The Three Feathers

Once upon a time there lived a girl who was wooed and married by a man she never saw; for he came a-courting her after nightfall, and when they were married he never came home till it was dark, and always left before dawn.

Still he was good and kind to her, giving her everything her heart could desire, so she was well content for a while. But, after a bit, some of her friends, doubtless full of envy for her good luck, began to whisper that the unseen husband must have something dreadful the matter with him which made him averse to being seen.

Now from the very beginning the girl had wondered why her lover did not come a-courting her as other girls’ lovers came, openly and by day, and though, at first, she paid no heed to her neighbours’ nods and winks, she began at last to think there might be something in what they said. So she determined to see for herself, and one night when she heard her husband come into her room, she lit her candle suddenly and saw him.

And, lo and behold! he was handsome as handsome; beautiful enough to make every woman in the world fall in love with him on the spot. But even as she got her glimpse of him, he changed into a big brown bird which looked at her with eyes full of anger and blame.

“Because you have done this faithless thing,” it said, “you will see me no more, unless for seven long years and a day you serve for me faithfully.”

And she cried with tears and sobs, “I will serve seven times seven years and a day if you will only come back. Tell me what I am to do.”

Then the bird-husband said, “I will place you in service, and there you must remain and do good work for seven years and a day, and you must listen to no man who may seek to beguile you to leave that service. If you do I will never return.”

To this the girl agreed, and the bird, spreading its broad brown wings, carried her to a big mansion.

“Here they need a laundry-maid,” said the bird-husband. “Go in, ask to see the mistress, and say you will do the work; but remember you must do it for seven years and a day.”

“But I cannot do it for seven days,” answered the girl. “I cannot wash or iron.”

“That matters nothing,” replied the bird. “All you have to do is to pluck three feathers from under my wing close to my heart, and these feathers will do your bidding whatever it may be. You will only have to put them on your hand, and say, ‘By virtue of these three feathers from over my true love’s heart may this be done,’ and it will be done.”

So the girl plucked three feathers from under the bird’s wing, and after that the bird flew away.

Then the girl did as she was bidden, and the lady of the house engaged her for the place. And never was such a quick laundress; for, see you, she had only to go into the wash-house, bolt the door and close the shutters, so that no one should see what she was at; then she would out with the three feathers and say, “By virtue of these three feathers from over my true love’s heart may the copper be lit, the clothes sorted, washed, boiled, dried, folded, mangled, ironed,” and lo! there they came tumbling on to the table, clean and white, quite ready to be put away. So her mistress set great store by her and said there never was such a good laundry-maid. Thus four years passed and there was no talk of her leaving. But the other servants grew jealous of her, all the more so, because, being a very pretty girl, all the men-servants fell in love with her and wanted to marry her.

But she would have none of them, because she was always waiting and longing for the day when her bird-husband would come back to her in man’s form.

Now one of the men who wanted her was the stout butler, and one day as he was coming back from the cider-house he chanced to stop by the laundry, and he heard a voice say, “By virtue of these three feathers from over my true love’s heart may the copper be lit, the clothes sorted, boiled, dried, folded, mangled, and ironed.”

He thought this very queer, so he peeped through the keyhole. And there was the girl sitting at her ease in a chair, while all the clothes came flying to the table ready and fit to put away.

Well, that night he went to the girl and said that if she turned up her nose at him and his proposal any longer, he would up and tell the mistress that her fine laundress was nothing but a witch; and then, even if she were not burnt alive, she would lose her place.

Now the girl was in great distress what to do, since if she were not faithful to her bird-husband, or if she failed to serve her seven years and a day in one service, he would alike fail to return; so she made an excuse by saying she could think of no one who did not give her enough money to satisfy her.

At this the stout butler laughed. “Money?” said he. “I have seventy pounds laid by with master. Won’t that satisfy thee?”

“Happen it would,” she replied.

So the very next night the butler came to her with the seventy pounds in golden sovereigns, and she held out her apron and took them, saying she was content; for she had thought of a plan. Now as they were going upstairs together she stopped and said:

“Mr. Butler, excuse me for a minute. I have left the shutters of the wash-house open, and I must shut them, or they will be banging all night and disturb master and missus!”

Now though the butler was stout and beginning to grow old, he was anxious to seem young and gallant; so he said at once:

“Excuse me, my beauty, you shall not go. I will go and shut them. I shan’t be a moment!”

So off he set, and no sooner had he gone than she out with her three feathers, and putting them on her hand, said in a hurry:

“By virtue of the three feathers from over my true love’s heart may the shutters never cease banging till morning, and may Mr. Butler’s hands be busy trying to shut them.”

And so it happened.

Mr. Butler shut the shutters, but – bru-u-u! there they were hanging open again. Then he shut them once more, and this time they hit him on the face as they flew open. Yet he couldn’t stop; he had to go on. So there he was the whole livelong night. Such a cursing, and banging, and swearing, and shutting, never was, until dawn came, and, too tired to be really angry, he crept back to his bed, resolving that come what might he would not tell what had happened to him and thus get the laugh on him. So he kept his own counsel, and the girl kept the seventy pounds, and laughed in her sleeve at her would-be lover.

Now after a time the coachman, a spruce middle-aged man, who had long wanted to marry the clever, pretty laundry-maid, going to the pump to get water for his horses overheard her giving orders to the three feathers, and peeping through the keyhole as the butler had done, saw her sitting at her ease in a chair while the clothes, all washed and ironed and mangled, came flying to the table.

So, just as the butler had done, he went to the girl and said, “I have you now, my pretty. Don’t dare to turn up your nose at me, for if you do I’ll tell mistress you are a witch.”

Then the girl said quite calmly, “I look on none who has no money.”

“If that is all,” replied the coachman, “I have forty pounds laid by with master. That I’ll bring and ask for payment to-morrow night.”

So when the night came the girl held out her apron for the money, and as she was going up the stairs she stopped suddenly and said, “Goody me! I’ve left my clothes on the line. Stop a bit till I fetch them in.”

Now the coachman was really a very polite fellow, so he said at once:

“Let me go. It is a cold, windy night and you’ll be catching your death.”

So off he went, and the girl out with her feathers and said:

“By virtue of the three feathers from over my true love’s heart may the clothes slash and blow about till dawn, and may Mr. Coachman not be able to gather them up or take his hand from the job.”

And when she had said this she went quietly to bed, for she knew what would happen. And sure enough it did. Never was such a night as Mr. Coachman spent with the wet clothes flittering and fluttering about his ears, and the sheets wrapping him into a bundle, and tripping him up, while the towels slashed at his legs. But though he smarted all over he had to go on till dawn came, and then a very weary, woebegone coachman couldn’t even creep away to his bed, for he had to feed and water his horses! And he, also, kept his own counsel for fear of the laugh going against him; so the clever laundry-maid put the forty pounds with the seventy in her box, and went on with her work gaily. But after a time the footman, who was quite an honest lad and truly in love, going by the laundry peeped through the keyhole to get a glimpse of his dearest dear, and what should he see but her sitting at her ease in a chair, and the clothes coming all ready folded and ironed on to the table.

Now when he saw this he was greatly troubled. So he went to his master and drew out all his savings; and then he went to the girl and told her that he would have to tell the mistress what he had seen, unless she consented to marry him.

“You see,” he said, “I have been with master this while back, and have saved up this bit, and you have been here this long while back and must have saved as well. So let us put the two together and make a home, or else stay on at service as pleases you.”

Well, she tried to put him off; but he insisted so much that at last she said:

“James! there’s a dear, run down to the cellar and fetch me a drop of brandy. You’ve made me feel so queer!” And when he had gone she out with her three feathers, and said, “By virtue of the three feathers from over my true love’s heart may James not be able to pour the brandy straight, except down his throat.”

Well! so it happened. Try as he would, James could not get the brandy into the glass. It splashed a few drops into it, then it trickled over his hand, and fell on the floor. And so it went on and on till he grew so tired that he thought he needed a dram himself. So he tossed off the few drops and began again; but he fared no better. So he took another little drain, and went on, and on, and on, till he got quite fuddled. And who should come down into the cellar but his master to know what the smell of brandy meant!

Now James the footman was truthful as well as honest, so he told the master how he had come down to get the sick laundry-maid a drop of brandy, but that his hand had shaken so that he could not pour it out, and it had fallen on the ground, and that the smell of it had got to his head.

“A likely tale,” said the master, and beat James soundly.

Then the master went to the mistress, his wife, and said: “Send away that laundry-maid of yours. Something has come over my men. They have all drawn out their savings as if they were going to be married, yet they don’t leave, and I believe that girl is at the bottom of it.”

But his wife would not hear of the laundry-maid being blamed; she was the best servant in the house, and worth all the rest of them put together; it was his men who were at fault. So they quarrelled over it; but in the end the master gave in, and after this there was peace, since the mistress bade the girl keep herself to herself, and none of the men would say ought of what had happened for fear of the laughter of the other servants.

So it went on until one day when the master was going a-driving, the coach was at the door, and the footman was standing to hold the coach open, and the butler on the steps all ready, when who should pass through the yard, so saucy and bright with a great basket of clean clothes, but the laundry-maid. And the sight of her was too much for James, the footman, who began to blub.

“She is a wicked girl,” he said. “She got all my savings, and got me a good thrashing besides.”

Then the coachman grew bold. “Did she?” he said. “That was nothing to what she served me.” So he up and told all about the wet clothes and the awful job he had the livelong night. Now the butler on the steps swelled with rage until he nearly burst, and at last he out with his night of banging shutters.

“And one,” he said, “hit me on the nose.”

This settled the three men, and they agreed to tell their master the moment he came out, and get the girl sent about her business. Now the laundry-maid had sharp ears and had paused behind a door to listen; so when she heard this she knew she must do something to stop it. So she out with her three feathers and said, “By virtue of the three feathers from over my true love’s heart may there be striving as to who suffered most between the men so that they get into the pond for a ducking.”

Well! no sooner had she said the words than the three men began disputing as to which of them had been served the worst; then James up and hit the stout butler, giving him a black eye, and the fat butler fell upon James and pommelled him hard, while the coachman scrambled from his box and belaboured them both, and the laundry-maid stood by laughing.

So out comes the master, but none of them would listen, and each wanted to be heard, and fought, and shoved, and pommelled away until they shoved each other into the pond, and all got a fine ducking.

Then the master asked the girl what it was all about, and she said:

“They all wanted to tell a story against me because I won’t marry them, and one said his was the best, and the next said his was the best, so they fell a-quarrelling as to which was the likeliest story to get me into trouble. But they are well punished, so there is no need to do more.”

Then the master went to his wife and said, “You are right. That laundry-maid of yours is a very wise girl.”

So the butler and the coachman and James had nothing to do but look sheepish and hold their tongues, and the laundry-maid went on with her duties without further trouble.

Then when the seven years and a day were over, who should drive up to the door in a fine gilded coach but the bird-husband restored to his shape as a handsome young man. And he carried the laundry-maid off to be his wife again, and her master and mistress were so pleased at her good fortune that they ordered all the other servants to stand on the steps and give her good luck. So as she passed the butler she put a bag with seventy pounds in it into his hand and said sweetly, “That is to recompense you for shutting the shutters.”

And when she passed the coachman she put a bag with forty pounds into his hand and said, “That is your reward for bringing in the clothes.” But when she passed the footman she gave him a bag with a hundred pounds in it, and laughed, saying, “That is for the drop of brandy you never brought me!”

So she drove off with her handsome husband, and lived happy ever after.

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The Frog Prince and the Princess

In times of yore, when wishes were both heard and granted, lived a king whose daughters were all beautiful, but the youngest was so lovely that the sun himself, who has seen so much, wondered at her beauty every time he looked in her face. Now, near the king’s castle was a large dark forest; and in the forest, under an old linden-tree, was a deep well. When the day was very hot, the king’s daughter used to go to the wood and seat herself at the edge of the cool well; and when she became wearied, she would take a golden ball, throw it up in the air, and catch it again. This was her favourite amusement. Once it happened that her golden ball, instead of falling back into the little hand that she stretched out for it, dropped on the ground, and immediately rolled away into the water. The king’s daughter followed it with her eyes, but the ball had vanished, and the well was so deep that no one could see down to the bottom. Then she began to weep, wept louder and louder every minute, and could not console herself at all.

While she was thus lamenting some one called to her: “What is the matter with you, king’s daughter? You weep so, that you would touch the heart of a stone.”

She looked around to see whence the voice came, and saw a frog stretching his thick ugly head out of the water.

“Ah! it is you, old water-paddler!” said she. “I am crying for my golden ball, which has fallen into the well.”

“Be content,” answered the frog, “I daresay I can give you some good advice; but what will you give me if I bring back your plaything to you?”

“Whatever you like, dear frog,” said she, “my clothes, my pearls and jewels, even the golden crown I wear.”

The frog answered, “Your clothes, your pearls and jewels, even your golden crown, I do not care for; but if you will love me, and let me be your companion and playfellow; sit near you at your little table, eat from your little golden plate, drink from your little cup, and sleep in your little bed;—if you will promise me this, then I will bring you back your golden ball from the bottom of the well.”

“Oh, yes!” said she; “I promise you everything, if you will only bring me back my golden ball.”

She thought to herself, meanwhile: “What nonsense the silly frog talks! He sits in the water with the other frogs, and croaks, and can not be anybody’s playfellow!”

But the frog, as soon as he had received the promise, dipped his head under the water and sank down. In a little while up he came again with the ball in his mouth, and threw it on the grass. The king’s daughter was overjoyed when she beheld her pretty plaything again, picked it up, and ran away with it.

“Wait! wait!” cried the frog; “take me with you. I cannot run as fast as you.”

Alas! of what use was it that he croaked after her as loud as he could. She would not listen to him, but hastened home, and soon forgot the poor frog, who was obliged to plunge again to the bottom of his well.

 The next day, when she was sitting at dinner with the king and all the courtiers, eating from her little gold plate, there came a sound of something creeping up the marble staircase— splish, splash; and when it had reached the top, it knocked at the door and cried, “Youngest king’s daughter, open to me.”

She ran, wishing to see who was outside; but when she opened the door, and there sat the frog, she flung it hastily to again, and sat down at table, feeling very, very uncomfortable. The king saw that her heart was beating violently, and said, “How, my child, why are you afraid? Is a giant standing outside the door to carry you off?”

“Oh, no!” answered she, “it is no giant, but a nasty frog, who yesterday, when I was playing in the wood near the well, fetched my golden ball out of the water. For this I promised him he should be my companion, but I never thought he could come out of his well. Now he is at the door, and wants to come in.”

Again, the second time there was a knock, and a voice cried:

“Youngest king’s daughter,

Open to me;

Know you what yesterday

You promised me,

By the cool water?

Youngest king’s daughter

Open to me.”

Then said the king, “What you promised you must perform. Go and open the door.”

She went and opened the door; the frog hopped in, always following and following her till he came up to her chair. There he sat and cried out, “Lift me up to you on the table.”

She refused, till the king, her father, commanded her to do it. When the frog was on the table, he said, “Now push your little golden plate nearer to me, that we may eat together.” She did as he desired, but one could easily see that she did it unwillingly. The frog seemed to enjoy his dinner very much, but every morsel she ate stuck in the throat of the poor little princess.

Then said the frog, “I have eaten enough, and am tired; carry me to your little room, and make your little silken bed smooth, and we will lay ourselves down to sleep together.”

At this the daughter of the king began to weep; for she was afraid of the cold frog, who wanted to sleep in her pretty clean bed.

But the king looked angrily at her, and said again: “What you have promised you must perform. The frog is your companion.”

It was no use to complain whether she liked it or not; she was obliged to take the frog with her up to her little bed. So she picked him up with two fingers, hating him bitterly the while, and carried him upstairs: but when she got into bed, instead of lifting him up to her, she threw him with all her strength against the wall, saying, “Now, you nasty frog, there will be an end of you.”

But what fell down from the wall was not a dead frog, but a living young prince, with beautiful and loving eyes, who at once became, by her own promise and her father’s will, her dear companion and husband. He told her how he had been cursed by a wicked sorceress, and that no one but the king’s youngest daughter could release him from his enchantment and take him out of the well.

The next day a carriage drove up to the palace-gates with eight white horses, having white feathers on their heads and golden reins. Behind it stood the servant of the young prince, called the Faithful Henry. This faithful Henry had been so grieved when his master was changed into a frog, that he had been compelled to have three iron bands fastened round his heart, lest it should break. Now the carriage came to convey the prince to his kingdom, so the faithful Henry lifted in the bride and bridegroom, and mounted behind, full of joy at his lord’s release. But when they had gone a short distance, the prince heard behind him a noise as if something was breaking. He turned round, and cried out, “Henry, the carriage is breaking!”

But Henry replied: “No, sir, it is not the carriage, but one of the bands from my heart, with which I was forced to bind it up, or it would have broken with grief, while you sat as a frog at the bottom of the well.”

Twice again this happened, and the prince always thought the carriage was breaking; but it was only the bands breaking off from the heart of the faithful Henry, out of joy that his lord the Frog-Prince was a frog no more. 🙂

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Snow White And Rose Red

A poor widow lived alone in a little cottage, in front of which was a garden, where stood two little rose-trees: one bore white roses, the other red. The widow had two children, who resembled the two rose-trees: one was called Snow-white, and the other Rose-red. They were two of the best children that ever lived; but Snow-white was quieter and more gentle than Rose-red. Rose-red liked best to jump about in the meadows, to look for flowers and catch butterflies; but Snow-white sat at home with her mother, helped her in the house, or read to her when there was nothing else to do. The two children loved one another so much, that they always walked hand in hand; and when Snow-white said, “We will not forsake one another,” Rose-red answered, “Never, as long as we live;” and the mother added, “Yes, my children, whatever one has, let her divide with the other.” They often ran about in solitary places, and gathered red berries; and the wild creatures of the wood never hurt them, but came confidingly up to them. The little hare ate cabbage-leaves out of their hands, the doe grazed at their side, the stag sprang merrily past them, and the birds remained sitting on the boughs, and never ceased their songs. They met with no accident if they loitered in the wood and right came on; they lay down together on the moss, and slept till morning; and the mother knew this, and was in no anxiety about them. Once, when they had spent the night in the wood, and the red morning awoke them, they saw a beautiful child in a shining white dress, sitting by the place where they had slept, who, arising, and looking at them kindly, said nothing, but went into the wood. And when they looked round, they found out that they had been sleeping close to a precipice, and would certainly have fallen down it if they had gone a few steps farther in the dark. Their mother told them it must have been the angel that takes care of good children who had sat by them all night long.

Snow-white and Rose-red kept their mother’s cottage so clean, that it was a pleasure to look into it. In the summer, Rose-red managed the house, and every morning she gathered a nosegay in which was a rose off each tree, and set it by her mother’s bed before she awoke. In winter Snow-white lighted the fire, and hung the kettle on the hook; and though it was only copper, it shone like gold, it was rubbed so clean. In the evening, when the snow fell, the mother said, “Go, Snow-white, and bolt the door;” and then they seated themselves on the hearth, and the mother took her spectacles, and read aloud out of a great book, and the two girls listened, and sat and span. Near them lay a lamb on the floor, and behind them, on a perch, sat a white dove, with its head under its wing.

One evening, as they were thus happy together, some one knocked to be let in. The mother said, “Quick, Rose-red, open the door; perhaps it is a traveller who seeks shelter.” Rose-red went and pushed the bolt back, and thought it was a poor man, but a bear stretched his thick black head into the door. Rose-red screamed and sprang back, the little lamb bleated, the little dove fluttered about, and Snow-white hid herself behind her mother’s bed. However, the bear began to speak, and said, “Do not be frightened, I will do you no harm; I am half-frozen, and only want to warm myself a little.”

“You poor bear,” said the mother, “lay yourself down before the fire, only take care your fur does not burn.” Then she called out, “Snow-white and Rose-red, come out; the bear will not hurt you – he means honestly by us.” Then they both came out, and, by degrees, the lamb and the dove also approached, and ceased to be afraid. The bear said, “Children, knock the snow a little out of my fur;” and they fetched a broom, and swept the bear’s skin clean; and he stretched himself before the fire and growled softly, like a bear that was quite happy and comfortable. In a short time, they all became quite friendly together, and the children played tricks with the awkward guest. They pulled his hair, set their feet on his back, and rolled him here and there; or took a hazel rod and beat him, and when he growled they laughed. The bear was very much pleased with this frolic, only, when they became too mischievous, he called out, “Children, leave me alone.”

“Little Snow-white and Rose-red,
You will strike your lover dead.”

When bedtime came, and the others went to sleep, the mother said to the bear: “You can lie there on the hearth, and then you will be sheltered from the cold and the bad weather.” At daybreak the two children let him out, and he trotted over the snow into the wood. Henceforward, the bear came every evening at the same hour, laid himself on the hearth, and allowed the children to play with him as much as they liked; and they became so used to him, that the door was never bolted until their black companion had arrived. When spring came, and everything was green out-of-doors, the bear said one morning to Snow-white: “Now I must go away, and may not come again the whole summer.”

“Where are you going, dear Bear?” asked Snow-white.

“I must go into the wood, and guard my treasures from the bad dwarfs; in winter, when the ground is frozen hard, they have to stay underneath, and cannot work their way through, but now that the sun has thawed and warmed the earth, they break through, come up, seek, and steal: what is once in their hands, and lies in their caverns, does not come so easily into daylight again.” Snow-white was quite sorrowful at parting, and as she unbolted the door for him, and the bear ran out, the hook of the door caught him, and a piece of his skin tore off; it seemed to Snow-white as if she had seen gold shining through, but she was not sure. But the bear ran quickly away, and soon disappeared behind the trees.

After some time, their mother sent the children into the wood to collect faggots. They found there a large tree, which had been cut down and lay on the ground, and by the trunk something was jumping up and down, but they could not tell what it was. As they came nearer, they saw that it was a dwarf, with an old withered face, and a snow-white beard a yard long. The end of the beard was stuck fast in a cleft in the tree, and the little fellow jumped about like a dog on a rope, and did not know how to help himself. He stared at the girls with his fiery red eyes, and screamed out, “Why do you stand there! Can’t you come and render me some assistance?”

“What is the matter with you, little man?” asked Rose-red.

“Stupid little goose!” answered the dwarf; “I wanted to chop the tree, so as to have some small pieces of wood for the kitchen; we only want little bits; with thick logs, the small quantity of food that we cook for ourselves – we are not, like you, great greedy people – burns directly. I had driven the wedge well in, and it was all going on right, but the detestable wood was too smooth, and sprang out unexpectedly; and the tree closed up so quickly, that I could not pull my beautiful white beard out; now it is sticking there, and I can’t get away. There you foolish, soft, milk-faces! you are laughing and crying out, ‘How ugly you are! how ugly you are!’”

The children took a great deal of trouble, but they could not pull the beard out; it stuck too fast.

“I will run and fetch somebody,” said Rose red.

“You great ninny!” snarled the dwarf, “you want to call more people; you are two too many for me now. Can’t you think of anything better?”

“Only don’t be impatient,” said Snow-white, “I have thought of something;” and she took her little scissors out of her pocket, and cut the end of the beard off.

As soon as the dwarf felt himself free, he seized a sack filled with gold that was sticking between the roots of the tree; pulling it out, he growled to himself, “You rude people, to cut off a piece of my beautiful beard! May evil reward you!” Then he threw his sack over his shoulders and walked away, without once looking at the children.

Some time afterwards, Snow-white and Rose red wished to catch some fish for dinner. As they came near to the stream, they saw that something like a grasshopper was jumping towards the water, as if it were going to spring in. They ran on and recognised the dwarf.

“Where are you going?” asked Rose-red, “You don’t want to go into the water?”

“I am not such a fool as that,” cried the dwarf, “Don’t you see the detestable fish wants to pull me in?”

The little fellow had been sitting there fishing, and, unluckily, the wind had entangled his beard with the line. When directly afterwards a great fish bit at his hook, the weak creature could not pull him out, so the fish was pulling the dwarf into the water. It is true he caught hold of all the reeds and rushes, but that did not help him much; he had to follow all the movements of the fish, and was in imminent danger of being drowned. The girls, coming at the right time, held him fast and tried to get the beard loose from the line, but in vain – beard and line were entangled fast together. There was nothing to do but to pull out the scissors and to cut off the beard, in doing which a little piece of it was lost. When the dwarf saw that, he cried out: “Is that manners, you goose! to disfigure one’s face so? Is it not enough that you once cut my beard shorter? But now you have cut the best part of it off, I dare not be seen by my people. I wish you had to run, and had lost the soles of your shoes!” Then he fetched a sack of pearls that lay among the rushes, and, without saying a word more, he dragged it away and disappeared behind a stone.

Soon after, the mother sent the two girls to the town to buy cotton, needles, cord, and tape. The road led them by a heath, scattered over which lay great masses of rock. There they saw a large bird hovering in the air; it flew round and round just above them, always sinking lower and lower, and at last it settled down by a rock not far distant. Directly after, they heard a piercing, wailing 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 compassionate children instantly seized hold of the little man, held him fast, and struggled so long that the eagle let his prey go.

When the dwarf had recovered from his first fright, he called out, in his shrill voice: “Could not you deal rather more gently with me? You have torn my thin coat all in tatters, awkward, clumsy creatures that you are!” Then he took a sack of precious stones, and slipped behind the rock again into his den. The girls, who were used to his ingratitude, went on their way, and completed their business in the town. As they were coming home again over the heath, they surprised the dwarf, who had emptied his sack of precious stones on a little clean place, and had not thought that any one would come by there so late. The evening sun shone on the glittering stones, which looked so beautiful in all their colours, that the children could not help standing still to gaze.

“Why do you stand there gaping?” cried the dwarf, his ash-coloured face turning vermilion with anger.

With these cross words he was going away, when he heard a loud roaring, and a black bear trotted out of the wood towards them. The dwarf sprang up terrified, but he could not get to his lurking hole again – the bear was already close upon him. Then he called out in anguish, –

“Dear Mr. Bear, spare me, and you shall have all my treasures; look at the beautiful precious stones that lye there. Give me my life! for what do you want with a poor thin little fellow like me? You would scarcely feel me between your teeth. Rather seize those two wicked girls; they will be tender morsels for you, as fat as young quails; pray, eat them at once.”

The bear, without troubling himself to answer, gave the malicious creature one single stroke with his paw, and he did not move again. The girls had run away, but the bear called after them, “Snow-white and Rose-red, do not be frightened; wait, I will go with you. Recognising the voice of their old friend, they stood still, and when the bear came up to them his skin suddenly fell off; and behold he was not a bear, but a handsome young man dressed all in gold.

“I am a king’s son,” said he; “I was changed by the wicked dwarf, who had stolen all my treasures, into a wild bear, and obliged to run about in the wood until I should be freed by his death. Now he has received his well-deserved punishment.”

So they all went home together to the widow’s cottage, and Snow-white was married to the prince, and Rose-red to his brother. They divided between them the great treasures which the dwarf had amassed. The old mother lived many quiet and happy years with her children; but when she left her cottage for the palace, she took the two rose-trees with her, and they stood before her window and bore every year the most beautiful roses – one white and the other red.

…≈…

 

The Golden Egg!

A poor barber lived alone in his small hut. He was dedicated to his work. And whatever he earns was enough to fulfill his needs.

One evening, after returning from work, the barber was hungry.

“What shall I cook tonight?” he thought.

Just then he heard a Goose clucking outside his hut. “That Goose would make a great feast for me,” thought the barber and prepared to catch the it.

With a little effort he was able to catch the Goose. As he was about to kill the Goose, it squeaked..

“Please do not kill me, O kind man! I will help you.” barber stopped. Though he was surprised that the Goose spoke, he asked, “How can you help me?”

“If you spare my life, I will lay a golden egg everyday for you,” said the Goose.

The Barber’s eyes got widened in delight. He was surprised to hear this promise.

“A golden egg! That too everyday! But why should I believe you? You might be lying,” said the Barber.

“If I do not lay a golden egg tomorrow, you can kill me,” said the Goose.

After this promise, the Barber spared the Goose and waited for the next day.

The next morning, the barber found a golden egg lying outside his hut and the Goose sitting beside it.

“It is true! You really can lay a golden egg!” exclaimed barber with great delight. He did not reveal this incident to any one, fearing that others would catch the Goose.

From that day onwards, the Goose would lay a golden egg everyday. In return, the barber took good care of the Goose. Very soon, the Barber became rich.

But he became greedy. He thought, “If I cut open the Goose’s stomach, I can get out all the golden eggs at once. I do not have to wait for the Goose to lay the golden eggs one by one.”

That night, he brought the Goose to the interior portion of his house and killed the Goose. But to his dismay, he found no golden eggs. Not even one.

“What have I done? My greed had made me kill the Goose,” he wailed. But it was too late.

 Moral: Think Before you act and Dont be Greedy!

 

The Thirsty Crow

One hot day, a thirsty crow flew all over the fields looking for water. For a long time, she could not find any. She felt very weak, almost giving up hope.

Suddenly, she saw a water jug below her. She flew straight down to see if there was any water inside. Yes, she could see some water inside the jug!

The crow tried to push her head into the jug. Sadly, she found that the neck of the jug was too narrow. Then she tried to push the jug down for the water to flow out. She found that the jug was too heavy.

The crow thought hard for a while. Then looking around her, she saw some pebbles. She suddenly had a good idea.

She started picking up the pebbles one by one, dropping each into the jug.

As more and more pebbles filled the jug, the water level kept rising. Soon it was high enough for the crow to drink. Her plan had worked and she quenched her thirst.

Moral: If you try hard enough, you may soon find an answer to your problem.

 

The Lion And The Hare.

There lived a lion by the name of Bhasuraka, in a dense jungle. He was very powerful, cruel and arrogant. He used to kill the animals of the jungle unnecessarily. He even killed the human beings, who travelled through the jungle. This became a cause of worry for all the animals. They discussed this problem among themselves and ultimately came upon a decision to hold a meeting with the lion and make an amicable settlement with him and put an end to this ongoing trauma.

So, one day, all the animals of the jungle assembled under a big tree. They also invited king lion to attend the meeting. In the meeting the animals said to king lion, “Your Majesty, we are happy that you are our king. We are all-the-more happy that you are presiding over the meeting.” King lion thanked them and asked, “Why is it that we have gathered here?” All the animals began looking at each other. They had to muster enough courage to broach the topic. “Sir,” said one of the animals, “It’s natural that you kill us for food. But, killing more than what is required is a positive vice and unnecessary. If you go on killing the animals without any purpose, soon a day will come, when there will be no animals left in the jungle.”

“So what do you want?” roared king lion.

“Your Majesty, we have already discussed the problem among ourselves and have come upon a solution. We have decided to send one animal a day to your den. You can kill and eat it. This will save you from the trouble of hunting and you will not have to kill a number of animals unnecessarily for your meals.”

“Good,” the lion roared back. “I agree to this proposal, but the animals must reach to me in time, otherwise, I’ll kill all the animals of the jungle.”

The animals agreed to this proposal. Everyday one animal walked into the lion’s den to become his feast. The lion too was very happy to have his food right before him. He stopped hunting for his prey.

One day, it was the turn of a hare to go into the lion’s den. The little hare was unwilling to go and become a meal of the lion, but the other animals forced him to go to the lion’s den.

Having no alternative, the hare began thinking quickly. He thought of a plan. He began wandering around and made a deliberate delay, and reached the lion’s den a little late than the lion’s meal time. By now, the lion had already lost his patience and seeing the hare coming slowly, he became furious and demanded for an explanation.

“Your Majesty”, the hare said with folded hands, “I am not to be blamed for that. I have come late because another lion began chasing me and wanted to eat me. He said that he too was the king of the jungle.”

The king lion roared in great anger and said, “Impossible, there cannot exist another king in this jungle. Who is he? I’ll kill him. Show me where he lives.”

The lion and the hare set out to face the other lion. The hare took the lion to a deep well, full of water.

When they reached near the well, the hare said to the lion, “This is the place where he lives. He might be hiding inside.”

The lion again roared in great anger; climbed up the well and peeped in. He saw his own reflection in the water and thought that the other lion was challenging his authority. He lost his temper.

“I must kill him”, said the lion unto himself and jumped into the well. He was soon drowned.

The hare was happy. He went back to other animals and narrated the whole story. All the animals took a sigh of relief and praised him for his cleverness. They all lived happily thereafter.

Moral: Intelligence is superior to physical strength

 

The Rabbits And The Elephants

Once upon a time, there lived a herd of elephants in a deep jungle. Their king was a huge elephant by the name of Chaturdanta. In the middle of this jungle, there was a big lake where all the animals went to drink water. Once it so happened, that it didn’t rain for the whole year and the lakes went dry. The elephants, after a great deal of discussion, decided to move to the other forest, where there was a lake named Chandrasar. This lake was full of water and never went dry even if there were no rains.

And so, the elephants set out for the lake ‘Chandrasar’. They felt very happy upon reaching the new lake. They bathed in the fresh water of the lake and also enjoyed playing and spewing water on each other by their trunks. After having bathed satisfactorily and quenched their thirst with the sweet water of the lake they came out of it and entered the deep forest.

But, there lived many rabbits in their burrows around the lake area. When the herd of elephants walked around they stamped the burrows with their heavy feet. Thus, many rabbits were either killed or were left physically handicapped.

So, in order to salvage the grave situation, the rabbits held a meeting and discussed this new calamity. At one point, they decided to shift from that dangerous place and live somewhere else. But a rabbit named Lambkarna advised them to exercise patience. He offered his services for the sake of all the other rabbits and said, “Don’t worry friends. Just see, how I drive these~ elephants away from this forest

The next day, Lambkarna sat on a high rock. The rock lay in the main path of the elephants, leading to the lake. When the elephant passed by the rock, the rabbit addressed the king of the elephants in a tough voice, “You’re a cruel fellow. You’ve trampled many of my relatives and friends under your feet. I too am king of rabbits. I stay in the heaven with God Moon. God Moon is very much annoyed with you.”

The king elephant was frightened to hear this. He said in a trembling voice, “Please take me to God Moon. I’ll ask for his forgiveness.”

“All right”, said the clever rabbit. “See me tonight at the lake.”

The king elephant, then, as told by the rabbit, reached the lake at night. The king rabbit and the king elephant both stood near the edge of the lake. It was a silent and moonlit night. Mild breeze was blowing. The rabbit asked the elephant to look carefully into the water of the lake.

As soon as the king elephant looked into the lake, he saw the reflection of half-moon in the lake’s water. Just then a mild breeze blew and the reflection of the moon in the water became wavy

Pointing to the wavy reflection of the moon, the king rabbit said,

“Look for yourself, how annoyed God Moon is with you. Better you ask for his mercy, otherwise, he might curse you to death ‘ “

The king elephant became more and more frightened. He promised God Moon not to ever visit the lake with his friends.

The rabbits lived happily, thereafter.

Moral: Clever move

The Old Greedy Crane

There was an old crane, who lived by a lake. He was so old that he could not arrange for his food. The fish swam around him, but he was so weak that he could not catch them.

One day, he was very hungry. He hadn’t had anything to eat for days together. In total dejection he sat on the bank of the lake and began weeping. A crab who was passing by, heard him crying and asked him for the reason.

All of a sudden, he hit upon an idea. He asked the crab to have patience and allow him some time to overcome his emotion. The crab consoled him and became silent. Meanwhile, the crane pretended to have overcome his emotions and began saying in a sad tone, “Perhaps, you are not aware of the future of the aquatic animals of this lake. They will soon die without water.”

“What!” the crab exclaimed.

“Yes”, the crane said. “A fortune-teller has told me that very soon this lake will go dry and all the creatures living in it will die. This thought of impending doom has sunken my heart with grief.” After a pause, the crane continued, “There is another lake at some distance from here. All the big creatures like crocodiles, tortoises, frogs etc. can travel up to that lake, but I am worried about those, who cannot travel by land, like fish. They will die without water. This is the reason why I am so sad. I want to help them.”

All the creatures in the lake were dumbstruck to know the future of the lake but they became very happy to know that the crane was ready to help them.

“There is a big lake, full of water, a few miles away from here. I’ll carry such helpless creatures on my back”, said the crane, “and put them safely in the big lake.”

Everyone in the lake agreed to this proposal. Now the crane started carrying one creature at a time, on his back. First, he started with fish and carried them on his back; but, instead of taking them to the big lake, he took them to a nearby hill and ate them.

And in this way, the crane ate a large number of fish everyday.

Within a few days, he regained his health and became stout.

One day, the crab said to the crane, “Friend, you seem to have forgotten me. I thought, I would be the first one to be carried to the big lake, but I have a feeling that I have been completely ignored.”

“No, I haven’t forgotten you”, said the crane cunningly. He was tired of eating fish everyday. He wanted to have a change. So he said to the crab, “Come my friend. Sit on my back”

The crab gladly sat on the crane’s back and the crane flew towards the big lake.

“How far is the lake now?” the crab asked. The crane thought that the crab was quite an innocent creature. He would never know his evil plans. So, he said angrily, “You fool, do you think I am your servant? There is no other lake around here. I made this plan in order to be able to eat you all. Now you too be prepared to die.”

But the crab didn’t loose his senses. He quickly grabbed the long neck of the crane with his sharp claws and told him to return to the old lake. He threatened to cut the crane’s neck into two, if he didn’t obey him.

The crane was left with no choice, but to return to the old lake On reaching the lake the crab immediately jumped off the back of the crane. Then he told all the other creatures about the crane’s misdeeds. This made the creatures very angry. They attacked the crane and killed him.

Moral: Never be greedy

The Mongoose And The Baby In The Cradle.

Once upon a time, there lived a poor Brahmin named Dev Sharma with his wife in a small village. The Brahmin used to perform puja in religious functions taking place in nearby villages. They had no children. They offered prayers to god for a child. At last, a son was born to them.

The Brahmin’s wife had a mongoose as her pet. The mongoose was very playful. He used to guard the Brahmin’s house and also looked after the baby, while it slept in the cradle.

Once, some people came to invite the Brahmin for performing puja in their house. The Brahmin was in a quandary. Should he go to perform puja or stay home to look after his baby? His wife had also gone to fetch water from the well situated on the outskirts of the village.

The Brahmin didn’t want to leave the baby all alone in the house, even though the mongoose was sitting there beside the cradle like a baby sitter. He was in a state of perplexity. But at last he buckled under the pressure and went to the nearby village to conduct the religious ceremony, leaving the baby all alone in the house.

The mongoose still sat beside the cradle guarding the baby. Suddenly, he saw a big black snake crawling towards the cradle. Being a natural enemy of snakes and also having the responsibility of guarding the baby, he pounced upon the snake. After a fierce fighting with the snake the mongoose killed it.

But the mouth and paws of the mongoose were smeared with the snake’s blood. The mongoose was happy that he had done his duty faithfully and had saved the baby from the snake. He ran to the main entrance of the house and sat there waiting for his master’s wife to come back. He thought that she would be highly impressed with his performance and shall reward him suitably.

After sometime, the Brahmin’s wife came along with the water pitcher on her head. She saw the paws and mouth of the mongoose smeared in blood.

She thought that the mongoose had killed her baby. In a fit of rage, she threw the heavy water pitcher on the head of the mongoose. The mongoose died on the spot.

The Brahmin’s wife now went running inside the house. There she saw a big black snake lying dead. The baby was sleeping safe in the cradle. Now she realised that she was greatly mistaken, and the mongoose had, in fact, saved her child. She began repenting and weeping. She had killed her faithful pet without knowing what had really happened.

Moral: One should avoid taking hasty decisions in sensitive matters

The Prince And The Bear

Once a prince went to a jungle to hunt for animals. He wandered the whole day in search of prey but to his sheer disappointment and disgust he didn’t get a single animal, big or small. He became tired and sat under a tree to take rest. Just then he saw a tiger coming towards him. The prince got frightened and scrambled up a tree. There he saw a bear already sitting on a branch. The prince got badly terrified because, up there in the tree was sitting a bear and down on the ground was the tiger. The prince began to tremble with fear. But the bear said to the prince, “Don’t worry, my dear prince, I’ll not harm you, you’re my guest.'” The prince believed in what the bear said. But, the tiger was still waiting for him on the ground.

Soon the sun set and since, the prince was terribly tired of whole day’s wandering, he fell asleep. The bear gave him support with his body to enable him to lie down comfortably on the branch. Then the tiger said to the bear, “This is a human being. Human beings are our enemies. Throw him on to the ground for my meals.”

“I’ll not throw the prince on to the ground, howsoever bad he might be,” said the bear. “Moreover, he is my guest.”

In the morning, when the prince woke up, he saw the bear sleeping beside him. The tiger said to the prince, “Don’t trust this wicked bear. He’s showing all his sympathies to you because I am sitting here. He’ll not spare you, once I leave this place. It’s my humble advice that you push this bear down before me. I’ll eat him and let you go.”

The prince believed in what the tiger said and pushed the bear off the branch. But the bear was alert. He caught hold of another branch of the tree and saved his life. He cursed the prince for his unthoughtful act and said, “We animals are better than you human beings.”

Moral: Animals too are lovable and understanding