Snow-white

The Snow-white.

It was the middle of winter, and the snow- flakes were falling like feathers from the sky, and a queen sat at her window working, and her embroidery-frame was of ebony.

And as she worked, gazing at times out on the snow, she pricked her finger, and there fell from it three drops of blood on the snow.

And when she saw how bright and red it looked, she said to herself,

"Oh that I had a child as white as snow, as red as blood, and as black as the wood of the embroidery frame!"

Not very long after she had a daughter, with a skin as white as snow, lips as red as blood, and hair as black as ebony, and she was named Snow-white.

And when she was born the queen died. After a year had gone by the king took another wife, a beautiful woman,

but proud and overbearing, and she could not bear to be surpassed in beauty by any one.

She had a magic looking-glass, and she used to stand before it, and look in it, and say,

"Looking-glass upon the wall, Who is fairest of us all?"

And the looking-glass would answer,

"You are fairest of them all."

And she was contented, for she knew that the looking-glass spoke the truth.

Now, Snow-white was growing prettier and prettier, and when she was seven years old she was as beautiful as day, far more so than the queen herself.

So one day when the queen went to her mirror and said,

"Looking-glass upon the wall, Who is fairest of us all?"

It answered,

"Queen, you are full fair, 'tis true, But Snow-white fairer is than you."

This gave the queen a great shock, and she became yellow and green with envy, and from that hour her heart turned against Snow-white, and she hated her.

And envy and pride like ill weeds grew in her heart higher every day, until she had no peace day or night.

At last she sent for a huntsman, and said,

"Take the child out into the woods, so that I may set eyes on her no more. You must put her to death, and bring me her heart for a token."

The huntsman consented, and led her away; but when he drew his cutlass to pierce Snow-white's innocent heart, she began to weep, and to say,

"Oh, dear huntsman, do not take my life; I will go away into the wild wood, and never come home again."