When the seed came up, there was one plant bigger than all the rest; and it kept getting larger and larger, and seemed as if it would never cease growing; so that it might have been called the prince of turnips for there never was such a one seen before, and never will again. At last it
The post the turnip appeared first on Fairy Tales for Kids.
]]>When the seed came up, there was one plant bigger than all the rest; and it kept getting larger and larger, and seemed as if it would never cease growing; so that it might have been called the prince of turnips for there never was such a one seen before, and never will again. At last it was so big that it filled a cart, and two oxen could hardly draw it; and the gardener knew not what in the world to do with it, nor whether it would be a blessing or a curse to him. One day he said to himself, “What shall I do with it? if I sell it, it will bring no more than another; and for eating, the little turnips are better than this; the best thing perhaps is to carry it and give it to the king as a mark of respect.`
Then he yoked his oxen, and drew the turnip to the court, and gave it to the king. “What a wonderful thing!` said the king; “I have seen many strange things, but such a monster as this I never saw. Where did you get the seed? or is it only your good luck? If so, you are a true child of fortune.` “Ah, no!` answered the gardener, “I am no child of fortune; I am a poor soldier, who never could get enough to live upon; so I laid aside my red coat, and set to work, tilling the ground. I have a brother, who is rich, and your majesty knows him well, and all the world knows him; but because I am poor, everybody forgets me.`
The king then took pity on him, and said, “You shall be poor no longer. I will give you so much that you shall be even richer than your brother.` Then he gave him gold and lands and flocks, and made him so rich that his brother`s fortune could not at all be compared with his.
When the brother heard of all this, and how a turnip had made the gardener so rich, he envied him sorely, and bethought himself how he could contrive to get the same good fortune for himself. However, he determined to manage more cleverly than his brother, and got together a rich present of gold and fine horses for the king; and thought he must have a much larger gift in return; for if his brother had received so much for only a turnip, what must his present be wroth?
The king took the gift very graciously, and said he knew not what to give in return more valuable and wonderful than the great turnip; so the soldier was forced to put it into a cart, and drag it home with him. When he reached home, he knew not upon whom to vent his rage and spite; and at length wicked thoughts came into his head, and he resolved to kill his brother.
So he hired some villains to murder him; and having shown them where to lie in ambush, he went to his brother, and said, “Dear brother, I have found a hidden treasure; let us go and dig it up, and share it between us.` The other had no suspicions of his roguery: so they went out together, and as they were travelling along, the murderers rushed out upon him, bound him, and were going to hang him on a tree.
But whilst they were getting all ready, they heard the trampling of a horse at a distance, which so frightened them that they pushed their prisoner neck and shoulders together into a sack, and swung him up by a cord to the tree, where they left him dangling, and ran away. Meantime he worked and worked away, till he made a hole large enough to put out his head.
When the horseman came up, he proved to be a student, a merry fellow, who was journeying along on his nag, and singing as he went. As soon as the man in the sack saw him passing under the tree, he cried out, “Good morning! good morning to thee, my friend!` The student looked about everywhere; and seeing no one, and not knowing where the voice came from, cried out, “Who calls me?`
Then the man in the tree answered, “Lift up thine eyes, for behold here I sit in the sack of wisdom; here have I, in a short time, learned great and wondrous things. Compared to this seat, all the learning of the schools is as empty air. A little longer, and I shall know all that man can know, and shall come forth wiser than the wisest of mankind. Here I discern the signs and motions of the heavens and the stars; the laws that control the winds; the number of the sands on the seashore; the healing of the sick; the virtues of all simples, of birds, and of precious stones. Wert thou but once here, my friend, though wouldst feel and own the power of knowledge.
The student listened to all this and wondered much; at last he said, “Blessed be the day and hour when I found you; cannot you contrive to let me into the sack for a little while?` Then the other answered, as if very unwillingly, “A little space I may allow thee to sit here, if thou wilt reward me well and entreat me kindly; but thou must tarry yet an hour below, till I have learnt some little matters that are yet unknown to me.`
So the student sat himself down and waited a while; but the time hung heavy upon him, and he begged earnestly that he might ascend forthwith, for his thirst for knowledge was great. Then the other pretended to give way, and said, “Thou must let the sack of wisdom descend, by untying yonder cord, and then thou shalt enter.` So the student let him down, opened the sack, and set him free. “Now then,` cried he, “let me ascend quickly.` As he began to put himself into the sack heels first, “Wait a while,` said the gardener, “that is not the way.` Then he pushed him in head first, tied up the sack, and soon swung up the searcher after wisdom dangling in the air. “How is it with thee, friend?` said he, “dost thou not feel that wisdom comes unto thee? Rest there in peace, till thou art a wiser man than thou wert.`
So saying, he trotted off on the student`s nag, and left the poor fellow to gather wisdom till somebody should come and let him down.
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]]>The post the story of a mother appeared first on Fairy Tales for Kids.
]]>“You think I shall keep him, do you not?” she said. “Our all-merciful God will surely not take him away from me.”
The old man, who was indeed Death himself, nodded his head in a peculiar manner, which might have signified either Yes, or No; and the mother cast down her eyes, while the tears rolled down her cheeks. Then her head became heavy, for she had not closed her eyes for three days and nights, and she slept, but only for a moment. Shivering with cold, she started up and looked round the room. The old man was gone, and her child-it was gone too!-the old man had taken it with him. In the corner of the room the old clock began to strike; “whirr” went the chains, the heavy weight sank to the ground, and the clock stopped; and the poor mother rushed out of the house calling for her child. Out in the snow sat a woman in long black garments, and she said to the mother, “Death has been with you in your room. I saw him hastening away with your little child; he strides faster than the wind, and never brings back what he has taken away.”
“Only tell me which way he has gone,” said the mother; “tell me the way, I will find him.”
“I know the way,” said the woman in the black garments; “but before I tell you, you must sing to me all the songs that you have sung to your child; I love these songs, I have heard them before. I am Night, and I saw your tears flow as you sang.”
“I will sing them all to you,” said the mother; “but do not detain me now. I must overtake him, and find my child.”
But Night sat silent and still. Then the mother wept and sang, and wrung her hands. And there were many songs, and yet even more tears; till at length Night said, “Go to the right, into the dark forest of fir-trees; for I saw Death take that road with your little child.”
Within the wood the mother came to cross roads, and she knew not which to take. Just by stood a thorn-bush; it had neither leaf nor flower, for it was the cold winter time, and icicles hung on the branches. “Have you not seen Death go by, with my little child?” she asked.
“Yes,” replied the thorn-bush; “but I will not tell you which way he has taken until you have warmed me in your bosom. I am freezing to death here, and turning to ice.”
Then she pressed the bramble to her bosom quite close, so that it might be thawed, and the thorns pierced her flesh, and great drops of blood flowed; but the bramble shot forth fresh green leaves, and they became flowers on the cold winter`s night, so warm is the heart of a sorrowing mother. Then the bramble-bush told her the path she must take. She came at length to a great lake, on which there was neither ship nor boat to be seen. The lake was not frozen sufficiently for her to pass over on the ice, nor was it open enough for her to wade through; and yet she must cross it, if she wished to find her child. Then she laid herself down to drink up the water of the lake, which was of course impossible for any human being to do; but the bereaved mother thought that perhaps a miracle might take place to help her. “You will never succeed in this,” said the lake; “let us make an agreement together which will be better. I love to collect pearls, and your eyes are the purest I have ever seen. If you will weep those eyes away in tears into my waters, then I will take you to the large hothouse where Death dwells and rears flowers and trees, every one of which is a human life.”
“Oh, what would I not give to reach my child!” said the weeping mother; and as she still continued to weep, her eyes fell into the depths of the lake, and became two costly pearls.
Then the lake lifted her up, and wafted her across to the opposite shore as if she were on a swing, where stood a wonderful building many miles in length. No one could tell whether it was a mountain covered with forests and full of caves, or whether it had been built. But the poor mother could not see, for she had wept her eyes into the lake. “Where shall I find Death, who went away with my little child?” she asked.
“He has not arrived here yet,” said an old gray-haired woman, who was walking about, and watering Death`s hothouse. “How have you found your way here? and who helped you?”
“God has helped me,” she replied. “He is merciful; will you not be merciful too? Where shall I find my little child?”
“I did not know the child,” said the old woman; “and you are blind. Many flowers and trees have faded to-night, and Death will soon come to transplant them. You know already that every human being has a life-tree or a life-flower, just as may be ordained for him. They look like other plants; but they have hearts that beat. Children`s hearts also beat: from that you may perhaps be able to recognize your child. But what will you give me, if I tell you what more you will have to do?
“I have nothing to give,” said the afflicted mother; “but I would go to the ends of the earth for you.”
“I can give you nothing to do for me there,” said the old woman; “but you can give me your long black hair. You know yourself that it is beautiful, and it pleases me. You can take my white hair in exchange, which will be something in return.”
“Do you ask nothing more than that?” said she. “I will give it to you with pleasure.”
And she gave up her beautiful hair, and received in return the white locks of the old woman. Then they went into Death`s vast hothouse, where flowers and trees grew together in wonderful profusion. Blooming hyacinths, under glass bells, and peonies, like strong trees. There grew water-plants, some quite fresh, and others looking sickly, which had water-snakes twining round them, and black crabs clinging to their stems. There stood noble palm-trees, oaks, and plantains, and beneath them bloomed thyme and parsley. Each tree and flower had a name; each represented a human life, and belonged to men still living, some in China, others in Greenland, and in all parts of the world. Some large trees had been planted in little pots, so that they were cramped for room, and seemed about to burst the pot to pieces; while many weak little flowers were growing in rich soil, with moss all around them, carefully tended and cared for. The sorrowing mother bent over the little plants, and heard the human heart beating in each, and recognized the beatings of her child`s heart among millions of others.
“That is it,” she cried, stretching out her hand towards a little crocus-flower which hung down its sickly head.
“Do not touch the flower,” exclaimed the old woman; “but place yourself here; and when Death comes-I expect him every minute-do not let him pull up that plant, but threaten him that if he does you will serve the other flowers in the same manner. This will make him afraid; for he must account to God for each of them. None can be uprooted, unless he receives permission to do so.”
There rushed through the hothouse a chill of icy coldness, and the blind mother felt that Death had arrived.
“How did you find your way hither?” asked he; “how could you come here faster than I have?”
“I am a mother,” she answered.
And Death stretched out his hand towards the delicate little flower; but she held her hands tightly round it, and held it fast at same time, with the most anxious care, lest she should touch one of the leaves. Then Death breathed upon her hands, and she felt his breath colder than the icy wind, and her hands sank down powerless.
“You cannot prevail against me,” said Death.
“But a God of mercy can,” said she.
“I only do His will,” replied Death. “I am his gardener. I take all His flowers and trees, and transplant them into the gardens of Paradise in an unknown land. How they flourish there, and what that garden resembles, I may not tell you.”
“Give me back my child,” said the mother, weeping and imploring; and she seized two beautiful flowers in her hands, and cried to Death, “I will tear up all your flowers, for I am in despair.”
“Do not touch them,” said Death. “You say you are unhappy; and would you make another mother as unhappy as yourself?”
“Another mother!” cried the poor woman, setting the flowers free from her hands.
“There are your eyes,” said Death. “I fished them up out of the lake for you. They were shining brightly; but I knew not they were yours. Take them back-they are clearer now than before-and then look into the deep well which is close by here. I will tell you the names of the two flowers which you wished to pull up; and you will see the whole future of the human beings they represent, and what you were about to frustrate and destroy.”
Then she looked into the well; and it was a glorious sight to behold how one of them became a blessing to the world, and how much happiness and joy it spread around. But she saw that the life of the other was full of care and poverty, misery and woe.
“Both are the will of God,” said Death.
“Which is the unhappy flower, and which is the blessed one?” she said.
“That I may not tell you,” said Death; “but thus far you may learn, that one of the two flowers represents your own child. It was the fate of your child…
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]]>The Fingers were using the
The post a story about a darning-needle appeared first on Fairy Tales for Kids.
]]>The Fingers were using the needle on the cook`s shoe. The upper leather was unstitched and had to be sewn together. `This is common work!` said the Darning-needle. `I shall never get through it. I am breaking! I am breaking!` And in fact she did break. `Didn`t I tell you so!` said the Darning-needle. `I am too fine!`
`Now she is good for nothing!` said the Fingers; but they had to hold her tight while the cook dropped some sealing-wax on the needle and stuck it in the front of her dress. `Now I am a breast-pin!` said the Darning-needle. `I always knew I should be promoted. When one is something, one will become something!` And she laughed to herself; you can never see when a Darning-needle is laughing. Then she sat up as proudly as if she were in a State coach, and looked all round her. `May I be allowed to ask if you are gold?` she said to her neighbour, the Pin. `You have a very nice appearance, and a peculiar head; but it is too small! You must take pains to make it grow, for it is not everyone who has a head of sealing-wax.` And so saying the Darning-needle raised herself up so proudly that she fell out of the dress, right into the sink which the cook was rinsing out.
`Now I am off on my travels!` said the Darning-needle. `I do hope I sha`n`t get lost!` She did indeed get lost. `I am too fine for this world!` said she as she lay in the gutter; `but I know who I am, and that is always a little satisfaction!`
And the Darning-needle kept her proud bearing and did not lose her good-temper.
All kinds of things swam over hershavings, bits of straw, and scraps of old newspapers.
`Just look how they sail along!` said the Darning-needle. `They don`t know what is underneath them! Here I am sticking fast! There goes a shaving thinking of nothing in the world but of itself, a mere chip! There goes a strawwell, how it does twist and twirl, to be sure! Don`t think so much about yourself, or you will be knocked against a stone. There floats a bit of newspaper. What is written on it is long ago forgotten, and yet how proud it is! I am sitting patient and quiet. I know who I am, and that is enough for me!`
One day something thick lay near her which glittered so brightly that the Darning-needle thought it must be a diamond. But it was a bit of bottle-glass, and because it sparkled the Darning-needle spoke to it, and gave herself out as a breast-pin. `No doubt you are a diamond?` `Yes, something of that kind!` And each believed that the other was something very costly; and they both said how very proud the world must be of them.
`I have come from a lady`s work-box,` said Darning-needle, `and this lady was a cook; she had five fingers on each hand; anything so proud as these fingers I have never seen! And yet they were only there to take me out of the work-box and to put me back again!`
`Were they of noble birth, then?` asked the bit of bottle-glass. `Of noble birth!` said the Darning-needle; `no indeed, but proud! They were five brothers, all called “Fingers.“ They held themselves proudly one against the other, although they were of different sizes. The outside one, the Thumb, was short and fat; he was outside the rank, and had only one bend in his back, and could only make one bow; but he said that if he were cut off from a man that he was no longer any use as a soldier. Dip-into-everything, the second finger, dipped into sweet things as well as sour things, pointed to the sun and the moon, and guided the pen when they wrote. Longman, the third, looked at the others over his shoulder. Goldband, the fourth, had a gold sash round his waist; and little Playman did nothing at all, and was the more proud. There was too much ostentation, and so I came away.` `And now we are sitting and shining here!` said the bit of bottle-glass.
At that moment more water came into the gutter; it streamed over the edges and washed the bit of bottle-glass away. `Ah! now he has been promoted!` said the Darning-needle. `I remain here; I am too fine. But that is my pride, which is a sign of respectability!` And she sat there very proudly, thinking lofty thoughts.
`I really believe I must have been born a sunbeam, I am so fine! It seems to me as if the sunbeams were always looking under the water for me. Ah, I am so fine that my own mother cannot find me! If I had my old eye which broke off, I believe I could weep; but I can`tit is not fine to weep!` One day two street-urchins were playing and wading in the gutter, picking up old nails, pennies, and such things. It was rather dirty work, but it was a great delight to them. `Oh, oh!` cried out one, as he pricked himself with the Darning-needle; `he is a fine fellow though!` `I am not a fellow; I am a young lady!` said the Darning-needle; but no one heard. The sealing-wax had gone, and she had become quite black; but black makes one look very slim, and so she thought she was even finer than before.
`Here comes an egg-shell sailing along!` said the boys, and they stuck the Darning-needle into the egg-shell. `The walls white and I blackwhat a pretty contrast it makes!` said the Darning-needle. `Now I can be seen to advantage! If only I am not sea-sick! I should give myself up for lost!` But she was not sea-sick, and did not give herself up. `It is a good thing to be steeled against sea-sickness; here one has indeed an advantage over man! Now my qualms are over. The finer one is the more one can beat.` `Crack!` said the egg-shell as a wagon-wheel went over it. `Oh! how it presses!` said the Darning-needle. `I shall indeed be sea-sick now. I am breaking!` But she did not break, although the wagon-wheel went over her; she lay there at full length, and there she may lie.
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]]>Now in the mountain dwelt a spirit which now and then appeared to men, and helped them in many ways to become rich and prosperous.
The post the stone-cutter appeared first on Fairy Tales for Kids.
]]>Now in the mountain dwelt a spirit which now and then appeared to men, and helped them in many ways to become rich and prosperous. The stone-cutter, however, had never seen this spirit, and only shook his head, with an unbelieving air, when anyone spoke of it. But a time was coming when he learned to change his opinion.
One day the stone-cutter carried a gravestone to the house of a rich man, and saw there all sorts of beautiful things, of which he had never even dreamed. Suddenly his daily work seemed to grow harder and heavier, and he said to himself: `Oh, if only I were a rich man, and could sleep in a bed with silken curtains and golden tassels, how happy I should be!`
And a voice answered him: `Your wish is heard; a rich man you shall be!`
At the sound of the voice the stone-cutter looked round, but could see nobody. He thought it was all his fancy, and picked up his tools and went home, for he did not feel inclined to do any more work that day. But when he reached the little house where he lived, he stood still with amazement, for instead of his wooden hut was a stately palace filled with splendid furniture, and most splendid of all was the bed, in every respect like the one he had envied. He was nearly beside himself with joy, and in his new life the old one was soon forgotten.
It was now the beginning of summer, and each day the sun blazed more fiercely. One morning the heat was so great that the stone-cutter could scarcely breathe, and he determined he would stay at home till the evening. He was rather dull, for he had never learned how to amuse himself, and was peeping through the closed blinds to see what was going on in the street, when a little carriage passed by, drawn by servants dressed in blue and silver. In the carriage sat a prince, and over his head a golden umbrella was held, to protect him from the sun`s rays.
`Oh, if I were only a prince!` said the stone-cutter to himself, as the carriage vanished round the corner. `Oh, if I were only a prince, and could go in such a carriage and have a golden umbrella held over me, how happy I should be!`
And the voice of the mountain spirit answered: `Your wish is heard; a prince you shall be.`
And a prince he was. Before his carriage rode one company of men and another behind it; servants dressed in scarlet and gold bore him along, the coveted umbrella was held over his head, everything heart could desire was his. But yet it was not enough. He looked round still for something to wish for, and when he saw that in spite of the water he poured on his grass the rays of the sun scorched it, and that in spite of the umbrella held over his head each day his face grew browner and browner, he cried in his anger: `The sun is mightier than I; oh, if I were only the sun!`
And the mountain spirit answered: `Your wish is heard; the sun you shall be.`
And the sun he was, and felt himself proud in his power. He shot his beams above and below, on earth and in heaven; he burnt up the grass in the fields and scorched the faces of princes as well as of poorer folk. But in a short time he began to grow tired of his might, for there seemed nothing left for him to do. Discontent once more filled his soul, and when a cloud covered his face, and hid the earth from him, he cried in his anger: `Does the cloud hold captive my rays, and is it mightier than I? Oh, that I were a cloud, and mightier than any!`
And the mountain spirit answered: `Your wish is heard; a cloud you shall be!`
And a cloud he was, and lay between the sun and the earth. He caught the sun`s beams and held them, and to his joy the earth grew green again and flowers blossomed. But that was not enough for him, and for days and weeks he poured forth rain till the rivers overflowed their banks, and the crops of rice stood in water. Towns and villages were destroyed by the power of the rain, only the great rock on the mountain side remained unmoved. The cloud was amazed at the sight, and cried in wonder: `Is the rock, then, mightier than I? Oh, if I were only the rock!`
And the mountain spirit answered: `Your wish is heard; the rock you shall be!
And the rock he was, and gloried in his power. Proudly he stood, and neither the heat of the sun nor the force of the rain could move him. `This is better than all!` he said to himself. But one day he heard a strange noise at his feet, and when he looked down to see what it could be, he saw a stone-cutter driving tools into his surface. Even while he looked a trembling feeling ran all through him, and a great block broke off and fell upon the ground. Then he cried in his wrath: `Is a mere child of earth mightier than a rock? Oh, if I were only a man!`
And the mountain spirit answered: `Your wish is heard. A man once more you shall be!`
And a man he was, and in the sweat of his brow he toiled again at his trade of stone-cutting. His bed was hard and his food scanty, but he had learned to be satisfied with it, and did not long to be something or somebody else. And as he never asked for things he had not got, or desired to be greater and mightier than other people, he was happy at last, and heard the voice of the mountain spirit no longer.
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]]>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
The post clever hans appeared first on Fairy Tales for Kids.
]]>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.`
“Whither 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 in my sleeve.` “That`s ill done, Hans, you should have put the knife in your pocket.` “Never mind, will do better next time.`
“Whither 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?` “I 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?` “Took 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, will do better next time.`
“Whither 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?` “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 on to 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, will do better next time.`
“Whither away, Hans?` “To Gretel, mother.` “Behave well, Hans.` “I`ll 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 nothing, but had something given me.` “What did Gretel give you?` “A calf.` “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 stall.` “Never mind, will do better next time.`
“Whither away, Hans?` “To Gretel, mother.` “Behave well, Hans.` “I`ll 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: “I 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, will do better.`
Hans 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 Hans.
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]]>It is a strange thing, when I feel most fervently and most deeply, my hands and my tongue seem alike tied, so that I cannot rightly describe or accurately portray the thoughts that are rising within me; and yet I am a painter; my eye tells me as much as that, and all my friends who have seen my sketches and fancies say the same.
I am a poor lad, and live in one of the narrowest of lanes; but I do not want for light, as my room is high up in the house, with an extensive prospect over the
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]]>It is a strange thing, when I feel most fervently and most deeply, my hands and my tongue seem alike tied, so that I cannot rightly describe or accurately portray the thoughts that are rising within me; and yet I am a painter; my eye tells me as much as that, and all my friends who have seen my sketches and fancies say the same.
I am a poor lad, and live in one of the narrowest of lanes; but I do not want for light, as my room is high up in the house, with an extensive prospect over the neighbouring roofs. During the first few days I went to live in the town, I felt low-spirited and solitary enough. Instead of the forest and the green hills of former days, I had here only a forest of chimney-pots to look out upon. And then I had not a single friend; not one familiar face greeted me.
So one evening I sat at the window, in a desponding mood; and presently I opened the casement and looked out. Oh, how my heart leaped up with joy! Here was a well-known face at last-a round, friendly countenance, the face of a good friend I had known at home. In, fact, it was the MOON that looked in upon me. He was quite unchanged, the dear old Moon, and had the same face exactly that he used to show when he peered down upon me through the willow trees on the moor. I kissed my hand to him over and over again, as he shone far into my little room; and he, for his part, promised me that every evening, when he came abroad, he would look in upon me for a few moments. This promise he has faithfully kept. It is a pity that he can only stay such a short time when he comes. Whenever he appears, he tells me of one thing or another that he has seen on the previous night, or on that same evening. “Just paint the scenes I describe to you”-this is what he said to me-“and you will have a very pretty picture-book.” I have followed his injunction for many evenings. I could make up a new “Thousand and One Nights,” in my own way, out of these pictures, but the number might be too great, after all. The pictures I have here given have not been chosen at random, but follow in their proper order, just as they were described to me. Some great gifted painter, or some poet or musician, may make something more of them if he likes; what I have given here are only hasty sketches, hurriedly put upon the paper, with some of my own thoughts, interspersed; for the Moon did not come to me every evening-a cloud sometimes hid his face from me.
FIRST EVENING
“Last night”-I am quoting the Moon`s own words-“last night I was gliding through the cloudless Indian sky. My face was mirrored in the waters of the Ganges, and my beams strove to pierce through the thick intertwining boughs of the bananas, arching beneath me like the tortoise`s shell. Forth from the thicket tripped a Hindoo maid, light as a gazelle, beautiful as Eve. Airy and etherial as a vision, and yet sharply defined amid the surrounding shadows, stood this daughter of Hindostan: I could read on her delicate brow the thought that had brought her hither. The thorny creeping plants tore her sandals, but for all that she came rapidly forward. The deer that had come down to the river to quench her thirst, sprang by with a startled bound, for in her hand the maiden bore a lighted lamp. I could see the blood in her delicate finger tips, as she spread them for a screen before the dancing flame. She came down to the stream, and set the lamp upon the water, and let it float away. The flame flickered to and fro, and seemed ready to expire; but still the lamp burned on, and the girl`s black sparkling eyes, half veiled behind their long silken lashes, followed it with a gaze of earnest intensity. She knew that if the lamp continued to burn so long as she could keep it in sight, her betrothed was still alive; but if the lamp was suddenly extinguished, he was dead. And the lamp burned bravely on, and she fell on her knees, and prayed. Near her in the grass lay a speckled snake, but she heeded it not-she thought only of Bramah and of her betrothed. `He lives!` she shouted joyfully, `he lives!` And from the mountains the echo came back upon her, `he lives!”
SECOND EVENING
“Yesterday,” said the Moon to me, “I looked down upon a small courtyard surrounded on all sides by houses. In the courtyard sat a clucking hen with eleven chickens; and a pretty little girl was running and jumping around them. The hen was frightened, and screamed, and spread out her wings over the little brood. Then the girl`s father came out and scolded her; and I glided away and thought no more of the matter.
“But this evening, only a few minutes ago, I looked down into the same courtyard. Everything was quiet. But presently the little girl came forth again, crept quietly to the hen-house, pushed back the bolt, and slipped into the apartment of the hen and chickens. They cried out loudly, and came fluttering down from their perches, and ran about in dismay, and the little girl ran after them. I saw it quite plainly, for I looked through a hole in the hen-house wall. I was angry with the willful child, and felt glad when her father came out and scolded her more violently than yesterday, holding her roughly by the arm; she held down her head, and her blue eyes were full of large tears. `What are you about here?` he asked. She wept and said, `I wanted to kiss the hen and beg her pardon for frightening her yesterday; but I was afraid to tell you.`
“And the father kissed the innocent child`s forehead, and I kissed her on the mouth and eyes.”
THIRD EVENING
“In the narrow street round the corner yonder-it is so narrow that my beams can only glide for a minute along the walls of the house, but in that minute I see enough to learn what the world is made of-in that narrow street I saw a woman. Sixteen years ago that woman was a child, playing in the garden of the old parsonage, in the country. The hedges of rose-bush were old, and the flowers were faded. They straggled wild over the paths, and the ragged branches grew up among the boughs of the apple trees; here and there were a few roses still in bloom-not so fair as the queen of flowers generally appears, but still they had colour and scent too. The clergyman`s little daughter appeared to me a far lovelier rose, as she sat on her stool under the straggling hedge, hugging and caressing her doll with the battered pasteboard cheeks.
“Ten years afterwards I saw her again. I beheld her in a splendid ballroom: she was the beautiful bride of a rich merchant. I rejoiced at her happiness, and sought her on calm quiet evenings-ah, nobody thinks of my clear eye and my silent glance! Alas! my rose ran wild, like the rose bushes in the garden of the parsonage. There are tragedies in every-day life, and tonight I saw the last act of one.
“She was lying in bed in a house in that narrow street: she was sick unto death, and the cruel landlord came up, and tore away the thin coverlet, her only protection against the cold. `Get up!` said he; `your face is enough to frighten one. Get up and dress yourself, give me money, or I`ll turn you out into the street! Quick-get up!` She answered, `Alas! death is gnawing at my heart. Let me rest.` But he forced her to get up and bathe her face, and put a wreath of roses in her hair; and he placed her in a chair at the window, with a candle burning beside her, and went away.
“I looked at her, and she was sitting motionless, with her hands in her lap. The wind caught the open window and shut it with a crash, so that a pane came clattering down in fragments; but still she never moved. The curtain caught fire, and the flames played about her face; and I saw that she was dead. There at the open window sat the dead woman, preaching a sermon against sin-my poor faded rose out of the parsonage garden!”
FOURTH EVENING
“This evening I saw a German play acted,” said the Moon. “It was in a little town. A stable had been turned into a theatre; that is to say, the stable had been left standing, and had been turned into private boxes, and all the timber work had been covered with coloured paper. A little iron chandelier hung beneath the ceiling, and that it might be made to disappear into the ceiling, as it does in great theatres, when the ting-ting of the prompter`s bell is heard, a great inverted tub has been placed just above it.
“`Ting-ting!` and the little iron chandelier suddenly rose at least half a yard and disappeared in the tub; and that was the sign that the play was going to begin. A young nobleman and his lady, who happened to be passing through the little town, were present at the performance, and consequently the house was crowded. But under the chandelier was a vacant space like a little crater: not a single soul sat there, for the tallow was dropping, drip, drip! I saw everything, for it was so warm in there that every loophole had been opened. The male and female servants stood outside, peeping through the chinks, although a real policeman was inside, threatening them with a stick. Close by the orchestra could be seen the noble young couple in two old arm-chairs, which were usually occupied by his worship the mayor and his lady; but these latter were to-day obliged to content themselves with wooden forms, just as if they had been ordinary citizens; and the lady observed quietly to herself, `One sees, now, that there is rank above rank;` and this incident gave an air of extra festivity to the whole proceedings. The chandelier gave little leaps, the crowd got their knuckles rapped, and I, the Moon, was present at the performance from beginning to end.”
FIFTH EVENING
“Yesterday,” began the Moon, “I looked down upon the turmoil of Paris. My eye penetrated into an apartment of the Louvre. An old grandmother, poorly clad-she belonged to the working class-was following one of the under-servants into the great empty throne-room, for this was the apartment she wanted to see-that she was resolved to see; it had cost her many a little sacrifice, and many a coaxing word…
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]]>The post the story of king frost appeared first on Fairy Tales for Kids.
]]>In vain did the poor old father weep and implore her pity; she was firm, and he dared not gainsay her. So he placed his daughter in a sledge, not even daring to give her a horse-cloth to keep herself warm with, and drove her out on to the bare, open fields, where he kissed her and left her, driving home as fast as he could, that he might not witness her miserable death.
Deserted by her father, the poor girl sat down under a fir-tree at the edge of the forest and began to weep silently. Suddenly she heard a faint sound: it was King Frost springing from tree to tree, and cracking his fingers as he went. At length he reached the fir-tree beneath which she was sitting, and with a crisp crackling sound he alighted beside her, and looked at her lovely face.
`Well, maiden,` he snapped out, `do you know who I am? I am King Frost, king of the red-noses.`
`All hail to you, great King!` answered the girl, in a gentle, trembling voice. `Have you come to take me?`
`Are you warm, maiden?` he replied.
`Quite warm, King Frost,` she answered, though she shivered as she spoke.
Then King Frost stooped down, and bent over the girl, and the crackling sound grew louder, and the air seemed to be full of knives and darts; and again he asked:
`Maiden, are you warm? Are you warm, you beautiful girl?`
And though her breath was almost frozen on her lips, she whispered gently, `Quite warm, King Frost.`
Then King Frost gnashed his teeth, and cracked his fingers, and his eyes sparkled, and the crackling, crisp sound was louder than ever, and for the last time he asked her:
`Maiden, are you still warm? Are you still warm, little love?`
And the poor girl was so stiff and numb that she could just gasp, `Still warm, O King!`
Now her gentle, courteous words and her uncomplaining ways touched King Frost, and he had pity on her, and he wrapped her up in furs, and covered her with blankets, and he fetched a great box, in which were beautiful jewels and a rich robe embroidered in gold and silver. And she put it on, and looked more lovely than ever, and King Frost stepped with her into his sledge, with six white horses.
In the meantime the wicked step-mother was waiting at home for news of the girl`s death, and preparing pancakes for the funeral feast. And she said to her husband: `Old man, you had better go out into the fields and find your daughter`s body and bury her.` Just as the old man was leaving the house the little dog under the table began to bark, saying:
`YOUR daughter shall live to be your delight;
HER daughter shall die this very night.`
`Hold your tongue, you foolish beast!` scolded the woman. `There`s a pancake for you, but you must say:
“HER daughter shall have much silver and gold;
HIS daughter is frozen quite stiff and cold.” `
But the doggie ate up the pancake and barked, saying:
`His daughter shall wear a crown on her head;
Her daughter shall die unwooed, unwed.`
Then the old woman tried to coax the doggie with more pancakes and to terrify it with blows, but he barked on, always repeating the same words. And suddenly the door creaked and flew open, and a great heavy chest was pushed in, and behind it came the step-daughter, radiant and beautiful, in a dress all glittering with silver and gold. For a moment the step-mother`s eyes were dazzled. Then she called to her husband: `Old man, yoke the horses at once into the sledge, and take my daughter to the same field and leave her on the same spot exactly; `and so the old man took the girl and left her beneath the same tree where he had parted from his daughter. In a few minutes King Frost came past, and, looking at the girl, he said:
`Are you warm, maiden?`
`What a blind old fool you must be to ask such a question!` she answered angrily. `Can`t you see that my hands and feet are nearly frozen?`
Then King Frost sprang to and fro in front of her, questioning her, and getting only rude, rough words in reply, till at last he got very angry, and cracked his fingers, and gnashed his teeth, and froze her to death.
But in the hut her mother was waiting for her return, and as she grew impatient she said to her husband: `Get out the horses, old man, to go and fetch her home; but see that you are careful not to upset the sledge and lose the chest.`
But the doggie beneath the table began to bark, saying:
`Your daughter is frozen quite stiff and cold,
And shall never have a chest full of gold.`
`Don`t tell such wicked lies!` scolded the woman. `There`s a cake for you; now say:
“HER daughter shall marry a mighty King.”
At that moment the door flew open, and she rushed out to meet her daughter, and as she took her frozen body in her arms she too was chilled to death.
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]]>The king heard of this and was very angry, and sent for the shepherd to appear before him.
The shepherd came and stood before the throne, where the king sat looking very grand and powerful. But however grand or powerful he might be the shepherd did not feel a bit afraid of him.
`Say at once,
The post to your good health appeared first on Fairy Tales for Kids.
]]>The king heard of this and was very angry, and sent for the shepherd to appear before him.
The shepherd came and stood before the throne, where the king sat looking very grand and powerful. But however grand or powerful he might be the shepherd did not feel a bit afraid of him.
`Say at once, “To my good health!”` cried the king.
`To my good health!` replied the shepherd.
`To mineto mine, you rascal, you vagabond!` stormed the king.
`To mine, to mine, your Majesty,` was the answer.
`But to mineto my own,` roared the king, and beat on his breast in a rage.
`Well, yes; to mine, of course, to my own,` cried the shepherd, and gently tapped his breast.
The king was beside himself with fury and did not know what to do, when the Lord Chamberlain interfered:
`Say at oncesay this very moment: “To your health, your Majesty”; for if you don`t say it you`ll lose your life, whispered he.
`No, I won`t say it till I get the princess for my wife,` was the shepherd`s answer. Now the princess was sitting on a little throne beside the king, her father, and she looked as sweet and lovely as a little golden dove. When she heard what the shepherd said she could not help laughing, for there is no denying the fact that this young shepherd with the staring eyes pleased her very much; indeed he pleased her better than any king`s son she had yet seen.
But the king was not as pleasant as his daughter, and he gave orders to throw the shepherd into the white bear`s pit.
The guards led him away and thrust him into the pit with the white bear, who had had nothing to eat for two days and was very hungry. The door of the pit was hardly closed when the bear rushed at the shepherd; but when it saw his eyes it was so frightened that it was ready to eat itself. It shrank away into a corner and gazed at him from there, and, in spite of being so famished, did not dare to touch him, but sucked its own paws from sheer hunger. The shepherd felt that if he once removed his eyes off the beast he was a dead man, and in order to keep himself awake he made songs and sang them, and so the night went by.
Next morning the Lord Chamberlain came to see the shepherd`s bones, and was amazed to find him alive and well. He led him to the king, who fell into a furious passion, and said: `Well, you have learned what it is to be very near death, and now will you say “To my good health”?`
But the shepherd answered: `I am not afraid of ten deaths! I will only say it if I may have the princess for my wife.`
`Then go to your death,` cried the king; and ordered him to be thrown into the den with the wild boars. The wild boars had not been fed for a week, and when the shepherd was thrust into their don they rushed at him to tear him to pieces. But the shepherd took a little flute out of the sleeve of his jacket and began to play a merry tune, on which the wild boars first of all shrank shyly away, and then got up on their hind legs and danced gaily. The shepherd would have given anything to be able to laugh, they looked so funny; but he dared not stop playing, for he knew well enough that the moment he stopped they would fall upon him and tear him to pieces. His eyes were of no use to him here, for he could not have stared ten wild boars in the face at once; so he kept on playing, and the wild boars danced very slowly, as if in a minuet, then by degrees he played faster and faster till they could hardly twist and turn quickly enough, and ended by all falling over each other in a heap, quite exhausted and out of breath.
Then the shepherd ventured to laugh at last; and he laughed so long and so loud that when the Lord Chamberlain came early in the morning, expecting to find only his bones, the tears were still running down his cheeks from laughter.
As soon as the king was dressed the shepherd was again brought before him; but he was more angry than ever to think the wild boars had not torn the man to bits, and he said: `Well, you have learned what it feels to be near ten deaths, now say “To my good health!”`
But the shepherd broke in with, `I do not fear a hundred deaths, and I will only say it if I may have the princess for my wife.`
`Then go to a hundred deaths!` roared the king, and ordered the shepherd to be thrown down the deep vault of scythes.
The guards dragged him away to a dark dungeon, in the middle of which was a deep well with sharp scythes all round it. At the bottom of the well was a little light by which one could see if anyone was thrown in whether he had fallen to the bottom.
When the shepherd was dragged to the dungeons he begged the guards to leave him alone a little while that he might look down into the pit of scythes; perhaps he might after all make up his mind to say `To your good health` to the king. So the guards left him alone and he stuck up his long stick near the well, hung his cloak round the stick and put his hat on the top. He also hung his knapsack up inside the cloak so that it might seem to have some body within it. When this was done he called out to the guards and said that he had considered the matter but after all he could not make up his mind to say what the king wished. The guards came in, threw the hat and cloak, knapsack and stick all down the well together, watched to see how they put out the light at the bottom and came away, thinking that now there really was an end of the shepherd. But he had hidden in a dark corner and was laughing to himself all the time.
Quite early next morning came the Lord Chamberlain, carrying a lamp and he nearly fell backwards with surprise when he saw the shepherd alive and well. He brought him to the king, whose fury was greater than ever, but who cried:
`Well, now you have been near a hundred deaths; will you say: “To your good health”?`
But the shepherd only gave the same answer:
`I won`t say it till the princess is my wife.`
`Perhaps after all you may do it for less,` said the king, who saw that there was no chance of making away with the shepherd; and he ordered the state coach to be got ready, then he made the shepherd get in with him and sit beside him, and ordered the coachman to drive to the silver wood. When they reached it he said: `Do you see this silver wood? Well, if you will say, “To your good health,” I will give it to you.`
The shepherd turned hot and cold by turns, but he still persisted:
`I will not say it till the princess is my wife.`
The king was much vexed; he drove further on till they came to a splendid castle, all of gold, and then he said:
`Do you see this golden castle? Well, I will give you that too, the silver wood and the golden castle, if only you will say that one thing to me: “To your good health.”`
The shepherd gaped and wondered and was quite dazzled, but he still said:
`No; I will not say it till I have the princess for my wife.`
This time the king was overwhelmed with grief, and gave orders to drive on to the diamond pond, and there he tried once more.
`Do you see this diamond pond? I will give you that too, the silver wood and the golden castle and the diamond pond. You shall have them allallif you will but say: “To your good health!”`
The shepherd had to shut his staring eyes tight not to be dazzled with the brilliant pond, but still he said:
`No, no; I will not say it till I have the princess for my wife.`
Then the king saw that all his efforts were useless, and that he might as well give in, so he said:
`Well, well, it`s all the same to meI will give you my daughter to wife; but, then, you really and truly must say to me: “To your good health.”`
`Of course I`ll say it; why should I not say it? It stands to reason that I shall say it then.`
At this the king was more delighted than anyone could have believed. He made it known all through the country that there were to be great rejoicings, as the princess was going to be married. And everyone rejoiced to think that the princess, who had refused so many royal suitors, should have ended by falling in love with the staring-eyed shepherd.
There was such a wedding as had never been seen. Everyone ate and drank and danced. Even the sick were feasted, and quite tiny newborn children had presents given them.
But the greatest merry-making was in the king`s palace; there the best bands played and the best food was cooked; a crowd of people sat down to table, and all was fun and merry-making.
And when the groomsman, according to custom, brought in the great boar`s head on a big dish and placed it before the king so that he might carve it and give everyone a share, the savoury smell was so strong that the king began to sneeze with all his might.
`To your very good health,` cried the shepherd before anyone else, and the king was so delighted that he did not regret having given him his daughter.
In time, when the old king died, the shepherd succeeded him. He made a very good king and never expected his people to wish him well against their wills; but, all the same, everyone did wish him well, for they all loved him.
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]]>When therefore the son 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 eleven 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 huntsmen`s clothes made, all alike, and the eleven maidens had to put on the huntsmen`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 twelve 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 ante-chamber,` answered the lion, “and then you will 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 counsel, and caused the peas to be strewn.
There was, however, a servant of the king`s who favoured the huntsmen, 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 ante-chamber 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 twelve spinning-wheels be brought into the ante- chamber, 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 ante-chamber.
But the servant, who was well disposed to the huntsmen, 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 twelve huntsmen summoned, they went through the ante-chamber, 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, it 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, and 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.
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]]>Among other things, this poor child was forced twice a day to draw water above a mile and a half off the house, and bring home a pitcher full of it. One day, as she was at this fountain, there came to her a poor woman, who begged of her to let her drink.
“O ay, with all my heart, Goody,” said this pretty maid; and rinsing immediately the pitcher, she took up some water from the clearest place of the fountain, and gave it to her, holding up the pitcher all the while, that she might drink the easier.
The good woman having drank, said to her:
“You are so very pretty, my dear, so good and so mannerly, that I cannot help giving you a gift” (for this was a Fairy, who had taken the form of a poor country-woman, to see how far the civility and good manners of this pretty girl would go). “I will give you for gift,” continued the Fairy, “that at every word you speak, there shall come out of your mouth either a flower, or a jewel.”
When this pretty girl came home, her mother scolded at her for staying so long at the fountain.
“I beg your pardon, mamma,” said the poor girl, “for not making more haste,” and, in speaking these words, there came out of her mouth two roses, two pearls, and two diamonds.
“What is this I see?” said her mother quite astonished, “I think I see pearls and diamonds come out of the girl`s mouth! How happens this, child?” (This was the first time she ever called her child.)
The poor creature told her frankly all the matter, not without dropping out infinite numbers of diamonds.
“In good faith,” cried the mother, “I must send my child thither. Come hither, Fanny, look what comes out of thy sister`s mouth when she speaks! Would`st not thou be glad, my dear, to have the same gift given to thee? Thou hast nothing else to do but go and draw water out of the fountain, and when a certain poor woman asks thee to let her drink, to give it her very civilly.”
“It would be a very fine sight indeed,” said this ill-bred minx, “to see me go draw water!”
“You shall go, hussey,” said the mother, “and this minute.”
So away she went, but grumbling all the way, taking with her the best silver tankard in the house.
She was no sooner at the fountain, than she saw coming out of the wood a lady most gloriously dressed, who came up to her, and asked to drink. This was, you must know, the very Fairy who appeared to her sister, but had now taken the air and dress of a princess, to see how far this girl`s rudeness would go.
“Am I come hither,” said the proud, saucy slut, “to serve you with water, pray? I suppose the silver tankard was brought purely for your ladyship, was it? However, you may drink out of it, if you have a fancy.”
“You are not over and above mannerly,” answered the Fairy, without putting herself in a passion. “Well then, since you have so little breeding, and are so disobliging, I give you for gift, that at every word you speak there shall come out of your mouth a snake or a toad.”
So soon as her mother saw her coming, she cried out: “Well, daughter?”
“Well, mother?” answered the pert hussey, throwing out of her mouth two vipers and two toads.
“O mercy!” cried the mother, “what is it I see! O, it is that wretch her sister who has occasioned all this; but she shall pay for it”; and immediately she ran to beat her. The poor child fled away from her and went to hide herself in the forest, not far from thence.
The King`s son, then on his return from hunting, met her, and seeing her so very pretty, asked her what she did there alone, and why she cried.
“Alas! sir, my mamma has turned me out of doors.”
The King`s son, who saw five or six pearls, and as many diamonds, come out of her mouth, desired her to tell him how that happened. She thereupon told him the whole story; and so the King`s son fell in love with her; and, considering with himself that such a gift was worth more than any marriage-portion whatsoever in another, conducted her to the palace of the King his father, and there married her.
As for her sister, she made herself so much hated that her own mother turned her off; and the miserable wretch, having wandered about a good while without finding anybody to take her in, went to a corner in the wood and there died.
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