Brick Fairy Tales: Cinderella, Rapunzel, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Hansel and Gretel, and More by John McCann, Monica Sweeney, Becky Thomas Page B
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came whirring and crowding in, and alighted amongst the ashes.
And the doves nodded with their heads and began pick, pick, pick, pick, and the others began also pick, pick, pick, pick, and gathered all the good seeds into the dishes,
and before half an hour was over they had already finished, and all flew out again.
Then the maiden carried the dishes to the step-mother and was delighted, and believed that she might now go with them to the festival. But the step-mother said, “All this will not help thee; thou goest not with us, for thou hast no clothes and canst not dance; we should be ashamed of thee!”
On this she turned her back on Cinderella, and hurried away with her two proud daughters.
As no one was now at home, Cinderella went to her mother’s grave beneath the hazel-tree, and cried,
“Shiver and quiver, little tree,
Silver and gold throw down over me.”
Then the bird threw a gold and silver dress down to her, and slippers embroidered with silk and silver.
She put on the dress with all speed, and went to the festival.
Her step-sisters and the step-mother however did not know her, and thought she must be a foreign princess, for she looked so beautiful in the golden dress.
They never once thought of Cinderella, and believed that she was sitting at home in the dirt, picking lentils out of the ashes.
The prince went to meet her, took her by the hand and danced with her.
He would dance with no other maiden, and never left loose of her hand,
and if any one else came to invite her, he said, “This is my partner.”
She danced till it was evening, and then she wanted to go home. But the King’s son said, “I will go with thee and bear thee company,” for he wished to see to whom the beautiful maiden belonged.
She escaped from him, however,
and sprang into the pigeon-house.
The King’s son waited until her father came, and then he told him that the stranger maiden had leapt into the pigeon-house.
The old man thought, “Can it be Cinderella?”
and they had to bring him an axe and a pickaxe that he might hew the pigeon-house to pieces,
but no one was inside it.
And when they got home Cinderella lay in her dirty clothes among the ashes, and a dim little oil-lamp was burning on the mantle-piece,
for Cinderella had jumped quickly down from the back of the pigeon-house and had run to the little hazel-tree,
and there she had taken off her beautiful clothes and laid them on the grave,
and the bird had taken them away again, and then she had placed herself in the kitchen amongst the ashes in her grey gown.
Next day when the festival began afresh, and her parents and the step-sisters had gone once more, Cinderella went to the hazel-tree and said—
“Shiver and quiver, my little tree,
Silver and gold throw down over me.”
Then the bird threw down a much more beautiful dress than on the preceding day.
And when Cinderella appeared at the festival in this dress, every one was astonished at her beauty.
The King’s son had waited until she came, and instantly took her by the hand and danced with no one but her.
When others came and invited her, he said, “She is my partner.”
When evening came she wished to leave, and the King’s son followed her and wanted to see into which house she went.
But she sprang away from him, and into the garden behind the house. Therein stood a beautiful tall tree on which hung the most magnificent pears.
She clambered so nimbly between the branches like a squirrel
that the King’s son did not know where she was gone.
He waited until her father came, and said to him, “The stranger-maiden has escaped from me, and I believe she has climbed up the pear-tree.”
The father thought, “Can it be Cinderella?”
and had an axe brought and cut the tree down, but no one was on it.
And when they got into the kitchen, Cinderella lay there amongst the ashes, as usual,
for she had jumped down on the other side of the tree,
had
And the doves nodded with their heads and began pick, pick, pick, pick, and the others began also pick, pick, pick, pick, and gathered all the good seeds into the dishes,
and before half an hour was over they had already finished, and all flew out again.
Then the maiden carried the dishes to the step-mother and was delighted, and believed that she might now go with them to the festival. But the step-mother said, “All this will not help thee; thou goest not with us, for thou hast no clothes and canst not dance; we should be ashamed of thee!”
On this she turned her back on Cinderella, and hurried away with her two proud daughters.
As no one was now at home, Cinderella went to her mother’s grave beneath the hazel-tree, and cried,
“Shiver and quiver, little tree,
Silver and gold throw down over me.”
Then the bird threw a gold and silver dress down to her, and slippers embroidered with silk and silver.
She put on the dress with all speed, and went to the festival.
Her step-sisters and the step-mother however did not know her, and thought she must be a foreign princess, for she looked so beautiful in the golden dress.
They never once thought of Cinderella, and believed that she was sitting at home in the dirt, picking lentils out of the ashes.
The prince went to meet her, took her by the hand and danced with her.
He would dance with no other maiden, and never left loose of her hand,
and if any one else came to invite her, he said, “This is my partner.”
She danced till it was evening, and then she wanted to go home. But the King’s son said, “I will go with thee and bear thee company,” for he wished to see to whom the beautiful maiden belonged.
She escaped from him, however,
and sprang into the pigeon-house.
The King’s son waited until her father came, and then he told him that the stranger maiden had leapt into the pigeon-house.
The old man thought, “Can it be Cinderella?”
and they had to bring him an axe and a pickaxe that he might hew the pigeon-house to pieces,
but no one was inside it.
And when they got home Cinderella lay in her dirty clothes among the ashes, and a dim little oil-lamp was burning on the mantle-piece,
for Cinderella had jumped quickly down from the back of the pigeon-house and had run to the little hazel-tree,
and there she had taken off her beautiful clothes and laid them on the grave,
and the bird had taken them away again, and then she had placed herself in the kitchen amongst the ashes in her grey gown.
Next day when the festival began afresh, and her parents and the step-sisters had gone once more, Cinderella went to the hazel-tree and said—
“Shiver and quiver, my little tree,
Silver and gold throw down over me.”
Then the bird threw down a much more beautiful dress than on the preceding day.
And when Cinderella appeared at the festival in this dress, every one was astonished at her beauty.
The King’s son had waited until she came, and instantly took her by the hand and danced with no one but her.
When others came and invited her, he said, “She is my partner.”
When evening came she wished to leave, and the King’s son followed her and wanted to see into which house she went.
But she sprang away from him, and into the garden behind the house. Therein stood a beautiful tall tree on which hung the most magnificent pears.
She clambered so nimbly between the branches like a squirrel
that the King’s son did not know where she was gone.
He waited until her father came, and said to him, “The stranger-maiden has escaped from me, and I believe she has climbed up the pear-tree.”
The father thought, “Can it be Cinderella?”
and had an axe brought and cut the tree down, but no one was on it.
And when they got into the kitchen, Cinderella lay there amongst the ashes, as usual,
for she had jumped down on the other side of the tree,
had
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