<h2>LITTLE SNOW WHITE</h2>
<p>It was in the middle of winter, when the broad flakes of snow
were falling around, that a certain queen sat working at her
window, the frame of which was made of fine black ebony; and, as
she was looking out upon the snow, she pricked her finger, and
three drops of blood fell upon it. Then she gazed thoughtfully down
on the red drops which sprinkled the white snow and said, "Would
that my little daughter may be as white as that snow, as red as the
blood, and as black as the ebony window-frame!" And so the little
girl grew up; her skin was a white as snow, her cheeks as rosy as
blood, and her hair as black as ebony; and she was called
Snow-White.</p>
<p>But this queen died; and the king soon married another wife, who
was very beautiful, but so proud that she could not bear to think
that any one could surpass her. She had a magical looking-glass, to
which she used to go and gaze upon herself in it, and
say—</p>
<div class="poem">
<div class="stanza">
<p>"Tell me, glass, tell me true!</p>
<p class="i2">Of all the ladies in the land,</p>
<p>Who is fairest? tell me who?"</p>
</div>
</div>
<p>And the glass answered, "Thou, Queen, art fairest in the
land"</p>
<p>But Snow-White grew more and more beautiful; and when she was
seven years old, she was as bright as the day, and fairer than the
queen herself. Then the glass one day answered queen, when she went
to consult it as usual—</p>
<div class="poem">
<div class="stanza">
<p>"Thou, Queen, may'st fair and beauteous be,</p>
<p>But Snow-White is lovelier far than thee?"</p>
</div>
</div>
<p>When the queen heard this she turned pale with rage and envy;
and calling to one of her servants said, "Take Snow-White away into
the wide wood, that I may never see her more." Then the servant led
the little girl away; but his heart melted when she begged him to
spare her life, and he said, "I will not hurt thee, thou pretty
child." So he left her there alone; and though he thought it most
likely that the wild beasts would tear her to pieces, he felt as if
a great weight were taken off his heart when he had made up his
mind not to kill her, but leave her to her fate.</p>
<div class="figcenter"><SPAN href= "images/051.png"><ANTIMG width-obs="100%" src="images/051.png" alt=""></SPAN></div>
<p>Then poor Snow-White wandered along through the wood in great
fear; and the wild beasts roared around, but none did her any harm.
In the evening she came to a little cottage, and went in there to
rest, for her weary feet would carry her no further. Everything was
spruce and neat in the cottage: on the table was spread a white
cloth, and there were seven little plates with seven little loaves
and seven little glasses with wine in them; and knives and forks
laid in order, and by the wall stood seven little beds. Then, as
she was exceedingly hungry, she picked a little piece off each
loaf, and drank a very little wine out of each glass; and after
that she thought she would lie down and rest. So she tried all the
little beds; and one was too long, and another was too short, till,
at last, the seventh suited her; and there she laid herself down
and went to sleep. Presently in came the masters of the cottage,
who were seven little dwarfs that lived among the mountains, and
dug and searched about for gold. They lighted up their seven lamps,
and saw directly that all was not right. The first said, "Who has
been sitting on my stool?" The second, "Who has been eating off my
plate?" The third, "Who has been picking at my bread?" The fourth,
"Who has been meddling with my spoon?" The fifth, "Who has been
handling my fork?" The sixth, "Who has been cutting with my knife?"
The seventh, "Who has been drinking my wine?" Then the first looked
around and said, "Who has been lying on my bed?" And the rest came
running to him, and every one cried out that somebody had been upon
his bed. But the seventh saw Snow-White, and called upon his
brethren to come and look at her; and they cried out with wonder
and astonishment, and brought their lamps and gazing upon her, they
said, "Good heavens! what a lovely child she is!" And they were
delighted to see her, and took care not to waken her; and the
seventh dwarf slept an hour with each of the other dwarfs in turn,
till the night was gone.</p>
<p>In the morning Snow-White told them all her story, and they
pitied her, and said if she would keep all things in order, and
cook and wash, and knit and spin for them, she might stay where she
was, and they would take good care of her. Then they went out all
day long to their work, seeking for gold and silver in the
mountains; and Snow-White remained at home; and they warned her,
saying, "The queen will soon find out where you are, so take care
and let no one in." But the queen, now that she thought Snow-White
was dead, believed that she was certainly the handsomest lady in
the land; so she went to her glass and said—</p>
<div class="poem">
<div class="stanza">
<p>"Tell me, glass, tell me true!</p>
<p class="i2">Of all the ladies in the land,</p>
<p>Who is fairest? tell me who?"</p>
</div>
</div>
<p>And the glass answered—</p>
<div class="poem">
<div class="stanza">
<p>"Thou, Queen, thou are fairest in all this land;</p>
<p>But over the Hills, in the greenwood shade,</p>
<p>Where the seven dwarfs their dwelling have made,</p>
<p>There Snow-White is hiding; and she</p>
<p>Is lovelier far, O Queen, than thee."</p>
</div>
</div>
<p>Then the queen was very much alarmed; for she knew that the
glass always spoke the truth, and she was sure that the servant had
betrayed her. And as she could not bear to think that any one lived
who was more beautiful than she was, she disguised herself as an
old pedlar woman and went her way over the hills to the place where
the dwarfs dwelt. Then she knocked at the door and cried, "Fine
wares to sell!" Snow-White looked out of the window, and said,
"Good day, good woman; what have you to sell?" "Good wares, fine
wares," replied she; "laces and bobbins of all colors." "I will let
the old lady in; she seems to be a very good sort of a body,"
thought Snow-White; so she ran down, and unbolted the door. "Bless
me!" said the woman, "how badly your stays are laced. Let me lace
them up with one of my nice new laces." Snow-White did not dream of
any mischief; so she stood up before the old woman who set to work
so nimbly, and pulled the lace so tightly that Snow-White lost her
breath, and fell down as if she were dead. "There's an end of all
thy beauty," said the spiteful queen, and went away home.</p>
<div class="figcenter"><SPAN href= "images/054.png"><ANTIMG width-obs="100%" src="images/054.png" alt=""></SPAN></div>
<p>In the evening the seven dwarfs returned; and I need not say how
grieved they were to see their faithful Snow-White stretched upon
the ground motionless, as if she were quite dead. However, they
lifted her up, and when they found what was the matter, they cut
the lace; and in a little time she began to breathe, and soon came
to herself again. Then they said, "The old woman was the queen;
take care another time, and let no one in when we are away."</p>
<p>When the queen got home, she went to her glass, and spoke to it,
but to her surprise it replied in the same words as before.</p>
<p>Then the blood ran cold in her heart with spite and malice to
hear that Snow-White still lived; and she dressed herself up again
in a disguise, but very different from the one she wore before, and
took with her a poisoned comb. When she reached the dwarfs'
cottage, she knocked at the door, and cried, "Fine wares to sell!"
but Snow-White said, "I dare not let any one in." Then the queen
said, "Only look at my beautiful combs;" and gave her the poisoned
one. And it looked so pretty that the little girl took it up and
put it into her hair to try it; but the moment it touched her head
the poison was so powerful that she fell down senseless. "There you
may lie," said the queen, and went her way. But by good luck the
dwarfs returned very early that evening; and when they saw
Snow-White lying on the ground, they thought what had happened, and
soon found the poisoned comb. And when they took it away, she
recovered, and told them all that had passed; and they warned her
once more not to open the door to any one.</p>
<p>Meantime the queen went home to her glass, and trembled with
rage when she received exactly the same answer as before; and she
said, "Snow-White shall die, if it costs me my life." So she went
secretly into a chamber, and prepared a poisoned apple: the outside
looked very rosy and tempting, but whosoever tasted it was sure to
die. Then she dressed herself up as a peasant's wife, and travelled
over the hills to the dwarfs' cottage, and knocked at the door; but
Snow-White put her head out of the window, and said, "I dare not
let any one in, for the dwarfs have told me not to." "Do as you
please," said the old woman, "but at any rate take this pretty
apple; I will make you a present of it." "No," said Snow-White, "I
dare not take it." "You silly girl!" answered the other, "what are
you afraid of? do you think it is poisoned? Come! do you eat one
part, and I will eat the other." Now the apple was so prepared that
one side was good, though the other side was poisoned. Then
Snow-White was very much tempted to taste, for the apple looked
exceedingly nice; and when she saw the old woman eat, she could
refrain no longer. But she had scarcely put the piece into her
mouth when she fell down dead upon the ground. "This time nothing
will save thee," said the queen; and she went home to her glass,
and at last it said—"Thou, Queen, art the fairest of all the
fair." And then her envious heart was glad, and as happy as such a
heart could be.</p>
<p>When evening came, and the dwarfs returned home, they found
Snow-White lying on the ground; no breath passed her lips, and they
were afraid that she was quite dead. They lifted her up, and combed
her hair, and washed her face with wine and water; but all was in
vain. So they laid her down upon a bier, and all seven watched and
bewailed her three whole days; and then they proposed to bury her;
but her cheeks were still rosy, and her face looked just as it did
while she was alive; so they said, "We will never bury her in the
cold ground." And they made a coffin of glass so that they might
still look at her, and wrote her name upon it in golden letters,
and that she was a king's daughter. Then the coffin was placed upon
the hill, and one of the dwarfs always sat by it and watched. And
the birds of the air came, too, and bemoaned Snow-White. First of
all came an owl, and then a raven, but at last came a dove.</p>
<p>And thus Snow-White lay for a long, long time, and still only
looked as though she were asleep; for she was even now as white as
snow, and as red as blood, and as black as ebony. At last a prince
came and called at the dwarfs' house; and he saw Snow-White and
read what was written in golden letters. Then he offered the dwarfs
money, and earnestly prayed them to let him take her away; but they
said, "We will not part with her for all the gold in the world." At
last, however, they had pity on him, and gave him the coffin; but
the moment he lifted it up to carry it home with him, the piece of
apple fell from between her lips, and Snow-White awoke, and
exclaimed, "Where am I!" And the prince answered, "Thou art safe
with me." Then he told her all that had happened, and said, "I love
you better than all the world; come with me to my father's palace,
and you shall be my wife." Snow-White consented, and went home with
the prince; and everything was prepared with great pomp and
splendor for their wedding.</p>
<p>To the feast was invited, among the rest, Snow-White's old
enemy, the queen; and as she was dressing herself in fine, rich
clothes, she looked in the glass and said, "Tell me, glass, tell me
true! Of all the ladies in the land, Who is fairest? tell me who?"
And the glass answered, "Thou, lady, art the loveliest <i>here</i>,
I ween; But lovelier far is the new-made queen."</p>
<p>When she heard this, the queen started with rage; but her envy
and curiosity were so great, that she could not help setting out to
see the bride. And when she arrived, and saw that it was no other
than Snow-White, whom she thought had been dead a long while, she
choked with passion, and fell ill and died; but Snow-White and the
prince lived and reigned happily over that land, many, many
years.</p>
<div class="figcenter"><SPAN href= "images/057.png"><ANTIMG src="images/057.png" alt=""></SPAN></div>
<SPAN name="catherine"></SPAN>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
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