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025 - Snow White and Rose Red · Blue Fairy Book

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  Speaker 1: Snow White and Rose Red of The Blue Fairy Book.
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  Speaker 2: This is a LibriVox recording.
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  Speaker 1: All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more
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  Speaker 1: information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org. That's
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  Speaker 1: l I b r I v o X dot O
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  Speaker 1: r G recording by Christy Nook. The Blue Fairy Book
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  Speaker 1: by Andrew Lang. Snow White and Rose Red, a poor
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  Speaker 1: widow once lived in a little cottage with a garden
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  Speaker 1: in front of it, in which grew two rose trees,
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  Speaker 1: one bearing white roses and the other red. She had
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  Speaker 1: two children who were just like the two rose trees.
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  Speaker 1: One was called snow White and the other rose Red.
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  Speaker 1: And they were the sweetest and best children in the world,
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  Speaker 1: always diligent and always cheerful. But snow White was quieter
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  Speaker 1: and more gentle than rose Read. Rose Red loved to
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  Speaker 1: run about the fields and meadows, and to pick flowers
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  Speaker 1: and catch butterflies. But snow White sat at home with
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  Speaker 1: her mother and helped her in the household, or allowed
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  Speaker 1: to her when there was no work to do. The
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  Speaker 1: two children loved each other so dearly that they always
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  Speaker 1: walked about hand in hand.
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  Speaker 2: Whenever they went out together.
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  Speaker 1: And when snow White said, we will never desert each other,
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  Speaker 1: rose Red answered no, not as long as we live,
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  Speaker 1: and the mother added, whatever one gets, she shall share
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  Speaker 1: with the other. They often roamed about in the woods
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  Speaker 1: gathering berries, and no beast offered to hurt them. On
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  Speaker 1: the contrary, they came up to them in the most
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  Speaker 1: confiding manner. The little hare would eat a cabbage leaf
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  Speaker 1: from their hands. The deer grazed beside them, the stag
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  Speaker 1: would bound past them merrily, and the birds remained on
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  Speaker 1: the branches and sang to them with all their might.
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  Speaker 1: No evil ever befell them. If they tarried late in
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  Speaker 1: the wood and night overtook them, they lay down together
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  Speaker 1: on the moss and slept till morning, and their mother
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  Speaker 1: knew they were quite safe, and never felt anxious about them. Once,
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  Speaker 1: when they had slept all night in the wood and
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  Speaker 1: had been awakened by the morning sun, they perceived a
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  Speaker 1: beautiful child in a shining white robe sitting close to
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  Speaker 1: their resting place. The figure got up, looked at them kindly,
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  Speaker 1: but said nothing, and vanished into the wood. And when
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  Speaker 1: they looked round about them, they became aware that they
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  Speaker 1: had slept quite close to a precipice over which they
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  Speaker 1: would certainly have fallen had they gone on a few
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  Speaker 1: steps further in the darkness. And when they told their
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  Speaker 1: mother of their adventure, she said what they had seen
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  Speaker 1: must have been the angel that guards good children. Snow
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  Speaker 1: White and rose Red kept their mother's cottage so beautifully
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  Speaker 1: clean and neat that it was a pleasure to go
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  Speaker 1: into it. In summer, rose Red looked after the house,
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  Speaker 1: and every morning, before her mother awoke, she placed a
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  Speaker 1: bunch of flowers before the bed, from each tree arose.
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  Speaker 1: In winter, snow White lit the fire and put on
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  Speaker 1: the kettle, which was made of brass, but so beautifully
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  Speaker 1: polished that it shone like gold. In the evening, when
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  Speaker 1: the snow flakes fell, their mother said, snow White, go
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  Speaker 1: and close the shutters. And they drew round the fire,
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  Speaker 1: while the mother put on her spectacles and read aloud
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  Speaker 1: from a big book. And the two girls listened and
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  Speaker 1: sat and span. Beside them on the ground lay a
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  Speaker 1: little lamb, and behind them perched a little white dove,
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  Speaker 1: with its head tucked under its wings. One evening, as
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  Speaker 1: they sat thus cozily together, some one knocked at the door,
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  Speaker 1: as though he desired admittance, The mother said, rose Red
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  Speaker 1: opened the door quickly. It must be some traveler seeking shelter.
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  Speaker 1: Rose Red hastened to unbar the door and thought she
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  Speaker 1: saw a poor man standing in the darkness outside. But
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  Speaker 1: it was no such thing, only a bear, who poked
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  Speaker 1: his thick black head through the door. Rose Red screamed
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  Speaker 1: aloud and sprang back in terror. The lamb began to
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  Speaker 1: bleat the dove flapped its wings, and snow White ran
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  Speaker 1: and hid behind her mother's bed. But the bear began
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  Speaker 1: to speak and said, don't be afraid.
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  Speaker 2: I won't hurt you.
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  Speaker 1: I'm half frozen and only wished to warm myself a little.
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  Speaker 1: My poor bear, said the mother. Lie down by the fire.
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  Speaker 1: Only take care you don't burn your fur. Then she
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  Speaker 1: called out, snow White and rose Red, come out.
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  Speaker 2: The bear will do you no harm.
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  Speaker 1: He is a good, honest creature. So they both came
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  Speaker 1: out of their hiding places, and gradually the lamb and
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  Speaker 1: dove drew near too, and they all forgot their fear.
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  Speaker 1: The bear asked the children to beat the snow a
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  Speaker 1: little out of his fur, and they fetched a brush
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  Speaker 1: and scrubbed him till he was dry. Then the beast
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  Speaker 1: stretched himself in front of the fire and growled quite
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  Speaker 1: happily and comfortably. The children soon grew quite at their
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  Speaker 1: ease with him, and led their helpless guests of fearful life.
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  Speaker 1: They tugged his fur with their hands, put their small
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  Speaker 1: feet on his back, and rolled him about here and there,
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  Speaker 1: or took a hazel wand and beat him with it,
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  Speaker 1: And if he growled, they only laughed. The bear submitted
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  Speaker 1: to everything with the best possible good nature. Only when
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  Speaker 1: they went too far, he cried, oh, children, spare my
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  Speaker 1: life snow white and rose red.
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  Speaker 2: Don't beat your lover dead.
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  Speaker 1: When it was time to retire for the night and
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  Speaker 1: the others went to bed, the mother said to the bear,
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  Speaker 1: you can lie there on the hearth.
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  Speaker 2: In Heaven's name.
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  Speaker 1: It will be shelter for you from the cold and wet.
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  Speaker 1: As soon as day dawned, the children let him out,
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  Speaker 1: and he trotted over the snow into the wood. From
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  Speaker 1: this time on, the bear came every evening at the
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  Speaker 1: same hour and lay down by the hearth, and let
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  Speaker 1: the children play what pranks they liked with him. And
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  Speaker 1: they got so accustomed to him that the door was
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  Speaker 1: never shut till their black friend had made his appearance.
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  Speaker 1: When spring came and all outside was green, the bear
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  Speaker 1: said one morning to snow White, now I must go
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  Speaker 1: away and not return again the whole summer.
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  Speaker 2: Where are you going.
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  Speaker 1: To, dear bear, asked snow White, I must go to
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  Speaker 1: the wood and protect my treasure from the wicked dwarfs.
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  Speaker 1: In winter, when the earth is frozen hard, they are
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  Speaker 1: obliged to remain under ground, for they can't work their
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  Speaker 1: way through. But now, when the sun has thawed and
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  Speaker 1: warmed the ground, they break through and come up above
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  Speaker 1: to spy the land and steal what they can. What
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  Speaker 1: once falls into their hands and into their caves is
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  Speaker 1: not easily brought back to light. Snow White was quite
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  Speaker 1: sad over their friend's departure, and when she unbarred the
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  Speaker 1: door for him, the bear, stepping out, caught a piece
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  Speaker 1: of his fur in the door knocker, and snow White
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  Speaker 1: thought she caught sight of glittering gold beneath it, but
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  Speaker 1: she couldn't be certain of it, and the bear ran
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  Speaker 1: hastily away and soon disappeared behind the trees. A short
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  Speaker 1: time after this, the mother sent the children into the
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  Speaker 1: wood to collect faggots they came in their wanderings upon
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  Speaker 1: a big tree which lay felled on the ground and
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  Speaker 1: on the trunk among the long grass. They noticed something
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  Speaker 1: jumping up and down, but what it was they couldn't distinguish.
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  Speaker 1: When they approached nearer, they perceived a dwarf with a
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  Speaker 1: wizened face and a beard a yard long. The end
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  Speaker 1: of the beard was jammed into a cleft of the tree,
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  Speaker 1: and the little man sprang about like a dog on
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  Speaker 1: a chain, and didn't seem to know what he was
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  Speaker 1: to do. He glared at the girls with his fiery
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  Speaker 1: red eyes and screamed out, what are.
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  Speaker 2: You standing there for? Can't you come and help me?
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  Speaker 2: What were you doing? Little man, asked rose Red.
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  Speaker 1: You stupid, inquisitive goose, replied the dwarf. I wanted to
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  Speaker 1: split the tree in order to get the little chips
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  Speaker 1: of wood for our kitchen fire. Those thick logs that
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  Speaker 1: served to make fires for coarse, greedy people like yourselves
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  Speaker 1: quite burn up all the little food we need. I
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  Speaker 1: had successfully driven in the wedge, and all was going well.
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  Speaker 1: But the cursed wood was so slippery that it suddenly
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  Speaker 1: sprang out and the tree closed up so rapidly that
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  Speaker 1: I had no time time to take my beautiful white
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  Speaker 1: beard out. So here I am stuck fast and I
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  Speaker 1: can't get away, And you silly, smooth faced milk and
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  Speaker 1: water girls just stand in laugh. Uugh, what wretches you are.
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  Speaker 1: The children did all in their power, but they couldn't
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  Speaker 1: get the beard out. It was wedged in far too firmly.
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  Speaker 1: I will run and fetch somebody, said rose Red. Razy blockheads,
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  Speaker 1: snapped the dwarf. What's the good of calling anyone else.
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  Speaker 1: You're already too too many for me. Does nothing better
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  Speaker 1: occur to you than that. Don't be so impatient, said
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  Speaker 1: snow White. I'll see you get help, and taking her
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  Speaker 1: scissors out of her pocket, she cut off the end
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  Speaker 1: of his beard. As soon as the dwarf felt himself free,
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  Speaker 1: he seized a bag full of gold which was hidden
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  Speaker 1: among the roots of the tree, lifted it up and
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  Speaker 1: muttered aloud, curse these rude wretches cutting off a piece
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  Speaker 1: of my splendid beard. With these words, he swung the
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  Speaker 1: bag over his back and disappeared without as much as
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  Speaker 1: looking at the children again. Shortly after this, snow White
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  Speaker 1: and rose Red went out to get a dish of fish.
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  Speaker 1: As they approached the stream, they saw something which looked
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  Speaker 1: like an enormous grasshoppers springing toward.
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  Speaker 2: The water, as if it were going to jump in.
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  Speaker 1: They ran forward and recognized their old friend, the dwarf.
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  Speaker 2: Where are you going to asked Rose Red.
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  Speaker 1: You're surely not going to jump into the water.
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  Speaker 2: I'm not such a fool, screamed the dwarf.
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  Speaker 1: Don't you see that cursed fish as trying to drag
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  Speaker 1: me in. The little man had been sitting on the
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  Speaker 1: bank fishing, when unfortunately the wind had entangled his beard
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  Speaker 1: in the line, which immediately afterwards the big fish bit.
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  Speaker 1: The feeble little creature had no strength to pull it out.
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  Speaker 1: The fish had the upper fin and dragged the dwarf
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  Speaker 1: toward him. He clung on with all his might to
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  Speaker 1: every rush and blade of grass, but it didn't help
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  Speaker 1: him much. He had to follow every movement of the
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  Speaker 1: fish and was in great danger being drawn into the water.
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  Speaker 1: The girls came up just at the right moment, held
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  Speaker 1: him firm and did all they could to disentangle his
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  Speaker 1: beard from the line, but in vain beard and line
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  Speaker 1: were in a hopeless muddle. Nothing remained but to produce
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  Speaker 1: the scissors and cut the beard, by which a small
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  Speaker 1: part of it was sacrificed. When the dwarf perceived what
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  Speaker 1: they were about, he yelled them, do you.
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  Speaker 2: Call that manners?
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  Speaker 1: You toadstools to disfigure a fellow's face. It wasn't enough
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  Speaker 1: that you shortened my beard before, but you must now
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  Speaker 1: needs cut off the best bit of it.
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  Speaker 2: I can't appear like this before my own people.
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  Speaker 1: I wish you'd Ben and Jericho first.
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  Speaker 2: Then he fetched a sack.
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  Speaker 1: Of pearls that lay among the rushes, and without saying
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  Speaker 1: another word, he dragged it away and disappeared behind a stone.
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  Speaker 1: It happened that soon after this, the mother sent the
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  Speaker 1: two girls to the town to buy needles, thread laces,
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  Speaker 1: and ribbons.
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  Speaker 2: There road led over a.
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  Speaker 1: Heath where huge boulders of rock lay scattered here and there.
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  Speaker 1: While trudging along, they saw a big bird hovering in
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  Speaker 1: the air, circling slowly above them, but always descending lower,
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  Speaker 1: till at last it settled on a rock not far
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  Speaker 1: from them. Immediately afterward, they heard a sharp piercing cry.
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  Speaker 1: They ran forward and saw with horror that the eagle
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  Speaker 1: had pounced on their old friend, the dwarf, and was
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  Speaker 1: about to carry him off. The tender hearted children seized
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  Speaker 1: hold of the little man and struggled so long with
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  Speaker 1: the bird that at last he let.
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  Speaker 2: Go his prey. When the dwarf had recovered from the.
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  Speaker 1: First shock, he screamed, in his screeching voice, couldn't you
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  Speaker 1: have treated me more carefully? You have torn my thin
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  Speaker 1: little coat all to shreds useless awkward hussies that you are.
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  Speaker 1: Then he took a bag of precious stones and vanished
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  Speaker 1: under the rocks into his cave. The girls were accustomed
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  Speaker 1: to his ingratitude and went on their way and did
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  Speaker 1: their business in town. On their way home, as they
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  Speaker 1: were again passing the heath, they surprised the dwarf pouring
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  Speaker 1: out his precious stones on an open space, for he
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  Speaker 1: had thought no one would pass by at.
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  Speaker 2: So late an hour.
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  Speaker 1: The evening sun shone on the glittering stones, and they
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  Speaker 1: glanced and gleamed so beautifully that the children stood still
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  Speaker 1: and gazed on them.
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  Speaker 2: What are you standing there gaping?
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  Speaker 1: For? Screamed the dwarf, and his ashen gray face became
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  Speaker 1: scarlet with rage. He was about to go off with
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  Speaker 1: these angry words, when a sudden growl was heard, and
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  Speaker 1: a black bear trotted out of the wood. The dwarf
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  Speaker 1: jumped up in great fright, but he hadn't time to
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  Speaker 1: reach his place of retreat, for the bear was already
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  Speaker 1: close to him.
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  Speaker 2: Then he cried in terror, Dear mister bears, spare me.
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  Speaker 2: I'll give you all my treasure.
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  Speaker 1: Look at those beautiful, precious stones lying there.
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  Speaker 2: Spare my life. What pleasure would you get from a.
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  Speaker 1: Poor, feeble little fellow like me. You won't feel me
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  Speaker 1: between your teeth. There. Lay hold of those two wicked girls.
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  Speaker 1: They will be a tender morsel for you, as fat
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  Speaker 1: as young quails.
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  Speaker 2: Eat them up for Heaven's sake.
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  Speaker 1: But the bear, paying no attention to his words, gave
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  Speaker 1: the evil little creature one blow with his paw, and
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  Speaker 1: he never moved again. The girls ran away, but the
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  Speaker 1: bear called after them, snow white and rose red, don't
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  Speaker 1: be afraid, wait, and I'll come with you. Then they
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  Speaker 1: recognized his voice and stood still, And when the bear
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  Speaker 1: was quite close to them, his skin suddenly fell off,
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  Speaker 1: and a beautiful man stood beside them, all dressed in gold.
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  Speaker 1: I am the King's son, he said, and have been
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  Speaker 1: doomed by that unholy little dwarf, who had stolen my
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  Speaker 1: treasure to roam about the woods as a wild bear
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  Speaker 1: till his death should set me free. Now he has
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  Speaker 1: got his well merited punishment. Snow White married him, and
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  Speaker 1: rose Red his brother, and they divided the great treasure
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  Speaker 1: the dwarf had collected in his cave between them. The
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  Speaker 1: old mother lived for many years peacefully with her children,
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  Speaker 1: and she carried the two rose trees with her, and
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  Speaker 1: they stood in front of her window, and every year
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  Speaker 1: they bore the finest red and white roses. End of
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  Speaker 1: snow White and rose Red