Part 9 (1/2)

It clung to her clothes, so that she was dressed in gold from her head to her feet.

”That is your pay for having worked so hard,” said the old woman. ”And here is your spindle that fell into the spring.”

Then the gate was closed, and the maiden found herself once more in the world.

She was not far from her own home, and as she came into the farmyard, a c.o.c.k on the roof cried loudly:

”c.o.c.k-a-doodle-doo!

Our golden lady has come home, too.”

MOTHER FROST--II

When the stepmother saw the girl with her golden dress, she was kind to her. Then the maiden told how the gold had fallen upon her.

The mother could hardly wait to have her own child try her luck in the same way.

This time she made the idle daughter go to the spring and spin.

The lazy girl did not spin fast enough to make her fingers bleed.

So she p.r.i.c.ked her finger with a thorn until a few drops of blood stained the spindle.

At once she let it drop into the water, and sprang in after it herself.

The ugly girl found herself in a beautiful field, just as her sister had.

She walked along the same path until she came to the baker's oven.

She heard the loaves cry, ”Pull us out! pull us out, or we shall burn!”

[Ill.u.s.tration]

But the lazy girl said to the brown loaves, ”I will not. I do not want to soil my hands in your dirty oven.”

Then she walked on until she came to the apple tree.

”Shake me! shake me!” it cried, ”for my apples are quite ripe.”

”I will not,” said the girl, ”for some of your apples might fall on my head.”

As she spoke, she walked lazily on.

At last the girl stood before the door of Mother Frost's house.

She had no fear of Mother Frost's great teeth, but walked right up to the old woman and offered to be her servant.