The Lassie and her grandmother.
Once upon a time,
A poor couple lived far,
Far away in a great wood.
The wife was brought to bed and had a pretty girl.
But they were so poor,
They did not know how to get the babe christened.
For they had no money to pay the parson's fees.
So one day,
The father went out to see if he could find anyone who was willing to stand for the child and pay the fees.
But though he walked about the whole day,
From one house to another,
And though all said they were willing enough to stand,
No one thought himself bound to pay the fees.
Now,
When he was going home again,
A lovely lady met him,
Dressed so fine,
And she looked so thoroughly good and kind.
She offered to get the babe christened.
But after that,
She said,
She must keep it for her own,
The husband answered.
He must first ask his wife what she wished to do.
But when he got home and told his story,
Wife said,
Write out.
The next day,
The man went out again,
But no one would stand if they had to pay the fees.
And though he begged and prayed,
He could get no help.
And again,
As he went home,
Towards evening,
The same lovely lady met him,
Looked so sweet and good,
She made him the same offer.
So,
He told his wife again how he had fared.
And this time she said,
If he couldn't get anyone to stand for his babe next day,
They must let the lady have her way,
Since she seemed so kind.
The third day,
The man went about,
But he couldn't get anyone to stand.
And so when,
Towards evening,
He met the kind lady again,
He gave his word she should have the babe,
If she would only get it christened at the font.
So next morning,
She came to the place where the man lived,
Followed by two men to stand godfathers,
Took the babe and carried it to church.
It was christened.
After that,
She took it to her own house,
And there the little girl lived with her several years.
And her foster mother was always kind and friendly to her.
Lassie had grown to be big enough to know right and wrong.
Her foster mother got ready to go on a journey.
Leave,
She said,
To go all over the house,
Except those rooms,
Which I shew you.
And when she had said that,
Away she went.
But the lassie could not forbear just to open one of the doors a little bit.
When,
Pop,
Out flew a star.
Her foster mother came back.
She was very vexed to find that the star had flown out,
And she got very angry with her foster daughter and threatened to send her away.
But the child cried and begged so hard that she got leave to stay.
Now,
After a while,
The foster mother had to go on another journey.
And before she went,
She forbade the lassie to go into those two rooms into which she had never been.
She promised to beware.
But when she was left alone,
She began to think and to wonder what there could be in the second room.
But she could not help setting the door a little ajar.
Just to peep in,
Out flew.
The foster mother came home and found the moon lit out.
She was very downcast and said to the lassie she must go away.
She could not stay with her any longer.
But the lassie wept so bitterly,
So heartily for forgiveness.
This time,
Too,
She got leave to stay.
Some time after,
The foster mother had to go away again,
And she charged the lassie,
Who by this time was half grown up,
Most earnestly that she mustn't try to go into or peep into the third room.
But when her foster mother had been gone some time,
And the lassie was weary of walking about once,
She thought,
Dear me,
What fun it would be just to peep a little into that third room.
Then she thought she mustn't do it.
For her foster mother's sake,
When she came the second time,
She could hold out no longer.
She must,
Though,
Would look into the room.
So she just opened the door a tiny bit.
The son foster mother came back and saw that the son had flown away.
She was cut and said there was no help for it.
Lassie must and should go away.
She couldn't hear of her staying any longer.
Lassie cried her eyes out and begged and prayed so prettily.
But it was all no good.
Nay,
But I must punish you,
Said her foster mother.
But you may have your choice,
Either to be the loveliest woman in the world and not be able to speak,
Or to keep your speech and to be the ugliest of all women.
Away from me you must go.
And the lassie said,
I would sooner be lovely.
So she became all at once wondrous fair.
But from that day forth she was dumb.
So when she went away from her foster mother,
She walked through a great farther she went,
The farther off the end seemed to be.
So when the evening over a spring,
She put herself up to sleep.
From that castle Lassie was sitting.
So the maid to the spring saw the lovely face in the thought.
It was her own.
I'm so pretty.
I'm far too good.
So another maid for the water.
But the same thing happened to her and said she was far too pretty himself.
To see what all this could mean.
So when he reached the spring,
Saw the image in the water.
Lassie who sat there up so was still alive against it.
She can't speak.
She said Lassie was to have a child.
Set a straw and smeared the queen's mouth with the blood and said,
I when you let out the star in these words,
She cares who were on it was so fond of her.
He begged her to set her free.
So the next time the young queen was to have a child twice as strong watch was set.
As the first time the same thing happened over a foster mother said,
Who shall be as grieved as I was three times as strong as the first.
The same thing had its little finger and smeared as grief Lassie not save her any longer.
And should be just as they were leading her to the stake.
He saw her foster mother three.
So she went set for children.
The Virgin Mary so grieved was I let out the sun star.
His mother the young.
