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There
was once a widow who had two daughters - one of whom was pretty
and industrious, whilst the other was ugly and idle. But she was
much fonder of the ugly and idle one, because she was her own
daughter. And the other, who was a step-daughter, was obliged to
do all the work, and be the cinderella of the house.
One
of whom was pretty and industrious, whilst the other was ugly and
idle. But she was much fonder of the ugly and idle one, because
she was her own daughter. And the other, who was a step-daughter,
was obliged to do all the work, and be the cinderella of the
house. Every day the
poor girl had to sit by a well, in the highway, and spin and spin
till her fingers bled. Now it happened that one day the shuttle
was marked with her blood, so she dipped it in the well, to wash
the mark off, but it dropped out of her hand and fell to the
bottom. She began to weep, and ran to her step-mother and told
her of the mishap. But she scolded her sharply, and was so
merciless as to say, since you have let the shuttle fall in, you
must fetch it out again. So the girl went back to the well, and
did not know what to do.
And
in the sorrow of her heart she jumped into the well to get the
shuttle. She lost her senses. And when she awoke and came to
herself again, she was in a lovely meadow where the sun was
shining and many thousands of flowers were growing. Across this
meadow she went, and at last came to a baker's oven full of
bread, and the bread cried out, oh, take me out. Take me out. Or
I shall burn. I have been baked a long time. So she went up to
it, and took out all the loaves one after another with the
bread-shovel. After that she went on till she came to a tree
covered with apples, which called out to her, oh, shake me. Shake
me. We apples are all ripe.So she shook the tree till the apples
fell like rain, and went on shaking till they were all down, and
when she had gathered them into a heap, she went on her way. At
last she came to a little house, out of which an old woman
peeped. But she had such large teeth that the girl was
frightened, and was about to run away. But the old woman called
out to her, what are you afraid of, dear child. Stay with me.
If you will do all the work in the house properly, you shall be
the better for it. Only you must take care to make my bed well,
and shake it thoroughly till the feathers fly - for then there is
snow on the earth. I am mother holle. As the old woman spoke so
kindly to her, the girl took courage and agreed to enter her
service. She attended to everything to the satisfaction of her
mistress, and always shook her bed so vigorously that the
feathers flew about like snow-flakes. So she had a pleasant life
with her. Never an angry word. And to eat she had boiled or
roast meat every day. She stayed some time with mother holle,
before she became sad. At first she did not know what was the
matter with her, but found at length that it was home-sickness.
Although she was many thousand times better off here than at
home, still she had a longing to be there. At last she said to
the old woman, I have a longing for home, and however well off I
am down here, I cannot stay any longer. I must go up again to my
own people.Mother holle said, I am pleased that you long for your
home again, and as you have served me so truly, I myself will
take you up again. Thereupon she took her by the hand, and led
her to a large door. The door was opened, and just as the
maiden was standing beneath the doorway, a heavy shower of golden
rain fell, and all the gold clung to her, so that she was
completely covered over with it. You shall have that because you
have been so industrious, said mother holle, and at the same time
she gave her back the shuttle which she had let fall into the
well. Thereupon the door closed, and the maiden found herself
up above upon the earth, not far from her mother's house. And as
she went into the yard the cock was sitting on the well, and
cried - cock-a-doodle-doo. Your golden girl's come back to you.
So she went in to her mother, and as she arrived thus covered
with gold, she was well received, both by her and her sister.
The girl told all that had happened to her, and as soon as
the mother heard how she had come by so much wealth, she was very
anxious to obtain the same good luck for the ugly and lazy
daughter. She had to seat herself by the well and spin. And in
order that her shuttle might be stained with blood, she stuck her
hand into a thorn bush and pricked her finger. Then she threw her
shuttle into the well, and jumped in after it. She came, like the
other, to the beautiful meadow and walked along the very same
path. When she got to the oven the bread again cried, oh, take me
out. Take me out. Or I shall burn. I have been baked a long time.
But the lazy thing answered, as if I had any wish to make myself
dirty. And on she went. Soon she came to the apple-tree, which
cried, oh, shake me. Shake me. We apples are all ripe. But she
answered, I like that. One of you might fall on my head, and so
went on. When she came to mother holle's house she was
not afraid, for she had already heard of her big teeth, and she
hired herself to her immediately. The first day she forced
herself to work diligently, and obeyed mother holle when she told
her to do anything, for she was thinking of all the gold that she
would give her. But on the second day she began to be lazy, and
on the third day still more so, and then she would not get up in
the morning at all. Neither did she make mother holle's bed as
she ought, and did not shake it so as to make the feathers fly
up. Mother holle was soon tired of this, and gave her notice to
leave. The lazy girl was willing enough to go, and thought that
now the of golden rain would come. Mother holle led her also to
the great door, but while she was standing beneath it, instead of
the gold a big kettleful of pitch was emptied over her. That is
the reward for your service, said mother holle, and shut the
door. So the lazy girl went home, but she was quite covered
with pitch, and the cock on the well, as soon as he saw her,
cried out - cock-a-doodle-doo. Your dirty girl's come back
to you. But the pitch clung fast to her, and could not be got
off as long as she lived.
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