My Book of Favorite Fairy Tales | Page 7

many years.
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CINDERELLA
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, that she brought home with her:
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
parlour?" said they; "they who would eat bread should first earn it;
away with the kitchen maid!" Then 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.
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. Besides that, the
sisters plagued her in all sorts of ways and laughed at her. In the
evening, when she was tired, she had no bed to lie down on, but was
made to sleep by the hearth among the ashes; and then, as she was of
course always dusty and dirty, they called her Cinderella.
It happened once that the father was going to the fair, and asked his
wife's daughters what he should bring 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, and almost pushed off his hat; so he
broke it off and brought it away; 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. Three times every day she
went to it and wept; 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.
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 her up 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--
"Hither, hither, through the sky. Turtle-doves and linnets, fly!
Blackbird, thrush, and chaffinch gay, Hither, hither, haste away! One
and all, come help me quick, Haste ye, haste ye--pick, pick, pick!"
[Illustration]
Then first came two white doves flying in at the kitchen window; and
next came two turtle-doves; and after them all the little birds under
heaven came chirping and fluttering in, and flew down into the ashes;
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 in a dish, and left the ashes. At the end of