Read Brick Fairy Tales: Cinderella, Rapunzel, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Hansel and Gretel, and More for Free Online Page A

something home with me,” and filled her pinafore full. “But now we will go away,” said Hansel, “that we may get out of the witch’s forest.”

    When they had walked for two hours, they came to a great piece of water. “We cannot get over,” said Hansel, “I see no foot-plank, and no bridge.”

    “And no boat crosses either,” answered Gretel, “but a white duck is swimming there; if I ask her, she will help us over.” Then she cried,

    “Little duck, little duck, dost thou see, Hansel and Gretel are waiting for thee? There’s never a plank, or bridge in sight,
    Take us across on thy back so white.”

    The duck came to them, and Hansel seated himself on its back, and told his sister to sit by him.

    “No,” replied Gretel, “that will be too heavy for the little duck; she shall take us across, one after the other.”

    The good little duck did so,

    and when they were once safely across and had walked for a short time, the forest seemed to be more and more familiar to them, and at length they saw from afar their father’s house.

    Then they began to run, rushed into the parlour,

    and threw themselves into their father’s arms.

    The man had not known one happy hour since he had left the children in the forest; the woman, however, was dead.

    Gretel emptied her pinafore until pearls and precious stones ran about the room, and Hansel threw one handful after another out of his pocket to add to them. Then all anxiety was at an end, and they lived together in perfect happiness.

    My tale is done, there runs a mouse, whosoever catches it,

    may make himself a big fur cap out of it.

The Frog-King

In old times when wishing still helped one, there lived a king whose daughters were all beautiful, but the youngest was so beautiful that the sun itself, which has seen so much, was astonished whenever it shone in her face.

    Close by the King’s castle lay a great dark forest, and under an old lime-tree in the forest was a well, and when the day was very warm, the King’s child went out into the forest

    and sat down by the side of the cool fountain, and when she was dull she took a golden ball,

    and threw it up on high and caught it, and this ball was her favorite plaything.

    Now it so happened that on one occasion the princess’s golden ball did not fall into the little hand which she was holding up for it, but on to the ground beyond,

    and rolled straight into the water.

    The King’s daughter followed it with her eyes, but it vanished, and the well was deep, so deep that the bottom could not be seen.

    On this she began to cry, and cried louder and louder, and could not be comforted.

    And as she thus lamented some one said to her, “What ails thee, King’s daughter? Thou weepest so that even a stone would show pity.”

    She looked round to the side from whence the voice came, and saw a frog stretching forth its thick, ugly head from the water. “Ah! old water-splasher, is it thou?” said she;

    “I am weeping for my golden ball, which has fallen into the well.”

    “Be quiet, and do not weep,” answered the frog, “I can help thee, but what wilt thou give me if I bring thy plaything up again?”

    “Whatever thou wilt have, dear frog,” said she—”My clothes, my pearls and jewels, and even the golden crown which I am wearing.”

    The frog answered, “I do not care for thy clothes, thy pearls and jewels, or thy golden crown, but if thou wilt love me and let me be thy companion and play-fellow,

    and sit by thee at thy little table, and eat off thy little golden plate, and drink out of thy little cup,

    and sleep in thy little bed—

    if thou wilt promise me this I will go down below, and bring thee thy golden ball up again.”

    “Oh yes,” said she, “I promise thee all thou wishest, if thou wilt but bring me my ball back again.”

    She, however, thought, “How the silly frog does talk! He lives in the water with the other frogs, and croaks, and can be no companion to any human