<h2>CINDERELLA</h2>
<p>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 spread a beautiful white covering over the grave; but by
the time the sun had melted it away again, her father had married
another wife. This new wife had two daughters of her own: 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 thing want in the
parlor?" said they; and they took away her fine clothes, and gave
her an old frock to put on, and laughed at her and turned her into
the kitchen.</p>
<p>Then 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. She had no bed to lie down on, but was made to lie by the
hearth among the ashes, and they called her Cinderella.</p>
<p>It happened once that her father was going to the fair, and
asked his wife's daughters what he should bring to them. "Fine
clothes," said the first. "Pearls and diamonds," said the second.
"Now, child," said he to his own daughter, "what will you have?"
"The first sprig, dear father, that rubs against your hat on your
way home," said she. Then he bought for the two first the fine
clothes and pearls and diamonds they had asked for: and on his way
home, as he rode through a green copse, a sprig of hazel brushed
against him, so he broke it off 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 and became a fine tree, 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.</p>
<p>Now it happened that the king of the 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; and Cinderella's two sisters were asked
to come. So they called Cinderella, 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 would have liked to go to the dance too, and at last she begged
her mother very hard to let her go, "You! Cinderella?" said she;
"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
begging, to get rid of her, she said at last, "I will throw this
basinful of peas into the ash heap, and if you have picked them all
out in two hours' time you shall go to the feast too." Then she
threw the peas into the ashes; but the little maiden ran out at the
back door into the garden, and cried out—</p>
<div class="poem">
<div class="stanza">
<p>"Hither, thither, through the sky, turtle-doves and linnets,
fly!</p>
<p>Blackbird, thrush, and chaffinch gay, hither, thither, haste
away!</p>
<p>One and all, come, help me quick! haste ye, haste ye—pick,
pick, pick!"</p>
</div>
</div>
<p>Then first came two white doves; and next two turtle-doves; and
after them all the little birds under heaven came, 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 picked out all
the good grain and put it into a dish, and left the ashes. At the
end of one hour the work was done, and all flew out again at the
windows. Then she brought the dish to her mother. But the mother
said, "No, no! indeed, you have no clothes and cannot dance; you
shall not go." And when Cinderella begged very hard to go, she
said, "If you can in one hour's time pick two of these dishes of
pease out of the ashes, you shall go too." 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 called as before and all the
birds came flying, and in half an hour's time all was done, and out
they flew again. And then Cinderella 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 feast.</p>
<p>Now when all were gone, and nobody left at home, Cinderella went
sorrowfully and sat down under the hazel-tree, and cried
out—</p>
<div class="poem">
<div class="stanza">
<p>"Shake, shake, hazel-tree, gold and silver over me!"</p>
</div>
</div>
<p>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, she looked so fine and beautiful in her rich
clothes.</p>
<div class="figcenter"><SPAN href= "images/098.png"><ANTIMG width-obs="100%" src="images/098.png" alt=""></SPAN></div>
<p>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 any one else came to ask her to dance, he said, "This lady is
dancing with me." Thus they danced till a 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 maid lived. But she slipped away from him unawares,
and ran off towards home, and the prince followed her; then she
jumped up into the pigeon-house and shut the door. So he waited
till her father came home, and told him that the unknown maiden who
had been at the feast had hidden 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, Cinderella lay, as she always did,
in her dirty frock by the ashes; for she had run as quickly as she
could through the pigeon-house and on to the hazel-tree, and had
there taken off her beautiful clothes, and laid them beneath the
tree, that the bird might carry them away; and had seated herself
amid the ashes again in her little old frock.</p>
<p>The next day, when the feast was again held, and her father,
mother and sisters were gone, Cinderella went to the hazel-tree,
and all happened as the evening before.</p>
<p>The king's son, who was waiting for her, took her by the hand
and danced with her; and, when any one 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 went with her, 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; and Cinderella
jumped up into it without being seen. Then the king's son waited
till her father came home, and said to him, "The unknown lady has
slipped away, and I think she must have sprung into the pear-tree."
The father ordered an axe to be brought, and they cut down the
tree, but found no one upon it. And when they came back into the
kitchen, there lay Cinderella in the ashes as usual; 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 old frock.</p>
<p>The third day, when her father and mother and sisters were gone,
she went again into the garden, and said—</p>
<div class="poem">
<div class="stanza">
<p>"Shake, shake, hazel-tree, gold and silver over me!"</p>
</div>
</div>
<p>Then her kind friend the bird brought a dress still finer than
the former one, and slippers which were all of gold; and the king's
son danced with her alone, and when any one else asked her to
dance, he said, "This lady is my partner." Now when night came she
wanted to go home; and the king's son would go with her, but she
managed to slip away from him, though in such a hurry that she
dropped her left golden slipper upon the stairs.</p>
<p>So 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 shoe fits."</p>
<p>Then both the sisters were overjoyed to hear this; 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 big toe
could not go into it, and the shoe was altogether much too small
for her. Then the mother said, "Never mind, cut it off. When you
are queen you will not care about toes; you will not want to go on
foot." So the silly girl cut her big toe off, and squeezed the shoe
on, and went to the king's son. Then he took her for his bride, and
rode away with her.</p>
<p>But on their way home they had to pass by the hazel-tree that
Cinderella had planted, and there sat a little dove on the branch,
singing—</p>
<div class="poem">
<div class="stanza">
<p>"Back again! back again! look to the shoe!</p>
<p>The shoe is too small, and not made for you!</p>
<p>Prince! prince! look again for thy bride,</p>
<p>For she's not the true one that sits by thy side."</p>
</div>
</div>
<p>Then the prince looked at her foot, and saw by the blood that
streamed from it what a trick she had played him. So he 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 rode away with
her. But when they came to the hazel-tree, the little dove sat
there still, and sang as before. Then the king's son looked down,
and saw that the blood streamed from the shoe. So he brought her
back again also. "This is not the true bride," said he to the
father; "have you no other daughters?"</p>
<p>Then Cinderella came and she took her clumsy shoe off, and put
on the golden slipper, and it fitted as if it had been made for
her. And when he drew near and looked at her face the prince knew
her, and said, "This is the right bride."</p>
<p>Then he took Cinderella on his horse and rode away. And when
they came to the hazel-tree the white dove sang—</p>
<div class="poem">
<div class="stanza">
<p>"Prince! prince! take home thy bride,</p>
<p>For she is the true one that sits by thy side!"</p>
</div>
</div>
<div class="figcenter"><SPAN href= "images/101.png"><ANTIMG width-obs="100%" src="images/101.png" alt=""></SPAN></div>
<SPAN name="faithfuljohn"></SPAN>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
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