The Three Little Men in the Wood

ONE SPRING, LONG   AGO,   A   MAN,   WHO   WAS   A widower, married a woman who was a widow. Each of them had a daughter. Before they were married the woman had said to the man:

'Our daughters will be such nice company for each other! But of course I shall favour your daughter! She shall have milk to wash in and wine to drink, but my daughter will just get ordinary water both for washing and drinking.'

The man believed all that, but they hadn't been married for long before the woman began to be jealous of her stepdaughter, who was much nicer and prettier than her own girl.

Things began to go badly in the family and, by the time the next winter came, the woman fairly hated her stepdaughter. One day, when the river was frozen hard as a rock, and when all the hills and valleys were covered with snow, the stepmother was sitting by the fire, and as she sat, she was busy making a cloak: she was making it out of paper.

When it was done she called the man's daughter to her and said:

“Put on this cloak, and go away into the wood and fetch me a basketful of ripe strawberries. Here's the basket and a bit of bread for your dinner.”

"But stepmother," said the girl, "there aren't any strawberries in winter! just look! The ground's all frozen and covered with snow.”

The stepmother didn't answer, but only held out the paper cloak to her.

"Must I really go in that paper cloak?" said the girl. "It's so cold out of doors that it freezes your breath! If the wind doesn't blow it away, the thorns will tear it off me."

"Don't stand there contradicting me," said the step­mother, shaking the cloak at her till it rustled. "Here's your bread! Now be off, and don't let me see you again until you have brought me that basket full of ripe straw­berries!" And with that she fairly pushed her step­daughter out of the house and shut the door after her.

The poor girl had to do as she was told, and so away she went, wearing the paper cloak, with a bit of dry bread in her pocket and carrying the little empty baskets. Meanwhile the stepmother sat down again by the warm fire, well pleased. For she thought, of course, that she was rid of her stepdaughter for ever! The girl would never be able to find ripe strawberries in the middle of the winter, and anyhow she would probably soon freeze in such weather with only a paper cloak over her dress.

Well, the girl went and she went, walking as fast as she could to try to keep some warmth in her in that bitter freezing cold. At last, she caught sight of a little cottage that she had never seen before and, to her surprise, she saw that three dwarfs were looking out—peering round the door at her. The girl came close, wished the dwarfs "Good morning", and then she asked if she might come in for a moment or two and warm herself by the fire.

"Yes! Come in and welcome,” said they, opening the door wide. So in she went and sat down on a stool by the fire and, when she had warmed her hands a little, she brought out her bit of bread and began to eat. Directly they saw the bread the dwarfs called out:

"Give us some! Give us some!"

"Yes, of course!" said the girl, so she divided her bread and she gave them half, and only kept half for her­self. The dwarfs sat down on their own little bench and began to eat at once. Presently one of the dwarfs said:

"What are you doing out in the woods, in the bitter cold winter weather and in this paper cloak?"

So the girl told them.

"Tut, tut!" said one of the dwarfs. "That's bad!" Presently another of them put a broom into her hand, and said:

"Now you must go out to the back door and sweep away the snow that lies thick on our other path."

So the girl got up, took the broom and did as she was bid. As soon as the door was shut behind her the three little dwarfs put their heads close together and began to talk quietly together.

"What shall we give her for being so gentle and good, and for sharing her bread with us so nicely?" said one of them. The first answered:

"She shall become more beautiful every day."

The second said:

"A piece of gold shall fall out of her mouth whenever she speaks."

The third said:

"She shall marry a king."

Meanwhile, the girl had begun to do what the dwarfs had told her, and, as she swept, what do you think she found right beside the path, buried under the snow? A little row of strawberry plants each one quite covered with ripe strawberries, all red and sweet!

Well, you may be sure that the girl filled her little basket in great glee; then, thanking the little men heartily, off she ran home with the strawberries to her step­mother.

No sooner had she got into the house and wished her stepmother "Good evening" than a piece of gold fell from her mouth! And so it went on, while she told her stepmother what had happened in the forest.

It wasn't long before the stepsister wanted to try her luck too, but her mother wouldn't hear of it.

"No, dear daughter, it's far too cold! You'll be frozen," but the stepsister would let her mother have no peace. At last her mother gave her a beautiful fur cloak to put on, and carrying the same little basket and some well-buttered bread and some nice cooked meat, off she set.

Well, she found her way to the little cottage right enough, and there once more the three dwarfs were peering round the door, just as before. But the step­sister did not say a word of greeting to them and, with­out asking leave, she rudely pushed them aside, opened the door wide, and plumping herself down on the stool by the fire, she got out her delicious meat and buttered bread and began to eat.

"Give us some! Give us some!" cried the three dwarfs as before.

"I've hardly got enough for myself," said the stepsister, "so how can I give you any?"

The dwarfs didn't say anything, but just sat on their own little bench and watched her eat. When she'd done, one of them put a broom in her hand and asked her if she would please go and sweep the snow off the path to the back door.

"Sweep it yourself!" said the stepsister. "I'm not your servant." The dwarfs didn't say a word, and so for a while she and the three dwarfs all sat silently by the fire.

Presently, the stepsister got tired of that, and thought she would go home, so up she got and, with never a word of farewell, out she went, banging the door behind her.

When the three dwarfs were alone again, one said to the others:

"What shall we give her?"

"She's got such bad manners," another answered, "and such a nasty disposition that good wishes would be of no use to her!"

"She shall die a miserable death," said the first.

"A toad shall jump out of her mouth every time she speaks," said the second.

"She shall get uglier every day," said the third.

Meanwhile, the girl had been just kicking the snow about round the cottage to see if she could find any ripe strawberries under it, but of course the like of her could find nothing but stones and ice, so, after a while, she set off home, very peevish. Her mother was waiting eagerly for her, but no sooner did the stepsister begin to tell her adventures, than a toad jumped out of her mouth.

Well, you can guess that the stepmother was very angry, but somehow—as envious people will—she soon began to blame it all on the man's daughter and not on her own bad-tempered girl. So she soon determined to have another try at getting rid of her stepdaughter.