Children -- Conduct of life -- Juvenile fiction; Children's stories; Conduct of life -- Juvenile fiction; Fairy tales
Then the Soldier drew out his pipe, and lighted it at the Blue Light.
As soon as a few rings of smoke arose, the Little Man appeared with a
little cudgel in his hand, and said: 'What is my Master's command?'
'Strike the false Judge and his minions to the ground, and do not
spare the King either for all his cruelty to me.'
Then the Little Man flew about like lightning, zig-zag, hither and
thither, and whomever he touched with his cudgel fell to the ground,
and dared not move.
The King was now seized with alarm, and, begging on his knees that his
life might be spared, he rendered up his kingdom and gave his Daughter
to the Soldier to be his wife.
The Goosegirl
There was once an old Queen whose husband had been dead for many
years, and she had a very beautiful daughter. When she grew up she was
betrothed to a Prince in a distant country. When the time came for the
maiden to be sent into this distant country to be married, the old
Queen packed up quantities of clothes and jewels, gold and silver,
cups and ornaments, and, in fact, everything suitable to a royal
outfit, for she loved her daughter very dearly.
She also sent a Waiting-woman to travel with her, and to put her hand
into that of the bridegroom. They each had a horse. The Princess's
horse was called Falada, and it could speak.
When the hour of departure came, the old Queen went to her bedroom,
and with a sharp little knife cut her finger and made it bleed. Then
she held a piece of white cambric under it, and let three drops of
blood fall on to it. This cambric she gave to her daughter, and said,
'Dear child, take good care of this; it will stand you in good stead
on the journey.' They then bade each other a sorrowful farewell. The
Princess hid the piece of cambric in her bosom, mounted her horse, and
set out to her bridegroom's country.
When they had ridden for a time the Princess became very thirsty, and
said to the Waiting-woman, 'Get down and fetch me some water in my cup
from the stream. I must have something to drink.'
'If you are thirsty,' said the Waiting-woman, 'dismount yourself, lie
down by the water and drink. I don't choose to be your servant.'
So, in her great thirst, the Princess dismounted and stooped down to
the stream and drank, as she might not have her golden cup. The poor
Princess said, 'Alas!' and the drops of blood answered, 'If your
mother knew this, it would break her heart.'
The royal bride was humble, so she said nothing, but mounted her horse
again. Then they rode several miles further; but the day was warm, the
sun was scorching, and the Princess was soon thirsty again.
When they reached a river she called out again to her Waiting-woman,
'Get down, and give me some water in my golden cup!'
She had forgotten all about the rude words which had been said to her.
But the Waiting-woman answered more haughtily than ever, 'If you want
to drink, get the water for yourself. I won't be your servant.'
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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