself down and went to sleep.
By and by,
In came the masters of the cottage.
Now,
They were seven little dwarves that lived among the mountains and dug and searched for gold.
They lighted up their seven lamps.
And saw at once that all was not right.
The first said,
Who has been sitting on my stool?
2.
Who has been eating off my plate?
The third,
Who has been picking my bread?
The fourth,
Who has been meddling with my spoon?
The fifth,
Who has been handling my fork?
The sick.
Who has been cutting with my knife?
The seventh.
Who has been drinking my wine?
Then the first looked round and said,
Who has been lying on my bed?
And the rest came running to him and everyone cried out that somebody had been upon his bed.
But the seventh is.
.
.
Saw Snowdrop and called all his brethren to come and see her and they cried out with wonder and astonishment and brought their lamps to look at her and said,
Good heavens,
What a lovely child she is.
And they were very glad to see her.
And took care not to wake her.
And the seventh dwarf slept an hour with each of the other dwarves in turn till the night was gone.
In the morning,
Snowdrop told them all her story.
And they pitied her.
And said if she would keep all things in order and cook and wash and knit and spin for them,
She might stay where she was and they would take good care of her.
Then they went out all day long to their work.
Seeking for gold and silver in the mountains.
But Snowdrop was left at home.
And they warned her and said,
The Queen will soon find out where you are.
So take care.
And let no one in.
But the Queen.
.
.
Now that she thought Snowdrop was dead,
Believed that she must be the handsomest lady in the land.
And she went to her glass and said,
Tell me glass,
Tell me true.
Of all the ladies in the land.
Who is fairest?
Tell me.
Who?
And the glass answered,
Thou,
Queen,
Art the fairest in all this land.
But over the hills,
In the greenwood shade,
Where the seven dwarves their dwelling have made,
There Snowdrop is hiding her head,
And she.
.
.
Is lovelier far,
O Queen,
Than thee.
Then the Queen was very much frightened.
For she knew that the glass always spoke the truth.
And was sure that the servant had betrayed her.
And she could not bear to think that anyone lived.
Who was more beautiful than she was.
So.
She dressed herself up as an old peddler.
And went her way over the hills to the place where the dwarves dwelt.
Then she knocked at the door and cried,
Fine wares to sell!
Snowdrop looked out at the window and said,
Good day,
Good woman.
What have you to sell?
Good wares,
Fine wares,
Said she,
Laces and bobbins of all colours.
I will let the old lady in.
She seems to be a very good sort of body.
Thought Snowdrop.
As she ran down and unbolted the door.
Bless me!
Said the old woman.
How badly your stays are laced!
Let me lace them up with one of my nice new laces.
Snowdrop did not dream of any mischief,
So she stood before the old woman.
But she set to work so nimbly and pulled the lace so tight That snowdrop's breath!
Was stopped.
And she fell down as if she were dead.
There's an end to all thy beauty,
Said the spiteful Queen,
And went away home.
In the evening,
The seven dwarves came home,
And I need not say how grieved they were to see their faithful snowdrop stretched out upon the ground as if she was quite dead.
However,
They lifted her up,
And when they found what ailed her,
They cut the lace.
And in a little time,
She began to breathe.
And very soon came to life again.
Then they said.
.
.
The old woman was the queen herself.
Take care another time and let no one in when we are away.
When the Queen got home.
She went straight to her glass and spoke to it as before.
But to her great grief,
It still said,
And she.
.
.
Is lovelier far,
O Queen,
Than they.
Then the blood ran cold in her heart,
With spite and malice,
To see that Snowdrop still lived.
And she dressed herself up again.
But in quite another dress from the one she wore before,
And took with her a poisoned comb.
When she reached the dwarves' cottage,
She knocked at the door and cried,
Fine wares to sell!
But Snowdrop said,
I dare not let anyone in.
Then the Queen said,
Only look at my beautiful combs!
And gave her the poisoned one.
And it looked so pretty.
That she took it up.
And put it into her hair to try it.
But the moment it touched her head,
The poison was so powerful that she fell down,
Senseless.
"'There you may lie,
' said the Queen.
" and went her way.
But by good luck,
The dwarves came in very early that evening,
And when they saw Snowdrop lying on the ground,
They thought what had happened and soon found the poisoned comb.
And when they took it away,
She got well and told them all that had passed.
And they warned her once more not to open the door.
To anyone.
Meantime,
The queen went home to her glass.
And shook with rage when she read the very same answer as before.
And she said,
Snowdrop shall die.
If it cost me my life.
So.
She went by herself into her chamber and got ready a poisoned apple.
The outside looked very rosy and tempting,
But whoever tasted it was sure to die.
Then she dressed herself up as a peasant's wife and travelled over the hills to the dwarf's cottage and knocked at the door.
But Snowdrop put her head out of the window and said,
Dare not let anyone in,
For the dwarves have told me not to.
Do as you please,
Said the old woman,
But at any rate.
.
.
Take this pretty apple.
I will give it to you.
No said snowdrop i dare not take it You silly girl.
Answered the other.
What are you afraid of?
Do you think.
.
.
Itches.
Poison!
Do you eat one part and I will eat the other?
The other.
Now,
The apple was so made up that one side was good,
Though the other side was poisoned.
Then snowdrop was much tempted to taste,
For the apple looked so very nice.
And when she saw the old woman eat?
She could wait no longer.
But she had scarcely put the piece into her mouth.
When she fell down dead upon the ground.
This time,
Nothing will save thee,
" said the Queen.
And she went home to her glass.
And at last it said,
Thou,
Queen,
Art the fairest of all the fair.
And then her wicked heart was glad,
And as happy as such a heart could be,
When evening came and the dwarves had gone home,
They found Snowdrop lying on the ground.
No breath came from her lips,
And they were afraid that she was quite dead.
They lifted her up and combed her hair and washed her face with wine and water.
But it all was in vain.
For the little girl seemed quite dead.
So they laid her down upon a bier,
And all seven watched and bewailed her three whole days.
And then they thought they would bury her.
Her cheeks were still rosy.
And her face looked just as it did while she was alive.
So,
They said.
We will never bury her in the cold ground.
And they made a coffin of glass so that they might still look at her.
And wrote upon it in golden letters what her name was and that she was a king's daughter.
And the coffin was set among the hilts,
And one of the dwarves always sat by it and watched.
And the birds of the air came to and bemoaned.
Snowdrop.
And first of all came an owl,
And then a raven,
And at last a dove.
And sat by her side.
And thus Snowdrop lay for a long,
Long time.
And still only looked as though she was asleep.
For she was even now as white as snow.
And as red as blood,
And as black as ebony.
At last a prince came and called at the Dwarf's house.
And he saw Snowdrop and read what was written in golden letters.
Then he offered the dwarves money.
And prayed and besought them to let him take her away.
But they said,
We will not part with her for all the gold in the world.
At last,
However,
They had pity on him.
And gave him the coffin.
But the moment he lifted it up to carry it home with him,
The piece of apple fell from between her lips and snowdrop awoke.
And said Where am I?
And the prince said,
Thou art quite safe with me.
Then he told her all that had happened and said,
I love you far better than all the world.
So come with me to my father's palace and you shall be my wife.
And Snowdrop consented.
And went home with the prince.
And everything was got ready with great pomp and splendour for their wedding.
To the feast was asked,
Among the rest,
Snowdrop's old enemy,
The Queen.
And as she was dressing herself in fine,
Rich clothes,
She looked in the glass and said,
Tell me glass,
Tell me true.
Of all the ladies in the land,
Who is fairest?
Tell me.
And the glass answered.
Thou,
Lady,
Art loveliest here,
Irene.
But lovelier far is the new maid queen.
When she heard this,
She started with rage.
But her envy and curiosity were so great.
That she could not help setting out to see the bride.
And when she got there and saw that it was no other than Snowdrop.
.
.
Who,
As she thought,
Had been dead a long while.
She.
Choked with rage.
And fell down and died.
But Snowdrop and the Prince lived and reigned happily over that land many,
Many years.
And sometimes they went up into the mountains and paid a visit to the little dwarves.
Who had been so kind to Snowdrop in her time of need.
The pink.
There was,
Once upon a time,
A queen to whom God had given no children.
Every morning she went into the garden and prayed to God in heaven to bestow on her a son or a daughter.
Then an angel from heaven came to her and said,
Be at rest,
You shall have a son with the power of wishing.
So that whatsoever in the world he wishes for,
That shall he have.
Then she went to the king and told him the joyful tidings.
And when the time was come,
She gave birth to a son.
And the king was filled with gladness.
Every morning she went with the child to the garden where the wild beasts were kept,
And washed herself there in a clear stream.
It happened once,
When the child was a little older,
That it was lying in her arms and she fell asleep.
Then came the old cook.
Who knew that the child had the power of wishing?
And stole it away.
And he took a hen and cut it in pieces and dropped some of its blood on the queen's apron and on her dress.
Then he carried the child away to a secret place where a nurse was obliged to suckle it And he ran to the king and accused the queen of having allowed her child to be taken from her by the wild beasts.
When the king saw the blood on her apron.
He believed this.
Fell into such a passion.
That he ordered a high tower to be built,
In which neither sun nor moon could be seen.
And had his wife put into it and walled up.
Here she was to stay for seven years without meat or drink and die of hunger.
But God sent two angels from heaven.
In the shape of white doves.
Which flew to her twice a day and carried her food until the seven years were over.
The cook,
However,
Thought to himself,
If the boy has the power of wishing,
And I'm here.
He might very easily get me into trouble.
So he left the palace and went to the boy,
Who was already big enough to speak,
And said to him,
Wish for a beautiful palace for yourself with a garden and all else that pertains to it.
Scarcely were the words out of the boy's mouth when everything was there that he had wished for.
After a while,
The cook said to him,
It is not well for you to be so alone.
Wish for a pretty girl as a companion.
Then the king's son wished for one,
And she immediately stood before him and was more beautiful than any painter could have painted her.
The two played together and loved each other with all their hearts.
And the old cook went out hunting like a nobleman.
The thought occurred to him,
However,
That the king's son might someday wish to be with his father.
And thus bring him into great peril?
So he went out and took the maiden aside and said,
Tonight,
When the boy is asleep,
Go to his bed and plunge this knife into his heart.
And bring me his heart and tongue.
And if you do not do it.
.
.
You shall lose your life.
Thereupon,
He went away.
And when he returned next day.
.
.
She had not done it.
And said,
Why should I shed the blood of an innocent boy?
Who has never harmed anyone.
The cook.
Once more said,
If you do not do it,
It shall cost you your own life.
When he had gone away.
She had a little hind brought to her and ordered her to be killed and took her heart and tongue and laid them on a plate.
And when she saw the old man coming,
She said to the boy,
Lie down in your bed and draw the clothes over you.
Then the wicked wretch came in and said,
Where are the boys,
Heart and tongue?
The girl reached the plate to him.
But the king's son threw off the quilt and said,
You old sinner!
Why did you want to kill me?
Now will I pronounce thy sentence.
You shall become a black Poodle!
And have a gold collar around your neck.
And shall eat burning coals till the flames burst forth from your throat.
And when he had spoken these words,
The old man was changed into a poodle dog.
And had a gold collar round his neck and the cooks were ordered to bring up some live coals and these he ate.
Until the flames broke forth from his throat.
The king's son remained there a short while longer.
And he thought.
Of his mother.
And wondered if she was still alive.
At length.
He said to the maiden.
I will go home to my own country.
If you will go with me,
I will provide for you.
Ah,
She replied,
The way is so long.
And what shall I do in a strange land where I am unknown?
As she did not seem quite willing.
.
.
And as they could not be parted from each other.
.
.
He wished that she might be changed into a beautiful pink.
And took her with him.
Then he went away to his own country.
And the poodle had to run after him?
He went to the tower in which his mother was confined and as it was so high,
He wished for a ladder which would reach up to the very top.
Then he mounted up and looked inside and cried,
Beloved Mother!
Lady Queen!
Are you?
Still alive?
Or are you dead?
She answered.
I have just eaten.
And I'm still satisfied.
For she thought the angels were there.
Said he.
I am your dear son.
Whom the wild beasts were said to have torn from your arms.
But I'm still alive!
And will soon set you free.
Then he descended again,
And went to his father,
And caused himself to be announced as.
.
.
A strange huntsman and asked if he could offer him service.
The king said,
Yes,
If he was skillful and could get game for him,
He should come to him.
But that deer had never taken up their quarters in any part of the district or country.
Then the huntsman promised to procure as much game for him as he could possibly use at the royal table.
He summoned all the huntsmen together and bade them go out into the forest with him.
And he went with them,
And made them form a great circle,
Open at one end,
Where he stationed himself,
And began to wish.
200 deer and more came running inside the circle at once and the huntsman shot them.
Then they were all placed on 60 country carts and driven home to the king.
And for once he was able to deck his table with game.
After having had none at all for years.
Now,
The king felt great joy at this.
And commanded that his entire household should eat with him next day and made a great feast.
When they were all assembled together,
He said to the huntsman.
As you are so clever,
You shall sit by me.
He replied,
Lord King,
Your Majesty must excuse me.
I am a poor huntsman.
But the king insisted on it and said,
You shall sit by me.
Until he did it.
Whilst he was sitting there,
He thought of his dearest mother.
And wished that one of the king's principal servants would begin to speak of her,
And would ask how it was faring with the queen in the tower,
And if she were alive still,
Or had perished.
Hardly had he formed the wish,
Then the Marshal began and said,
Your Majesty,
We live joyously here,
But how is the Queen living in the Tower?
Is she still alive?
Or has she died?
But the king replied.
She?
Let my dear son be torn to pieces by wild Beasts!
I will not have her.
Nate.
Then the huntsman arose and said,
Gracious Lord Father,
She is alive still.
And I.
.
.
Am her son.
And I was not carried away by wild beasts.
But by that wretch,
The old cook.
Who tore me from her arms when she was asleep and sprinkled her apron with the blood of a chicken.
Thereupon he took the dog with the golden collar and said,
That is the wretch!
And caused live coals to be brought.
And these the dog was compelled to devour before the sight of all until flames burst forth from its throat.
On this,
The huntsman asked the king if he would like to see the dog in his true shape.
And wished him back.
Into the form of the cook.
In which he stood immediately with his white apron and his knife by his side.
When the king saw him.
He fell into a pool.
Passion.
And ordered him to be cast into the deepest dungeon.
Then the huntsman spoke further and said,
Father?
Will you see the maiden who brought me up so tenderly and who was afterwards to murder me,
But did not do it,
Though her own life depended on it.
The king replied,
Yes,
I would like to see her.
The son said,
Most gracious father.
I will show her to you.
In the form of a beautiful flower.
And he thrust his hand into his pocket and brought forth the pink.
And placed it on the royal table And it was so beautiful that the king had never seen one to equal it.
Then the son said,
Now will I show her to you in her own form.
And wished that she might become a maiden and she stood there looking so beautiful that no painter could have made her look more so.
And the king sent two waiting maids and two attendants into the tower.
To fetch the Queen.
And bring her to the royal table.
But when she was led in,
She ate nothing and said,
The gracious and merciful God who has supported me in the tower,
Will soon set me.
Free.
She lived three days more.
And then died happily.
And when she was buried,
The two white doves which had brought her food to the tower,
And were angels of heaven,
Followed her body and seated themselves on her grave.
The Aged King Ordered the cook to be torn in four pieces.
But grief consumed the king's own heart and he soon died.
His son married the beautiful maiden whom he had brought with him as a flower in his pocket.
And whether they are still alive or not is known to God.
The straw?
The coal and the beans.
In a village dwelt a poor old woman.
Who had gathered together a dish of beans and wanted to cook them.
So she made a fire on her hearth and that it might burn the quicker she lighted it with a handful of straw.
When she was emptying the beans into the pan,
One dropped without her observing it and lay on the ground beside a straw.
And soon afterwards,
A burning coal from the fire leapt down to the two.
Then the straw began and said,
Dear friends,
From whence do you come here?
The coal replied,
I fortunately sprang out of the fire,
And if I had not escaped by sheer force,
My death would have been certain.
I should have been burnt to ashes.
The bean said,
I too have escaped with a whole skin.
But if the old woman had got me into the pan,
I should have been made into broth.
Without any mercy,
Like my comrades.
And would a better fate have fallen to my lot,
Said the straw,
The old woman has destroyed all my brethren in fire and smoke.
She seized 60 of them at once and took their lives.
I luckily slipped through her fingers.
But what are we to do now?
Said the cold.
I think,
Answered the bean,
That as we have so fortunately escaped death,
We should keep together,
Like good companions.
And lest a new mischance should overtake us here,
We should go away together and repair to a foreign country.
The proposition pleased the two others,
And they set out on their way together.
Soon,
However,
They came to a little brook.
And as there was no bridge or foot plank.
They did not know how they were to get over it.
The straw hit on a good idea and said,
I will lay myself straight across and then you can walk over on me as on a bridge.
The straw therefore stretched itself from one bank to the other and the coal,
Who was of an impetuous disposition,
Tripped quite boldly onto the newly built bridge.
But when she had reached the middle,
And heard the water rushing beneath her.
She was,
After all,
Afraid,
And stood still,
And ventured no farther.
The straw,
However,
Began to burn,
Broke into pieces,
And fell into the stream.
The coal slipped after her.
Hissed when she got into the water and.
.
.
Breathed her last.
The Bean,
Who had prudently stayed behind on the shore,
Could not but laugh at the event,
Was unable to stop.
And laughed so heartily.
That she.
Burst!
It would have been all over with her likewise if,
By good fortune,
A tailor who was travelling in search of work had not sat down to rest by the brook.
As he had a compassionate heart.
He pulled out his needle and thread and sewed her together.
The bean thanked him most prettily.
But as the tailor used black thread,
All beans since then have a black colour.
Soon.
The Adventures of Chanticleer and Parklet One.
How they went to the mountains to eat nuts.
The nuts are quite ripe now,
Said Chanticleer to his wife,
Partlet.
Suppose we go together to the mountains and eat as many as we can before the squirrel takes them all away.
With all my heart,
" said Partlet.
Let us go and make a holiday of it together.
So they went to the mountains and it was a lovely day.
They stayed there till the evening.
Now,
Whether it was that they had eaten so many nuts that they could not walk,
Or whether they were lazy and would not,
I do not know.
However,
They took it into their heads that it did not become them to go home on foot.
So,
Chanticleer began to build a little carriage of nutshells.
And when it was finished,
Partlet jumped into it and sat down and bid Chanticleer harness himself to it and draw her home.
That's a good joke,
Said Chanticleer.
Nah.
Dad will never do.
I had rather buy half.
Walk home.
I'll sit on the box and be coachman if you like,
But I'll not draw.
While this was passing,
A duck came quacking up and cried out,
You thieving vagabonds!
What business have you in my grounds?
I'll give it you well for your insolence.
And upon that she fell upon Chanticleer most lustily.
But Chanticleer was no coward,
And returned the duck's blows with his sharp spurs so fiercely that she soon began to cry out for mercy.
Which was only granted her upon condition that she would draw the carriage home for them.
This she agreed to do.
And Chanticleer got upon the box and drove,
Crying,
Now,
Duck,
Get on,
As fast as you can!
And away they went,
At a pretty good pace.
After they had travelled along a little way,
They met a needle and a pin walking together along the road.
And the needle cried out,
Stop!
Stop!
And said it was so dark that they could hardly find their way and such dirty walking they could not get on at all.
He told them that he and his friend,
The Pin,
Had been at a public house a few miles off and had sat drinking tea.
Till they had forgotten how late it was.
He begged,
Therefore,
That the travellers would be so kind as to give them a lift.
In their carriage?
Chanticleer.
Observing that they were but thin fellows and not likely to take up much room.
Told them they might ride.
But made them promise not to dirty the wheels of the carriage in getting in,
Nor to tread on Partlet's toes.
Late at night they arrived at an inn.
And as it was bad travelling in the dark,
And the duck seemed much tired,
And waddled about a good deal from one side to the other,
They made up their minds to fix their quarters there.
But the landlord at first was unwilling.
And said his house was full.
Thinking they might not be very respectable company?
However,
They spoke civilly to him and gave him the egg which Partlet had laid by the way,
And said they would give him the duck.
Who was in the habit of laying one every day.
So,
At last,
He let them come in.
And they bespoke a handsome supper.
And spent the evening very jolly.
Early in the morning,
Before it was quite light and when nobody was stirring in the inn,
Chanticleer awakened his wife and,
Fetching the egg,
A hole in it,
Ate it up.
And threw the shells into the fireplace.
They then went to the pin and needle,
Who were fast asleep,
And,
Seizing them by the heads,
Stuck one into the landlord's easy chair and the other into his handkerchief.
And,
Having done this,
They crept away as softly as possible.
However,
The duck,
Who slept in the open air in the yard,
Heard them coming and,
Jumping into the brook which ran close by the inn,
Soon swam out of their reach.
An hour or two afterwards,
The landlord got up.
And took his handkerchief to wipe his face.
But the pin ran into him and pricked him.
Then he walked into the kitchen to light his pipe at the fire,
But when he stirred it up,
The eggshells flew into his eyes and almost blinded him.
Bless me,
Said he.
All the world seems to have a design against my head this morning.
And,
So saying,
He threw himself sulkily into his easy chair.
But oh dear,
The needle ran into him and this time the pain was not in his head!
He now flew into a very great passion.
And,
Suspecting the company who had come in the night before,
He went to look after them.
They were all off.
So he swore that he never again would take in such a troupe of vagabonds.
Who ate a great deal paid no reckoning.
And gave him nothing for his trouble but their Apish Tricks!
How Chanticleer and Partlet went to visit Mr.
Corbs.
Another day,
Chanticleer and Parklid wished to ride out together.
So Chanticleer built a handsome carriage with four red wheels and harnessed six mice to it.
And then he and Partlet got into the carriage and away they drove.
Soon afterwards,
A cat met them and said,
Where are you going?
And Chanticleer replied,
All on our way,
A visit to pay,
To Mr.
Corb's the fox today.
Then the cat said,
Take me with you.
Chanticleer said,
With all my heart,
Get up behind and be sure you do not fall off.
Take care of this handsome coach of mine,
Nor dirty my pretty red wheels so fine.
Now mice be ready and wheels run steady,
For we are going a visit to pay To Mr.
Corbs the fox today.
Soon after came up.
A millstone?
An egg?
A duck?
And a pin.
And Chanticleer gave them all leave to get into the carriage and go with them.
When they arrived at Mr Corb's house,
He was not at home.
So,
The mice drew the carriage into the coach house,
Chanticleer and Partlet flew upon a beam,
The cat sat down in the fireplace,
The duck got into the washing cistern,
The pin stuck himself into the bed pillow,
The millstone laid himself over the house door,
And the egg rolled himself up in the towel.
When Mr.
Corbs came home,
He went to the fireplace to make a fire.
But the cat threw all the ashes in his eyes.
So he ran to the kitchen to wash himself,
But there the duck splashed all the water in his face.
And when he tried to wipe himself,
The egg broke to pieces in the towel all over his face and eyes.
Then.
.
.
He was very angry.
And went without his supper to bed.
But when he laid his head on the pillow,
The pin ran into his cheek!
At this,
He became quite angry.
Furious!
And jumping up would have run out of the house.
But when he came to the door,
The millstone fell down on his head and killed him on the spot.
How part lit died and was buried.
And how Chanticleer died of grief.
Another day,
Chanticleer and Partlet agreed to go again to the mountains to eat nuts.
And it was settled that all the knots which they found should be shared equally between them.
Now,
Partlet found a very large nut.
But she said nothing about it to Chanticleer.
And kept it all to herself.
However,
It was so big that she could not swallow it and it stuck in her throat.
Then she was in a great fright and cried out to Chanticleer,
Run as fast as you can!
And fetch me some water,
Or.
.
.
I shall be choked!
Chanticleer ran as fast as he could to the river and said,
River,
Give me some water,
For Partlet lies in the mountain and will be choked by a great nut.
The river said,
Run first to the bride.
And ask her for a silken cord to draw up the water.
Chanticleer ran to the bride and said,
Bride,
You must give me a silken cord,
For then the river will give me water,
And the water I will carry to Parklet,
Who lies on the mountain and will be choked by a great gnat.
But the bride said,
Run first and bring me my garland that is hanging on a willow in the garden.
Then Chanticleer ran to the garden and took the garland from the bough where it hung and brought it to the bride and then the bride gave him the silken cord and he took the silken cord to the river and the river gave him water and he carried the water to Partlet.
But.
.
.
In the meantime.
.
.
She was choked by the great knot and lay Quite.
Dead.
And never moved anymore.
Then Chanticleer was very sorry and cried bitterly.
And all the beasts came and wept with him over poor Puppet.
And six mice built a little hearse to carry her to her grave.
And when it was ready,
They harnessed themselves before it,
And Chanticleer drove them.
On the way,
They met the fox.
Where are you going,
Chanticleer?
Said he.
Perry.
Part lid.
Said the other.
Mellow.
Go with you?
" said the fox.
Yes.
But you must get up behind,
Or my horses will not be able to draw you.
Then the fox got up behind,
And presently the wolf,
The bear,
The goat,
And all the beasts of the wood came and climbed upon the hearse.
So on they went,
Till they came to a rapid stream.
How shall we get over,
Said Chanticleer.
Then said a straw,
I will lay myself across and you may pass over upon me.
But as the mice were going over,
The straw slipped away and fell into the water and the six mice all fell in and were drowned.
What was to be done?
Then a large log of wood came and said,
I am big enough.
I will lay myself across the stream and you shall pass over upon me.
He laid himself down.
But they managed so well.
Clumsily.
That the log of wood fell in and was carried away by the stream.
Then a stone,
Who saw what had happened,
Came up and kindly offered to help poor Chanticleer by laying himself across the stream.
And this time he got safely to the other side with the hearse.
And managed to get part lid out of it.
But the fox and the other mourners who were sitting behind were too heavy and fell back into the water and were all carried away by the stream and drowned.
Thus Chanticleer was left alone.
Alone.
With his dead pamphlet.
And having dug a grave for her,
He laid her in it,
And made a little hillock over her.
He sat down by the grave.
And wept.
And mourned.
Till at last he died too.
And so.
.
.
Ooh.
We're dead.
Ash Puddle.
The wife of a rich man fell sick.
And when she felt that her end drew nigh,
She called her only daughter to her bedside and said,
Always be a good girl.
And I will look down from heaven and watch over you.
Soon afterwards,
She shut her eyes and died.
And was buried in the garden.
And the little girl went every day to her grave and wept.
And was always good and kind to all about her.
And the snow fell and spread a beautiful white covering over the grave.
But by the time the spring came and the sun had melted it away again.
Her father had married another wife.
This new wife had two daughters of her own that she brought home with her.
They were fair in face,
But foul at heart.
And it was now a sorry time for the poor little girl.
What does the good-for-nothing want in the parlour?
Said they.
They who would eat bread should first earn it.
Away with the kitchen maid!
Then they took away her fine clothes and gave her an old grey frock to put on.
And laughed at her.
And turned her into the kitchen.
There she was forced to do hard work.
To rise early before daylight,
To bring the water,
To make the fire,
To cook and to wash.
Besides that,
The sisters plagued her in all sorts of ways and laughed at her.
In the evening,
When she was tired,
She.
.
.
Had no bed to lie down on.
But was made to lie by the hearth among the ashes.
And.
.
.
As this,
Of course,
Made her always dusty and dirty.
They called her Ashput.
It happened once that the father was going to the fair and asked his wife's daughters what he should bring them.
Fine clothes,
Said the first.
Pearls and diamonds,
Cried the second.
Now,
Child,
Said he to his own daughter,
What will you have?
Duh.
First twig,
Dear father,
That brushes against your hat when you turn your face to come homewards,
Said she.
Then he bought for the first two the fine clothes and pearls and diamonds they had asked for.
And on the way home,
As he rode through a green copse,
A hazel twig brushed against him and almost pushed off his hat.
So he broke it off and brought it away.
And when he got home,
He gave it to his daughter.
Then she took it and went to her mother's grave and planted it there.
And cried so much that it was watered with her tears.
And there it grew.
Became a fine tree.
Three times.
Every.
Day.
She went to it and cried.
And soon a little bird came and built its nest upon the tree and talked with her.
And watched over her.
And brought her whatever she wished for.
Now,
It happened that the king of that land held a feast which was to last three days.
And out of those who came to it,
His son was to choose a bride for himself.
Ashputtel's two sisters were asked to come.
So.
.
.
They called her up and said,
Now,
Comb our hair,
Brush our shoes,
And tie our sashes for us,
For we are going to dance at the King's feast.
Then she did,
As she was told.
But when all was done,
She could not help.
Crying.
For she thought to herself she should so have liked to have gone with them to the ball.
And at last she begged her mother very hard to let her go.
You!
Ash Puddle!
So cheap.
You!
Who have nothing to wear.
No clothes at all.
And who cannot even dance?
You want to go to the ball?
And when she kept on.
Beggin'.
She said at last to get rid of her.
I will throw this dishful of peas into the ash heap.
And if.
In two hours time,
You have picked them all out.
You shall go to the feast too.
Then she threw the peas down among the ashes.
But the little maiden ran out at the back door into the garden and cried out,
Hither hither through the sky turtle doves and linets fly blackbird thrush and chaffinch gay hither hither haste away one and all come help me quick Hasty,
Hasty,
Pick,
Pick,
Pick.
Then first came two white doves flying in at the kitchen window.
Next came two turtle doves And after them came all the little birds under heaven.
Chirping and fluttering in and they flew down into the ashes and the little doves stooped their heads down and set to work.
Pick,
Pick,
Pick,
And then the others began to pick,
Pick,
Pick.
And among them all,
They soon picked out all the good grain and put it into a dish,
But left the ashes.
Long before the end of the hour,
The work was quite done.
And all flew out again at the windows.
Then Ashputtle brought the dish to her mother,
Overjoyed at the thought that now she should go to the ball.
But the mother said,
No.
No!
You.
You have no clothes and cannot dance.
You shall not go.
And when Ashputtel begged very hard to go.
She said.
If you can.
In one hour's time.
Pick two of those dishes of peas out of the ashes.
You shall go too.
And thus she thought she should at least get rid of her.
So she shook two dishes of peas into the ashes.
But the little maiden went out into the garden at the back of the house and cried out as before,
Away!
One and all,
Come help me quick!
Hasty,
Hasty,
Pick,
Pick,
Pick.
Then first came two white doves in at the kitchen window.
Next came two turtle doves.
And after them came all the little birds under heaven.
Chirping and hopping about.
And they flew down into the ashes,
And the little doves put their heads down and set to work.
Pick,
Pick,
Pick.
And then the others began.
Pick,
Pick,
Pick.
And they put all the good grain into the dishes and left all the ashes.
Before half an hour's time,
All was done.
And out they flew again.
And then Ashputtle took the dishes to her mother,
Rejoicing to think that she should now go to the ball.
But her mother said.
.
.
It is all of no use!
You cannot go!
You have no clothes.
And cannot dance.
And you would only put us to shame.
And off she went with her two daughters.
To the bull.
Now,
When all were gone and nobody left at home,
Ash Puddle went sorrowfully and sat down under the hazel tree.
And cried out.
Sheep.
Shake,
Hazel tree.
Gold and silver over me.
Then her friend the bird flew out of the tree and brought a gold and silver dress for her.
And slippers of spangled silk.
And she put them on.
And followed her sisters to the feast.
But they did not know her.
And thought it must be some strange princess.
She looked so fine and beautiful in her rich clothes.
And they never once thought of Ash Poodle,
Taking it for granted that she was safe at home.
In the dirt.
The king's son soon came up to her and took her by the hand and danced with her and no one else.
And he never left her hand.
But when anyone else came to ask her to dance,
He said,
This lady is dancing with me.
Thus they danced till the late hour of the night.
And then she wanted to go home,
And the king's son said,
I shall go and take care of you to your home.
For he wanted to see where the beautiful maiden lived.
But she slipped away from him,
Unawares,
And ran off towards home.
And as the prince followed her,
She jumped up into the pigeon house and shut the door.
Then he waited till her father came home.
And told him that the unknown maiden who had been at the feast had hid herself in the pigeon house.
But when they had broken open the door,
They found no one within.
And as they came back into the house,
Ashputtle was lying,
As she always did,
In her dirty frock by the ashes.
And her dim little lamp was burning in the chimney.
For she had run as quickly as she could through the pigeon house and onto the hazel tree and had there taken off her beautiful clothes and put them beneath the tree that the bird might carry them away and had lain down again amid the ashes in her little grey frock.
The next day,
When the feast was again held,
And her father,
Mother and sisters were gone,
Ashputtle went to the hazeltree and said,
Shake,
Shake,
Hazel tree.
Gold and silver over me.
And the bird came and brought a still finer dress than the one she had worn the day before.
And when she came in it to the ball.
Everyone wondered at her beauty.
But the king's son,
Who was waiting for her,
Took her by the hand and left.
Danced with her.
And when anyone asked her to dance,
He said,
As before,
This lady is dancing with me.
When night came,
She wanted to go home.
And the king's son followed her,
As before,
That he might see into what house she went.
But she sprang away from him all at once into the garden behind her father's house.
In this garden stood a fine,
Large pear tree,
Full of ripe fruit.
And Ashputtel,
Not knowing where to hide herself,
Jumped up into it without being seen.
Then the king's son lost sight of her.
And could not find out where she was gone.
But waited till her father came home and said to him,
The unknown lady who danced with me has slipped away.
And I think she must have sprung into the pear tree.
The father thought to himself.
Can it be?
Ash puddle.
So,
He had an axe brought,
And they cut down the tree.
But found no one upon it.
And when they came back into the kitchen,
There lay Ashputtel among the ashes for she had slipped down on the other side of the tree and carried her beautiful clothes back to the bird at the hazel tree and then put on her little grey frock.
The third day,
When her father and mother and sisters were gone.
She went again into the garden and said,
Shake,
Shake,
Hazel tree,
Gold and silver over me.
And then her kind friend the bird brought a dress still finer than the former one,
And slippers which were all of gold.
So that when she came to the feast,
No one knew what to say.
For wonder at her beauty.
And the king's son danced with nobody but her.
And when anyone else asked her to dance,
He said,
This lady is my partner,
Sir.
When night came,
She wanted to go home.
And the king's son would go with her and said to himself,
I will not lose her this time.
But.
.
.
However,
She again slipped away from him.
Though in such a hurry that she dropped her left golden slipper upon the stairs.
The prince took the shoe.
And went the next day to the king,
His father,
And said,
I will take for my wife the lady that this golden slipper fits.
Then both the sisters were overjoyed to hear it,
For they had beautiful feet and had no doubt that they could wear the Golden Slipper.
The eldest went first into the room where the slipper was and wanted to try it on,
And the mother stood by,
But.
.
.
Her great toe could not go into it,
And the shoe was altogether much too small for her.
Then the mother gave her a knife and said,
Never mind.
Cut it.
When you are queen.
You will not care about toes.
You will not want to walk.
Sew.
The Silly Go.
Cut off.
Her great toe.
And thus squeezed on the shoe and went to the king's son.
Then he.
.
.
Took her for his bride and set her beside him on the horse and rode away with her homewards.
But.
On their way home,
They had to pass by the hazel tree that Ashputtel had planted.
And on the branch sat a little dove,
Singing.
Back again,
Back again,
Look to the shoe.
The shoe is too small and not made for you.
Prince,
Prince,
Look again for thy bride,
For she's not the true one that sits by thy side.
Then the prince got down and looked at her foot.
And he saw by the blood that streamed from it.
What a trick!
She had played him.
So he turned his horse round and brought the false bride back to her home and said,
This is not the right bride.
Let the other sister try and put on the slipper.
Then she went into the room and got her foot into the shoe.
All but the heel,
Which was too large.
But her mother squeezed it in till the blood came.
And took her to the king's son.
And he set her as his bride by his side on his horse and rode away with her.
But when they came to the hazel tree.
.
.
The little dove sat there still and sang.
Back again back again look to the shoe the shoe is too small and not made for you prince prince look again for thy bride For she's not the true one that sits by thy side.
Then he looked down.
And saw that the blood streamed so much from the shoe that her white stockings were quite red.
So he turned his horse and brought her also back again.
This is not the true bride,
Said he to the father.
Have you no other daughters?
No.
Said he.
There is only a little dirty ash puddle here.
The child of my first wife.
I am sure she cannot be the bride.
The prince told him to send her.
But the mother said,
No,
No,
She is much too dirty.
She will not dare to show herself.
However,
The prince would have her come,
And she first washed her face and hands,
And then went in and curtsied to him.
And he reached her,
The golden slipper.
Then she took her clumsy shoe off her left foot and put on the golden slipper.
And it fitted her as if it had been made for her.
And when he drew near and looked at her face.
.
.
He knew her.
And said,
This is the right bride.
But the mother and both the sisters were frightened.
And turned pale with anger.
As he took ash petal on his horse and rode away with her.
And when they came to the hazel tree,
The white dove sang.
Home,
Home,
Look at the shoe,
Princess.
The shoe was made for you.
Prince,
Prince,
Take home thy bride.
For she is the true one that sits by thy side.
And when the dove had done its song,
It came flying and perched upon her right shoulder and so went home with her.
The Twelve Dancing Princesses.
There was a king who had twelve beautiful daughters.
They slept in 12 beds,
All in one room.
And when they went to bed,
The doors were shut and locked up.
But.
.
.
Every morning,
Their shoes were found to be quite worn through.
As if they had been danced in all night.
And yet,
Nobody could find out how it happened,
Or where they had been.
The king made it known to all the land.
That if any person could discover the secret and find out where it was that the princesses danced in the night,
He should have the one he liked best for his wife and should be king after his death.
But.
.
.
Whoever tried and did not succeed,
After three days and nights,
Should be put to death.
A king's son soon came.
He was well entertained and in the evening was taken to the chamber next to the one where the princesses lay in their twelve beds.
There he was to sit and watch where they went to dance.
And,
In order that nothing might pass without his hearing it,
The door of his chamber was left open.
But the king's son soon fell asleep.
And when he awoke in the morning,
He found.
.
.
But the princesses had all been dancing,
For the soles of their shoes were full of holes.
The same thing happened the second and third night.
So the king ordered his head to be cut off.
After him came several others.
But they had all the same luck and all lost their lives in the same manner.
It chanced that an old soldier who had been wounded in battle and could fight no longer.
Passed through the country where this king reigned.
And as he was travelling through a wood,
He met an old woman who asked him where he was going.
Aye.
Hardly know where I'm going or.
.
.
What I had better do said the soldier.
But I think I should like very well to find out where it is that the princesses dance.
And then in time.
I might be a king.
Well,
Said the old dame,
That is no very hard task.
Only take care not to drink any of the wine.
Which one of the princesses will bring to you in the evening.
And as soon as she leaves,
You pretend to be fast asleep.
Then she gave him a cloak and said,
As soon as you put that on,
You will become invisible.
And you will then be able to follow the princesses wherever they go.
When the soldier heard all this good counsel.
He determined to try his luck.
So he went to the king and said he was willing to undertake the task.
He was as well received as the others had been.
And the king ordered fine royal robes to be given him.
And when the evening came,
He was led to the outer chamber.
Just as he was going to lie down,
The eldest of the princesses brought him a cup of wine.
But the soldier threw it all away,
Secretly,
Taking care not to drink a drop.
Then he laid himself down on his bed and,
In a little while,
Began to snore very loud,
As if he was fast asleep.
When the twelve princesses heard this,
They laughed heartily.
And the eldest said,
This fellow too might have done a wiser thing than lose his life in this way.
Then they rose up and opened their drawers and boxes and took out all their fine clothes and dressed themselves at the glass and skipped about as if they were eager to begin dancing.
But the youngest said,
I don't know how it is.
Well,
You were so happy.
I feel.
.
.
Very uneasy.
I am sure some mischance will befall us.
You simpleton,
Said the eldest,
You are always afraid.
Have you forgotten how many king's sons have already watched in vain?
And as for this soldier.
.
.
Even if I had not given him his sleeping draught,
He would have slept soundly enough.
When they were all ready,
They went and looked at the soldier.
But he snored on and did not stir hand or foot.
So,
They thought they were quite safe.
And the eldest went up to her own bed and clapped her hands.
And the bed.
Sank into the floor and a trap door flew open.
The soldier saw them going down through the trapdoor one after another,
The eldest leading the way.
And thinking he had no time to lose,
He jumped up,
Put on the cloak which the old woman had given him,
And followed them.
But.
.
.
In the middle of the stairs,
He trod on the gown of the youngest princess.
And she cried out to her sisters.
All is not right.
Someone took hold of my gown.
You silly creature,
Said the eldest.
It is nothing but a nail in the wall.
Then.
.
.
Down they all went.
And at the bottom.
They found themselves in a most delightful grove of trees.
And the leaves were all of silver and glittered and sparkled beautifully.
The soldier wished to take away some token of the place.
So he broke off a little branch and there came a loud noise from the tree.
Then the youngest daughter said again,
I am sure.
All is not right.
Did not you hear that noise?
That never happened before!
But the eldest said,
It is only our princes who are shouting for joy at our approach.
Then they came to another grove of trees where all the leaves were of gold.
And afterwards to a third where the leaves were all glittering diamonds.
And the soldier broke a branch from each and every time.
There was a loud noise which made the youngest sister tremble with fear.
But the eldest still said it was only the princes who were crying for joy.
They went on till they came to a great lake.
And at the side of the lake there lay twelve little boats with twelve handsome princes in them who seemed to be waiting there for the princesses.
One of the princesses went into each boat,
And the soldier stepped into the same boat with the youngest.
As they were rowing over the lake,
The prince,
Who was in the boat with the youngest princess and the soldier,
Said,
I do not know why it is,
But though I am rowing with all my might,
We do not get on so fast as usual.
I am quite tired.
The boat seems very heavy today.
It is.
Only the.
.
.
Heat of the weather,
Said the princess.
I feel it very warm too.
On the other side of the lake stood a fine illuminated castle.
From which came the merry music of horns and trumpets.
There.
They all landed.
And went into the castle,
And each prince danced with his princess.
And the soldier.
Who was all the time invisible.
Danced with them too.
And when any of the princesses had a cup of wine set by her,
He drank it all up so that when she put the cup to her mouth it was empty.
At this too,
The youngest sister was terribly frightened.
But the eldest always silenced her.
They danced on till three o'clock in the morning.
And then all their shoes were worn out so that they were obliged to leave off.
The princes rowed them back again over the lake.
But this time the soldier placed himself in the boat with the eldest princess.
And on the opposite shore,
They took leave of each other,
The princesses promising to come again the next night.
When they came to the stairs,
The soldier ran on before the princesses and laid himself down.
And as the twelve sisters slowly came up,
Very much tired,
They heard him snoring in his bed.
So they said,
Now all is quite safe.
Then they undressed themselves,
Put away their fine clothes,
Pulled off their shoes.
And went to bed.
In the morning,
The soldier said nothing about what had happened.
But determined to see more of this strange adventure.
And went again the second and third night.
And everything happened just as before.
The princesses danced each time till their shoes were worn to pieces and then returned home.
However.
On the third night,
The soldier carried away one of the golden cups as a token of where he had been.
As soon as the time came when he was to declare the secret.
He was taken before the king with the three branches and the golden cup.
And the twelve princesses stood listening behind the door to hear what he would say.
And when the king asked him,
Where do my twelve daughters dance at night?
He answered,
With twelve princes in a castle underground.
And then He told the king all that had happened and showed him the three branches and the golden cup which he had brought with him.
Then the king called for the princesses and asked them whether what the soldiers said was true.
And when they saw that they were discovered,
And that it was of no use to deny what had happened,
They confessed it all.
And the king asked the soldier which of them he would choose for his wife.
And he answered,
I am not very young,
So.
.
.
I will have the eldest.
And they were married that very day,
And the soldier was chosen to be the king's heir.
Clever Hans.
The mother of Hans said,
Wither away Hans.
Hans answered to Gretel.
Behave well Hans.
Oh,
I'll behave well.
Goodbye,
Mother.
Goodbye hounds.
Hans comes to Gretel.
Good day,
Gretel.
Good day Hans.
What do you bring that is good?
I.
.
.
Bring nothing.
I want to have something given me.
Gretel presents Hans with a needle.
Hans says goodbye Gretel.
Goodbye Hans.
Hans takes the needle,
Sticks it into a hay cart,
And follows the cart home.
Good evening,
Mother.
Good evening Hans,
Where have you been?
With Gretel.
What did you take her?
Took nothing.
Had something given me.
What did Gretel give you?
Gave me a needle.
Where is the needle,
Hans?
Stuck in the hay cart.
That was ill done,
Hans.
You should have stuck the needle in your sleeve!
Never mind,
I'll do better next time.
Wither away,
Hans!
To Gretel,
Mother.
Behave well,
Hans.
Oh,
I'll behave well.
Goodbye,
Mother.
Goodbye Hans.
Hans comes to Gretel.
Good day,
Gretel.
Good day,
Hans.
What do you bring that is good?
I bring nothing.
I want to have something given to me.
Gretel presents Hans.
With a knife.
Goodbye Gretel.
Goodbye Hans.
Hans takes the knife,
Sticks it in his sleeve and goes home.
Good evening,
Mother.
Good evening Hans,
Where have you been?
With Gretel.
What did you take her?
Took her nothing.
She gave me something.
What did Gretel give you?
Gave me a knife.
Where is the knife,
Hans?
Stuck it in my sleeve.
That's ill done,
Hans!
You should have put the knife in your pocket!
Never mind.
We'll do better next time.
Wither away,
Hans,
To Gretel,
Mother.
Behave well,
Hans.
Oh,
I'll behave well.
Goodbye,
Mother.
Goodbye Hans.
Hans comes to Gretel.
Good day,
Gretel.
Good day,
Hans.
What good thing do you bring?
Aye.
Bring nothing.
I want something given me.
Gretel presents Hans with a young goat.
Goodbye Gretel!
Goodbye Hans.
Hans takes the goat.
Ties its legs and puts it in his pocket.
When he gets home.
It is.
Suffocated.
Good evening,
Mother.
Good evening,
Hans.
Where have you been?
With Gretel.
What did you take her?
Nothing.
She gave me something.
What did Gretel give you?
She gave me a goat.
Where is the goat,
Hans?
Put it in my pocket.
That was ill done,
Hans.
You should have put a rope round the goat's neck!
Never mind.
We'll do better next time.
Wither away,
Hans!
To Gretel,
Mother.
Behave well,
Hans.
Oh,
I'll behave well.
Goodbye,
Mother.
Goodbye Hans.
Hans comes to Grassel.
Good day,
Gretel.
Good day,
Hans.
What good thing do you bring?
I.
.
.
Bring nothing.
I want something given me.
Gretel presents Hans with a piece of bacon.
Goodbye Gretel.
Goodbye Hans!
Hans takes the bacon,
Ties it to a rope.
And drags it away behind him.
The dogs come and devour the bacon.
When he gets home,
He has the rope in his hand and there is no longer anything hanging onto it.
Good evening,
Mother.
Good evening Hans,
Where have you been?
With Gretel.
What did you take her?
I took her nothing.
She gave me something.
What did Gretel give you?
Gave me a bit of bacon.
Where is the bacon,
Hans?
I tied it to a rope.
Brought it home.
Dogs took it.
That was ill done,
Hans!
You should have carried the bacon on your head!
Never mind.
We'll do better next time.
Wither away,
Hans,
To Gretel,
Mother.
Behave well,
Hans.
Oh,
Behave well.
Goodbye,
Mother.
Goodbye,
Hans.
Hans comes to Gretel.
Good day,
Gretel.
Good day,
Hans.
What good thing do you bring?
I bring nothing.
But would have something given.
Gretel presents Hans with a calf.
Goodbye,
Gretel.
Goodbye,
Hans.
Hans takes the calf puts it on his head And the calf kicks his face!
Good evening,
Mother.
Good evening Hans,
Where have you been?
With Gretel.
What did you take her?
I took her nothing.
But had something given me.
What did Gretel give you?
A cough?
Where have you the calf,
Hans?
I set it on my head.
And It kicked my face!
That was ill done Hans!
You should have LED the calf!
And put it in the stool.
Never mind.
We'll do better next time.
Wither away,
Hans!
To Gretel,
Mother.
Behave well,
Hans.
Oh,
Behave well.
Goodbye,
Mother.
Goodbye,
Hans.
Hans comes to Gretel.
Good day,
Gretel.
Good day,
Hans.
What good thing do you bring?
I bring nothing.
But would have something given.
Gretel,
Says to Hans.
Bye!
Will go with you.
Hans takes Gretel,
Ties her to a rope,
Leads her to the rack and binds her fast.
Then Hans goes to his mother.
Good evening,
Mother.
Good evening Hans,
Where have you been?
With Gretel.
What did you take her?
I took her nothing.
What did Gretel give you?
She gave me nothing.
She came with me.
Where have you left Gretel?
I led her by the rope,
Tied her to the rack and scattered some grass for her.
That was ill done,
Hans!
You should have cast friendly eyes on her.
Never mind.
We'll do better.
Harms.
Went into the stable.
Cut out all the calves and sheep's eyes.
And threw them in Gretel's face.
Then Gretel became angry,
Tore herself loose and ran away,
And was no longer the bride.
Of harms.
The wedding of Mrs Fox.
First story.
There was,
Once upon a time,
An old fox with nine tails.
Who believed that his wife was not faithful to him,
And wished to put her to the test.
He stretched himself out under the bench,
Did not move a limb,
And behaved as if he was stone dead.
Mrs Fox went up to her room,
Shut herself in.
And her maid,
Miss Cat,
Sat by the fire and did the cooking.
When it became known that the old fox was dead,
Suitors presented themselves.
The maid heard someone standing at the house door knocking.
She went and opened it.
And it was a young fox who said,
What may you be about,
Miss Cat?
Do you sleep or do you wait?
She answered.
I am not sleeping,
I am waking.
Would you know what I am making?
I am boiling warm beer with butter.
Will you be my guest for supper?
"'No,
Thank you,
Miss,
' said the fox.
What is Mrs Fox doing?
The maid replied,
She is sitting in her room,
Moaning in her gloom.
Weeping her little eyes quite red.
Because old Mr Fox is dead.
Do just tell her,
Miss,
That a young fox is here who would like to.
.
.
Woo-ha!
Certainly,
Young sir.
The cat goes up the stairs.
Trip trap.
The door,
She knocks at.
Tap,
Tap,
Tap.
Mistress Fox,
Are you inside?
Hello.
Yes,
My little cat,
She cried.
A wooer.
He stands at the door out there.
What does he look like,
My dear?
Has he nine as beautiful tales as the late Mr Fox?
Oh.
No,
Answered the cat.
He has only one.
Then,
I will not.
Have him.
Miss Cat went downstairs and sent the wooer away.
Soon afterwards,
There was another knock.
And another fox was at the door who wished to woo Mrs Fox.
He had two tails.
But he did not fare better than the first.
After this,
Still more came,
Each with one tail more than the other.
They were all turned away.
Until.
At last,
One came who had nine tails,
Like old Mr Fox.
When the widow heard that.
She said joyfully to the cat.
Now open the gates and doors all wide.
And carry old Mr Fox outside.
But just as the wedding was going to be solemnised,
Old Mr Fox stirred under the bench.
And cuddled all the rabble and drove them and Mrs Fox out of the house.
Second story.
When old Mr Fox was dead,
The wolf came as a suitor.
And knocked at the door.
And the cat,
Who was servant to Mrs Fox,
Opened it for him.
The wolf greeted her and said,
Good day,
Mrs.
Cat of Kerowit.
How comes it that alone you sit?
What are you making good?
The cat replied,
In milk,
I'm breaking bread so sweet.
Will you be my guest and eat?
No,
Thank you,
Mrs.
Cat.
Arms of the wolf.
Is Mrs Fox not at home?
The cat said.
She sits upstairs in her room,
Bewailing her sorrowful doom.
Bewailing her trouble so sore.
For old Mr Fox is No more.
The wolf answered.
If she's in want of a husband now.
Then will it please her to step below?
The cat runs quickly up the stair and lets her tail fly here and there until she comes to the parlour door.
With her five gold rings at the door she knocks.
Are you within,
Good Mistress Fox?
If you're in want of a husband now,
Then.
.
.
Will it please you to step below?
Mrs Fox asked Has the gentleman red stockings on?
And has he a pointed mouth.
No,
Answered the cat,
Then he won't do for me.
When the wolf was gone,
Came A dog?
A stag,
A hare,
A bear,
A lion,
And all the beasts of the forest,
One after the other.
Dot.
One of the good qualities which old Mr Fox had possessed was always lacking.
And the cat had continually to send the suitors away.
Link.
Came a young fox.
Then Mrs Fox said,
Has the gentleman red stockings on?
And has a little pointed mouth.
Yes,
Said the cat,
He has.
Then let him come upstairs,
" said Mrs Fox.
And ordered the servant to prepare the wedding feast.
Sweep me the room as clean as you can.
Up with the window.
Fling out my old man.
For many a fine fat mouse he brought,
Yet of his wife he never thought,
But ate up every one he caught.
Then the wedding was solemnised with young Mr Fox.
And there was much rejoicing and dancing.
And if they have not left off,
They are dancing still.
The fox and the horse.
A farmer had a horse that had been an excellent,
Faithful servant to him.
But.
.
.
He was now grown too old to work.
So the farmer would give him nothing more to eat and said,
I want you no longer.
So take yourself off out of my stable.
I shall not take you back again.
Until you are stronger than a lion.
Then he opened the door and turned him adrift.
The poor horse was very melancholy.
And wandered up and down in the wood.
Seeking some little shelter from the cold wind and rain.
Presently,
A fox met him.
"'What's the matter,
My friend?
' said he.
Why do you hang down your head?
And look so lonely and woe be gone!
Ah,
Replied the horse,
Justice and avarice never dwell in one house.
My master.
Has forgotten all that I have done for him so many years.
And because I can no longer work,
He has turned me a drink.
And says,
Unless I become stronger than a lion,
He will not take me back again.
What chance can I have of that?
He knows i have none or he would not talk so Who is it?
The fox bid him be of good cheer.
Inside.
I will help you.
Lie down there.
Stretch yourself out quite stiff.
And pretend to be dead.
The horse did as he was told.
And the fox.
Went straight to the lion who lived in a cave close by and said to him,
A little way off lies a dead horse.
Come with me and you may make an effort.
Excellent meal of his carcass.
The lion was greatly pleased and set off immediately.
And when they came to the horse,
The fox said,
You will not be able to eat him comfortably here.
I'll tell you what,
I will tie you fast to his tail and then you can draw him to your den and.
.
.
Eat him at your leisure.
This advice pleased the lion.
So he laid himself down quietly for the fox to make him fast to the horse.
But the fox managed to tie his legs together and bound all so hard and fast that with all his strength he could not set himself free.
When the work was done,
The fox clapped the horse on the shoulder and said,
Jip,
Dobbin,
Jip!
Then up he sprang and moved off,
Dragging the lion behind him.
The beast began to roar and bellow.
Till all the birds of the wood flew away for fright.
But the horse let him sing on and made his way quietly over the fields to his master's house.
Here he is master said he i have got the better of him.
And when the farmer saw his old servant.
His heart relented.
And he said,
Thou shalt stay in thy stable.
And be well taken care of.
And so.
.
.
The poor old horse had plenty to eat.
And lived.
Too.
He died.
Not a holler.
Once upon a time there was a widow who had two daughters.
One of them was beautiful and industrious.
The other ugly and lazy.
The mother,
However,
Loved the ugly and lazy one best,
Because she was her own daughter.
And so the other,
Who was only her stepdaughter,
Was made to do all the work of the house and was quite the Cinderella of the family.
Her stepmother sent her out every day to sit by the well in the high road,
There to spin until she made her fingers bleed.
Now,
It chanced one day that some blood fell onto the spindle,
And as the girls stopped over the well to wash it off,
The spindle suddenly sprang out of her hand and fell into the well.
She ran home crying.
To tell of her misfortune,
But her stepmother spoke harshly to her.
And after giving her a violent scolding,
Said unkindly,
As you have let the spindle fall into the well.
You may go yourself.
And fetch it out.
The girl went back to the well,
Not knowing what to do.
And at last,
In her distress,
She jumped into the water after the spindle.
She remembered.
Nothing more.
Until she awoke and found herself in a beautiful meadow full of sunshine.
And with countless flowers blooming in every direction.
She walked over the meadow,
And presently she came upon a baker's oven.
Full of bread.
And the loaves cried out to her,
Take us out,
Take us out or alas we shall be burnt to a cinder.
We were baked through long ago!
So,
She took the bread shovel and drew them all out.
She went on a little farther,
Till she came to a tree full of apples.
Shake me!
Shake me,
I pray!
Pride the tree.
My apples!
One and all!
All right!
So she shook the tree.
And the apples came falling down upon her like rain.
But she continued shaking until there was not a single apple left upon it.
Then she carefully gathered the apples together in a heap and walked on again.
The next thing she came to was a little house.
And there,
She saw an old woman looking out with a smile.
Such large teeth.
That she was terrified.
And turned to run away,
But the old woman called after her.
What are you afraid of dear child?
Stay with me if you will do the work of my house properly for me.
I will make you very happy.
You must be very careful,
However,
To make my bed in the right way.
I wish you always to shake it thoroughly so that the feathers fly about.
Then they say down there in the world that it is snowing.
For I.
And mother.
Holla!
The old woman spoke so easily.
Kindly.
That the girl summoned up courage and courage.
Agreed to enter into her service.
She took care to do everything according to the old woman's bidding.
And every time she made the bed,
She shook it with all her might,
So that the feathers flew about like so many snowflakes.
The old woman was as good as her word.
She never spoke angrily to her and gave her roast and boiled meats every day.
So,
She stayed on with Mother Holler for some time.
And thin.
She began to grow.
Unhappy.
She could not at first tell why she felt sad.
But she became conscious at last of the truth.
Great longing to go home.
She knew she was homesick.
Although she was a thousand times better off with Mother Hollow than with her mother and sister.
After waiting a while,
She went to Mother Holler and said,
I.
.
.
I'm so homesick.
I cannot stay with you any longer.
For although I am so happy here.
I must return to my own people.
Then Mother Holla said,
I am pleased that you should want to go back to your own people.
And as you have served me so well and faithfully.
I will take you home.
Myself.
Thereupon she led the girl by the hand up to a broad gateway.
The gate was opened,
And as the girl passed through,
A shower of gold fell upon her.
And the gold clung to her so that she was covered with it from head to foot.
That is a reward for your industry.
Said Mother Holler.
And as she spoke she handed her the spindle which she had dropped into the well.
The gate was then closed and the girl found herself back in the old world,
Close to her mother's house.
As she entered the courtyard,
The cockerel who was perched on the well called out,
Cock-a-doodle-do,
Your golden daughters come back to you.
Then she went in to her mother and sister.
And as she was so richly covered with gold,
They gave her a warm welcome.
She related to them all that had happened.
And when the mother heard how she had come by her great riches,
She thought she should like her ugly,
Lazy daughter to go and try her fortune.
So she made the sister go and sit by the well and spin,
And the girl pricked her finger and thrust her hand into a thorn bush so that she might drop some blood onto the spindle.
Then she threw it into the well and jumped in herself.
Like her sister,
She awoke in the beautiful meadow.
And walked over it till she came to the oven.
Take us out!
Take us out!
Or alas,
We shall be burnt to a cinder!
We were baked through long ago!
Pried the loaves as before.
But the lazy girl answered,
Do you think I'm going to dirty my hands for you?
And walked on.
Presently,
She came to the apple tree.
Shake me,
Shake me,
I pray.
My apples one and all are ripe.
It cried.
But she only answered,
A nice thing to ask me to do.
One of the apples might fall on my head!
And passed on.
At last she came to Mother Holla's house.
And as she had heard all about the large teeth from her sister,
She was not afraid of them and engaged herself without delay to the old woman.
The first day she was very obedient and industrious.
And exerted herself to please Mother Holla.
For she thought of the gold she should get in return.
The next day,
However,
She.
.
.
Began to dawdle over her work.
And the third day she was more idle still.
Then she began to lie in bed in the mornings and refused to get up.
Worse still,
She neglected to make the old woman's bed properly and forgot to shake it so that the feathers might fly about.
So.
.
.
Mother Holler very soon got tired of her.
And told her she might go.
The lazy girl was delighted at this and thought to herself,
The gold will soon be mine!
Mother Holler led her as she had led her sister to the broad gateway.
But.
.
.
As she was passing through,
Instead of the shower of gold,
A great Bucketful!
Of pitch.
Pouring over her.
That is in return for your services said the old woman and she shut the gate.
So.
The lazy girl had to go home covered with pitch.
And the cockerel on the well called out as he saw her.
Cock-a-doodle-doo!
You're.
.
.
Dirty daughters!
Come back to you!
But try what she would,
She could not get the pitch off,
And it stuck to her as long as she lived.
The dog and the sparrow.
A shepherd's dog had a master who took no care of him.
But often let him suffer the greatest hunger.
At last,
He could bear it no longer.
So he took to his heels and off he ran in a very sad and sorrowful mood.
On the road he met a sparrow that said to him,
Why are you so sad,
My friend?
Because,
Said the dog.
I am very Very.
Hungry.
And have nothing.
To eat.
If that be all,
Answered the sparrow,
Come with me.
Into the next town and I will soon find you plenty of food.
So on they went together into the town.
And as they passed by a butcher's shop,
The sparrow said to the dog,
Stand there a little while till I peck you down a piece of meat.
So the sparrow perched upon the shelf.
And having first looked carefully about her to see if anyone was watching her,
She pecked and scratched at a stake that lay upon the edge of the shelf,
Till at last,
Down it fell.
Then the dog snapped it up and scrambled away with it into a corner where he soon ate it all up.
Well,
Said the sparrow.
You shall have some more if you will.
Come with me to the next shop and I will peck you down another steak.
When the dog had eaten this too,
The sparrow said to him,
Wow.
My good friend.
Have you had enough now?
I.
.
.
I've had plenty of meat,
Answered he.
But I should like to have a piece of bread to eat after it.
Come with me then,
Said the sparrow,
And you shall soon have that too.
So she took him to a baker's shop and pecked at two rolls that lay in the window till they fell down.
And as the dog still wished for more,
She took him to another shop and packed down some more for him.
When that was eaten,
The sparrow asked him whether he had had enough now.
Yes,
Said he.
And now.
Let us take a walk a little way out of the town.
So they both went out upon the high road.
But as the weather was warm,
They had not gone far before the dog said,
I am very much tired.
I should like to take a nap.
Very well,
Answered the sparrow,
Do so.
And in the meantime,
I will perch upon that bush.
The dog stretched himself out on the road and fell fast asleep.
Whilst he slept,
There came by a carter with a cart drawn by three horses and loaded with two casks of wine.
The sparrow,
Seeing that the carter did not turn out of the way,
Would go on in the track in which the dog lay,
So as to drive over him.
Called out Stop!
Stop,
Mr Carter,
Or it shall be the worst for you!
But the carter,
Grumbling to himself,
You make it the worst for me,
Indeed!
What can YOU do?
Cracked his wit?
And drove his cart over the poor dog so that the wheels crushed him to death.
Cried the sparrow.
Thou cruel villain!
Has killed my friend the dog.
Now mind what I say.
This deed of thine.
Shall cost thee all thou art worth.
Do your worst and welcome said the brute what harm can you do me and passed on.
But the sparrow.
Crept under the tilt of the cart.
And pecked at the bung of one of the casks till she loosened it and then All the wine ran out,
Without the carter seeing it.
At last he looked round and saw that The cart was dripping and the cask quite empty.
What an unlucky wretch I am,
Cried he.
Not wretch enough yet,
" said the sparrow.
As she alighted upon the head of one of the horses and at him till he reared up and kicked.
When the Carter saw this.
He drew out his hatchet and aimed a blow at the sparrow,
Meaning to kill her.
But she flew away.
And the blow fell upon the poor horse's head with such force that he fell down dead.
Unlucky wretch that I am cried he Not rich enough yet,
Said the sparrow.
And as the carter went on with the other two horses,
She again crept under the tilt of the cart and pecked out the bung of the second cask,
So that all the wine ran out.
When the carter saw this He again cried out,
Miserable wretch that I am!
But the sparrow answered,
Not wretch enough yet!
And perched on the head of the second horse and pecked at him too.
The carter ran up and struck at her again with his hatchet but Away she flew and the blow fell upon the second horse and killed him on the spot.
Unlucky wretch that i am said he Not rich enough yet.
Said the sparrow.
And perching upon the third horse,
She began to peck him too.
The Carter was mad with fury.
And without looking about him or caring what he was about,
Struck again at the sparrow.
But killed his third horse.
As he did the other two.
Aw,
Last!
Miserable wretch that I am!
" cried he.
Not rich enough yet!
Answered the sparrow as she flew away.
NOW!
Will I plague and punish thee at thy own house?
The carter was forced at last to leave his cart behind him.
And to go home overflowing.
With rage and vexation.
Alas,
Said he to his wife,
What ill luck has befallen me!
My wine is all spilt!
And my horses.
All three.
Dead.
Alas,
Husband,
Replied she,
And a wicked bird has come into the house and has brought with her all the birds in the world,
I'm sure,
And they have fallen upon our corn in the loft and are eating it up at such a rate!
Away ran the husband upstairs and saw Thousands of birds sitting upon the floor eating up his corn.
With the sparrow in the midst of them.
Unlucky wretch that I am!
Cried the carter,
For he saw that the corn was almost all gone.
Not wretch enough yet said the sparrow thy cruelty shall cost thee thy life yet and Away she flew!
The carter seeing that he had thus lost all that he had went down into his kitchen.
And was still not sorry for what he had done.
But sat himself angrily and sulkily in the chimney corner.
With the sparrow.
Sat on the outside of the window and cried.
Carter,
Thy cruelty shall cost thee thy life.
With that.
He jumped up in a rage.
Seized his hatchet and threw it at the sparrow.
But it missed her.
And only broke the window.
The sparrow now hopped in,
Perched upon the window seat and cried,
Carter.
It shall cost thee thy life!
Then he became mad!
And blind with rage.
And struck the window seat with such force that he cleft it in two.
And as the sparrow flew from place to place the carter and his wife was so furious that they broke all their furniture?
Glasses,
Chairs,
Benches,
The table and at last the walls without touching the bird at all.
In the end,
However,
They caught her.
And the wife said,
Shall I kill her at once?
No,
Cried he,
That is letting her off too easily.
She shall die a much more cruel death.
I will eat her.
But the sparrow began to flutter about and stretch out her neck and cried,
Carter.
It shall cost thee thy life yet.
With that.
He could wait no longer.
So he gave his wife the hatchet and cried,
WIFE!
Strike at the bird and kill her in my hand.
And the wife.
Struck?
But she missed her aim and hit her husband on the head!
So that he fell down.
Dead?
And the sparrow.
Flew quietly home.
To her nest.
Rapunzel.
There were once a man and a woman who had long in vain wished for a child.
At length.
The woman hoped that God was about to grant her desire.
These people had a little window at the back of their house from which a splendid garden could be seen,
Which was full of the most beautiful flowers and herbs.
It was,
However,
Surrounded by a high wall.
And no one dared to go into it because it belonged to an enchantress who had great power and was dreaded by all the world.
One day the woman was standing by this window and looking down into the garden when she saw a bed which was planted with the most beautiful rampions.
Rapunzel.
And it looked so fresh and green.
That she longed for it.
She quite pined away.
And began to look pale and miserable.
Then her husband was alarmed and asked.
What ails you,
Dear wife?
Wow.
She replied.
If I can't eat some of the rampion.
Which is in the garden behind our house.
I shall die.
The man who loved her.
Thoughts?
Sooner than let your wife die.
Bring her some of the rampion yourself.
Let it cost what it will.
At twilight,
He clambered down over the wall into the garden of the enchantress.
Hastily clutched a handful of rampion and took it to his wife.
She at once made herself a salad of it and ate it greedily.
It tasted.
So.
Good to her.
So very good.
That the next day she longed for it three times as much as before.
If he was to have any rest.
Her husband must once more descend into the garden.
In the gloom of evening therefore he let himself down again.
But.
.
.
When he had clambered down the wall,
He was terribly afraid.
For he saw the enchantress standing before him.
How can you?
DEATH!
Said she.
With angry looks.
Descend into my garden.
And steal my rampion like a thief.
You shall suffer for it.
Ah,
Answered he,
Let mercy take the place of justice,
I only made up my mind to do it out of necessity.
My wife saw your rampion from the window and felt such a longing for it that She would have died if she had not got some to eat.
Then the enchantress allowed her anger to be softened and said to him,
The case be as you say.
I will allow you to take away with you as much rampion as you will.
Only.
I make one condition.
You must give me the child which your wife will bring into the world.
It shall be well treated.
And I will care for you.
Like a mother.
The man in his terror.
Consented to everything.
And when the woman was brought to bed,
The Enchantress appeared at once.
Gave the child the name of Rapunzel and took it away with her.
Rapunzel grew into the most beautiful child under the sun.
When she was twelve years old,
The Enchantress shut her into a tower,
Which lay in a forest,
And had neither stairs nor door,
But white at the top.
Was a little window.
When the Enchantress wanted to go in,
She placed herself beneath it and cried,
Rapunzel!
Rapunzel!
Let down your hair to me!
Rapunzel had magnificent long hair.
Fine as spun gold.
And when she heard the voice of the enchantress,
She unfastened her braided tresses,
Wound them round one of the hooks of the window above,
And then the hare fell twenty L's down,
And the enchantress climbed up by it.
After a year or two,
It came to pass that the king's son rode through the forest and passed by the tower.
Then he heard a song.
Which was so charming.
But he stood still and listened.
This.
Was Rapunzel.
Who in her solitude passed her time in letting her sweet voice resound.
The king's son wanted to climb up to her and looked for the door of the tower,
But none was to be found.
He rode home.
But the singing.
.
.
That's so weird.
Deeply touched his heart.
But every day he went out into the forest and listened to it.
Once,
When he was thus standing behind a tree,
He saw that an enchantress came there.
And he heard how she cried,
Rapunzel,
Rapunzel,
Let down your hair to me.
Then Rapunzel let down the braids of her hair and the enchantress climbed up to her.
If that is the ladder by which one mounts,
I too will try my fortune,
Said he.
And the next day,
When it began to grow dark,
He went to the tower and cried,
Rapunzel!
Rapunzel,
Let down your hair to me.
Immediately,
The hair fell down.
And the king's son climbed up.
At first Rapunzel was terribly frightened.
When a man such as her eyes had never yet beheld came to her.
But.
.
.
The king's son began to talk to her.
Quite like a friend.
And told her that his heart had been so stirred that it had let him have no rest and he had been forced to see her.
Then Rapunzel lost her fear.
And when he asked her if she would take him for her husband,
And she saw that he was young and handsome,
She thought.
E.
Will love me more than old Dame Gothel does.
And she said.
.
.
Yes,
And laid her hand in his.
She said.
I will willingly go away with you.
But.
.
.
I do not know how to get down.
Bring with you a skein of silk every time that you come.
And I will weave a ladder with it.
And when that is ready,
I will descend and You will take me on your horse.
They agreed that until that time,
He should come to her every evening,
For the old woman came by day.
The Enchantress remarked nothing of this.
Until once Rapunzel said to her,
Tell me Dame Gothel how it happens that you are so much heavier for me to draw up than the young king's son.
He is with me in a moment.
Ahhhh!
You wicked child!
Cried the enchantress.
What?
Do I hear you say?
I thought I had separated you from all the world.
And yet.
.
.
You have deceived me!
In her anger,
She clutched Rapunzel's beautiful tresses,
Wrapped them twice round her left hand,
Seized a pair of scissors with the right,
And snipped them.
Snap!
They were cut off and the lovely braids lay on the ground.
And she was so pitiless.
That she took poor Rapunzel into a desert.
Where she had to live in great fear.
Grief.
And misery.
On the same day that she cast out Rapunzel,
However,
The enchantress fastened the braids of hair,
Which she had cut off,
To the hook of the window,
And when the king's son came and cried,
Rapunzel,
Rapunzel,
Let down your hair to me,
She let the hair down.
The king's son ascended,
But instead of finding his dearest Rapunzel,
He found the enchantress.
Who gazed at him.
With wicked and venomous looks.
Uh-huh.
She cried mockingly.
You would fetch your dearest,
But the beautiful bird sits no longer singing in the nest.
The cat has got it!
And will scratch out your eyes as well.
Rapunzel is lost to you.
You will never see her again.
The king's son was beside himself with pain.
And in his despair he leapt down from the tower.
He escaped with his life,
But the thorns into which he fell pierced his eyes.
Then he wandered quite blind about the forest.
Ate nothing but roots and berries,
And did naught but lament and weep.
Over the loss of his dearest wife.
Thus he roamed about in misery for some years.
And at length.
Came to the desert.
Where Rapunzel,
With the twins to which she had given birth,
A boy and a girl,
Lived in wretchedness.
He heard a voice,
And it seemed so familiar to him that he went towards it,
And when he approached,
Rapunzel knew him and fell on his neck and wept.
Two of her tears wetted his eyes and They grew clear again,
And he could see with them as before.
He led her to his kingdom.
Where he was joyfully received.
And they lived for a long time afterwards.
Happy.
And contented.
Old Sultan.
A shepherd had a faithful dog called Sultan.
Who was grown very old and had lost all his teeth.
And one day,
When the shepherd and his wife were standing together before the house,
The shepherd said,
I will shoot Old Sultan tomorrow morning.
He is of no use now.
But his wife said.
Cray.
Let the poor faithful creature live.
He has served us well a great many years,
And we ought to give him a livelihood for the rest of his days.
But what can we do with him?
Said the shepherd.
He has not a tooth in his head.
And the thieves don't care for him at all.
To be sure.
He has served us,
But then he did it to earn his livelihood.
Tomorrow.
Shall be his last day.
Depend upon it.
Poor Sultan.
Who was lying close by them.
Heard all that the shepherd and his wife said to one another.
And was very much frightened to think tomorrow would be his last day.
So.
In the evening.
He went to his good friend,
The wolf.
Who lived in the wood.
And told him all his sorrows.
And how his master meant to kill him in the morning.
Make yourself easy,
Said the wolf.
I will give you some good advice.
Your master,
You know,
Goes out every morning,
Very early,
With his wife into the field.
And they take their little child with them and lay it down behind the hedge in the shade while they're at work.
Now.
Do you lie down close by the child and pretend to be watching it?
And I will come out of the wood and run away with it.
You must run after me as fast as you can,
And I will let it drop.
Then you may carry it back and they will think You have saved the child.
And we'll be so thankful to you.
That they will take care of you as long as you live.
The dog liked this plan very well.
And accordingly so,
It was managed.
The wolf ran with the child a little way.
The shepherd and his wife screamed out,
But Sultan soon overtook him and carried the poor little thing back to his master and mistress.
Then the shepherd patted him on the head and said,
Old Sultan has saved our child from the wolf.
And therefore.
.
.
You shall live.
And be well taken care of.
And have plenty to eat.
Bye.
Go home and give him a good dinner.
And let him have my old cushion to sleep on.
As long as he lives.
So,
From this time forward,
Sultan had all that he could wish for.
Soon afterwards,
The wolf came and wished him joy and said,
Now,
My good fellow,
You must tell no tales,
But turn your head the other way when I want to taste one of the old shepherd's fine,
Fat sheep.
No,
Said the Sultan.
I will be true to my master.
However,
The wolf thought he was in joke.
And came one night to get a dainty morsel.
But Sultan had told his master what the wolf meant to do,
So he laid wait for him behind the barn door,
And when the wolf was busy looking out for a good fat sheep,
He had a stout cudgel laid about his back that combed his locks for him finally.
Then the wolf was very angry.
And called Sultan an old rogue.
And swore he would have his revenge.
So.
The next morning,
The wolf sent the boar to challenge Sultan to come into the wood to fight the matter.
Sultan had nobody he could ask to be his second but the shepherd's old three-legged cat.
So.
.
.
He took her with him.
And as the poor thing limped along with some trouble,
She stuck up her tail straight in the air.
The wolf.
And the wild boar were first on the ground.
And when they espied their enemies coming.
And saw the cat's long tail standing straight in the air.
They thought she was carrying a sword for Sultan to fight with.
And every time she limped,
They thought she was picking up a stone to throw at them.
So.
.
.
They said they should not like this way of fighting.
And the boar lay down behind a bush and the wolf jumped up into a tree.
Sultan and the cat soon came up and looked about and wondered that no one was there.
The boar,
However,
Had not quite hidden himself.
But his ears stuck out of the bush.
And when he shook one of them a little,
The cat,
Seeing something move and thinking it was a mouse,
Sprang upon it and bit and scratched it so that the boar jumped up and grunted and ran away,
Roaring out,
Look up in the trees.
There sits the one who is to blame.
So they looked up.
And espied the wolf.
Sitting amongst the branches.
And they called him a cowardly rascal.
And would not suffer him to come down till he was heartily ashamed of himself.
And had promised to be good friends again with Old Sultan.
The old man and his grandson.
There was once a very old man.
Whose eyes had become dim.
His ears dull of hearing.
His knees trembled.
And when he sat at table,
He could hardly hold the spoon.
And spilt the broth upon the tablecloth,
Or let it run out of his mouth.
His son.
And his son's wife.
Were disgusted at this.
The old grandfather at last had to sit in the corner behind the stove.
And they gave him his food in an earthenware bowl.
And not even enough of it.
And he used to look towards the table.
With his eyes full of tears.
Once,
Too,
His trembling hands could not hold the bowl,
And it fell to the ground and broke.
The young wife scolded him.
He said nothing.
Only side.
Then they brought him a wooden bowl for a few halfpence,
Out of which he had to eat.
They were once sitting thus,
When the little grandson of four years old began to gather together some bits of wood upon the ground.
What are you doing there?
Asked the father.
Bye!
I'm making a little trough.
Answer the child,
For father and mother to eat out of when I am big.
The man and his wife looked at each other for a while.
And presently.
Began.
To cry.
Then,
They took the old grandfather to the table.
And henceforth always let him eat with them.
And likewise said nothing,
If he did spill a little of anything.
