{"collection":"myth-cosmogony","full_text_available":true,"graph_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/api/page/gutenberg_20723/graph","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/page/gutenberg_20723","id":"gutenberg_20723","license":"Public Domain (US)","rights_basis":"gutenberg_metadata_copyright_false","source":"gutenberg","source_url":"https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/20723","summary":null,"tags":["Category: Children & Young Adult Reading","Category: Mythology, Legends & Folklore","Children's Picture Books","Fairy tales"],"text":"Produced by Jason Isbell, Roger Frank and the Online\nDistributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net\n\n\n\n\n\n[Illustration: LITTLE CINDERELLA]\n\nBROWN, TAGGARD & CHASE, 25 & 29 CORNHILL, BOSTON.\n\n-----------------------------------------------------------------------\n\n\n\n\nCINDERELLA.\n\n\nIn former times, a rich man and his wife were the parents of a beautiful\nlittle daughter; but before she had arrived at womanhood, her dear\nmother fell sick, and seeing that death was near, she called her little\nchild to her, and thus addressed her: \"My child, always be good, and\nbear everything that occurs to you with patience; then, whatever toil\nand troubles you may suffer during life, happiness will be your lot in\nthe end.\"\n\nAfter uttering these words the poor lady died, and her daughter was\noverwhelmed with grief at the loss of so good and kind a mother.\n\nThe father, too, was very unhappy; but he sought to get rid of his\nsorrow by marrying another wife; and he looked for some amiable lady who\nmight be a second mother to his child, and a companion to himself.\nUnfortunately, his choice fell on a widow lady, of a proud and\noverbearing temper, who had two daughters by a former marriage, both as\nhaughty and bad-tempered as herself.\n\nBefore marriage this woman had the cunning to conceal her bad qualities\nso well that she appeared to be very amiable; but the marriage was\nscarcely over when her real character showed itself. She could not\nendure her amiable step-daughter, with all her charming qualifications;\nfor they only made her own daughters appear more hateful. She gave her\nthe most degrading occupations, and compelled her to wash the dishes and\nclean the stairs, and to sweep her own rooms and those of her\nsisters-in-law.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nWhen the poor girl had finished her work, she used to sit in the\nchimney-corner amongst the cinders, which made her sisters give\nher the name of \"Cinderella.\" However, in her shabby clothes Cinderella\nwas ten times handsomer than her sisters, let them be ever so\nmagnificently dressed.\n\nThe poor girl slept in the garret, upon a wretched straw mattress,\nwhilst the bed-chambers of her sisters were furnished with every luxury\nand elegance, and provided with mirrors, in which they could survey\nthemselves from head to foot. The amiable creature bore this ill\ntreatment with patience, and did not venture to complain to her father,\nwho was so completely governed by his wife that he would only have\nscolded her.\n\nIt happened that the king's son sent invitations to a ball, which was to\nlast two nights, and to which all the great people of the land were\ninvited, the two sisters among the rest. This delighted them extremely,\nand their thoughts were entirely occupied in selecting their most\nbecoming dresses for the important occasion. Poor Cinderella had now\nmore work to do than ever, as it was her business to iron their linen,\nand starch their ruffles. The sisters talked of nothing but preparations\nfor the ball. The eldest said, \"I shall wear my crimson-velvet dress,\nand point-lace;\" and the younger, \"I shall put on my usual\ndress-petticoat, a mantle embroidered with gold flowers, and a tiara of\ndiamonds.\" They sent to engage the services of the most fashionable\nhairdresser. They also called Cinderella to their aid; for she had very\ngood taste, and she offered, in the most amiable manner, to arrange\ntheir heads herself; of which offer they were only too happy to avail\nthemselves.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nWhilst so occupied, the eldest said, \"Cinderella, should you like to go\nto the ball?\"\n\n\"Alas!\" said she, \"you are ridiculing me. I am not likely to go to the\nball.\"\n\n\"You are right,\" replied the sister; \"people would be amused to see a\nCinderella there.\"\n\nIf Cinderella had been at all unamiable she might have dressed their\nheads all awry, for such unkindness; but she returned good for evil, and\ndid it in the best possible style.\n\nThe sisters were in such spirits they could scarcely eat for two days.\nAll their time was spent before the looking-glass, and more than a dozen\nlaces were broken in attempts to tighten their waists into elegant\nshapes.\n\nAt length the long-wished-for evening arrived, and these proud misses\nstepped into their carriage, and drove away to the palace.\n\nCinderella looked after the coach as far as she could see, and then\nreturned to the kitchen in tears, where, for the first time, she\nbewailed her hard and cruel lot, little dreaming that a kind fairy was\nat the same moment watching over her.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nShe continued sobbing in the chimney-corner until a rap at the door\naroused her, and she got up to see what had caused it. She found a\nlittle old woman, hobbling on crutches, who besought her to give her\nsome food.\n\n\"I have only part of my own supper for you, Goody, which is no better\nthan a dry crust. But if you will step in and warm yourself by the fire,\nyou can do so, and welcome.\"\n\n\"Thank you, my dear,\" said the old woman, in a feeble, croaking voice;\nand when she had hobbled in, and taken her seat by the fire, she\ncontinued, \"Hey! dearee me! what are all these tears about, my child?\"\n\nAnd then Cinderella told her of all her griefs,--how her sisters had\ngone to the ball, and how she should like to have gone also.\n\n\"But you shall go,\" exclaimed her visitor, who was suddenly transformed\ninto a beautiful fairy, \"or I am not queen of the fairies, or your\ngodmother. Dry up your tears, my dear goddaughter, and do as I bid you,\nand you shall have clothes and horses finer than any one.\"\n\nAs Cinderella had often heard her father talk of her godmother, and tell\nher that she was one of those kind fairies who protect good children,\nher spirits revived, and she wiped away her tears.\n\nThe fairy took Cinderella by the hand, and said, \"Now, my dear, go into\nthe garden, and fetch me a pumpkin.\"\n\nCinderella went immediately to gather the best she could find, and\ncarried it to her godmother, though she could not guess how this pumpkin\ncould make her go to the ball. Her godmother took the pumpkin and\nhollowed it out, leaving only the rind; she then struck it with her\nwand, and the pumpkin was immediately changed into a beautiful gilt\ncoach. She next sent Cinderella for the mouse-trap, wherein were found\nsix mice alive. She directed Cinderella to raise the door of the trap,\nand as each mouse came out she struck it with her wand, and it was\nimmediately changed into a beautiful horse; so that she had now six\nsplendid grays for her gilt coach.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nThe fairy was perplexed how to find a coachman, but Cinderella said, \"I\nwill go and see if there is a rat in the rat-trap; if there is, he will\nmake a capital coachman.\"\n\n\"You are right,\" said the godmother; \"go and see.\" Cinderella brought\nthe rat-trap, in which there were three large rats. The fairy selected\none, on account of its beautiful whiskers, and, having touched it, it\nwas changed into a fat coachman, with the finest pair of whiskers that\never were seen. She then said, \"You must now go into the garden, where\nyou will find six lizards, behind the watering-pot; bring them to me.\"\nThese were no sooner brought than the godmother changed them into six\ntall footmen, in handsome liveries, with cocked hats and gold-headed\ncanes, who jumped up behind the coach just as if they had been\naccustomed to it all their lives.\n\nThe coachman and postilion having likewise taken their places, the fairy\nsaid to Cinderella, \"Well, my dear girl, is not this as fine an equipage\nas you could desire, to go to the ball with? Tell me, now, are you\npleased with it?\"\n\n\"O yes, dear godmother,\" replied Cinderella; and then, with a good deal\nof hesitation, she added, \"but how can I make my appearance among so\nmany finely-dressed people in these shabby clothes?\"\n\n\"Give yourself no uneasiness about that, my dear. The most difficult\npart of our task is already accomplished, and it will be hard if I\ncannot make your dress correspond with your coach and servants.\"\n\nOn saying this, the fairy touched Cinderella with her magic wand, and\nher clothes were instantly changed into a most magnificent ball-dress,\nornamented with the most costly jewels.\n\nThe fairy now took from her pocket a beautiful pair of elastic glass\nslippers, which she caused Cinderella to put on; and when she had thus\ncompleted her work, and Cinderella stood before her, arrayed in her\nbeautiful clothes, the fairy was much pleased, and desired her to get\ninto the carriage with all expedition, as the ball had already\ncommenced. Two of the footmen then sprang and opened the carriage-door,\nand assisted Cinderella into it. Her godmother, however, before she took\nleave, strictly charged her on no account whatever to stay at the ball\nafter the clock had struck the hour of midnight; and then added that if\nshe stopped but a single moment beyond that time her fine coach would\nagain become a gourd, her horses mice, her footmen lizards, and her old\nclothes resume their former appearance.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nCinderella promised faithfully to attend to everything that the fairy\nhad mentioned; and then, quite overjoyed, gave the direction to the\nfootman, who bawled out, in a loud voice, to the coachman, \"To the royal\npalace!\"\n\nThe coachman touched his prancing horses lightly with his whip, and\nswiftly the carriage started off, and in a short time reached the\npalace.\n\nThe arrival of so splendid an equipage as Cinderella's could not fail to\nattract general notice at the palace gates, and as it drove up to the\nmarble portico the servants, in great numbers, came out to see it.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nThe king's son, to whom it was announced that an unknown princess had\narrived, hastened to receive her. He handed her out of the carriage,\nand led her to the ball-room. Immediately she entered the dancing\nceased, and the violins stopped playing; so much was every one struck\nwith the extreme beauty of the unknown princess; and the only sound\nheard was that of admiration. The king, old as he was, could not take\nhis eyes off her, and said, in a low voice to the queen, that he had not\nseen such a beautiful person for many years. All the ladies began\nexamining her dress, that they might have similar ones the next evening,\nif it was possible to obtain equally rich stuffs, and work-people\nskilled enough to make them. The king's son conducted her to the most\ndistinguished place, and invited her to dance. She danced with such\ngrace that everybody was in raptures with her; and when supper was\nserved the prince could partake of nothing, so much was he occupied in\ncontemplating the beauty of the fair stranger.\n\nSeated close to her sisters, Cinderella showed them marked attention,\nand divided with them the oranges and citrons which the prince had given\nher; all of which surprised them greatly, as they did not recognize her.\n\nWhen Cinderella saw that it wanted but a quarter of an hour of midnight\nshe left as quickly as possible, making a low courtesy to all the\ncompany.\n\nOn reaching home she found her godmother there, thanked her for the\ndelightful evening she had spent, and begged permission to go to the\nball the following night, as the prince had desired her company. The\nfairy kindly granted her request, on condition that she would return\nbefore twelve. She then caused her clothes to resume their usual\nplainness, that her sisters might not know of her adventure.\n\nWhilst Cinderella was occupied in relating all that had passed at the\nball to her godmother, the two sisters knocked at the door, and as she\nwent to open it for them the fairy disappeared.\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\"O, how late you are in coming home,\" said Cinderella, rubbing her eyes,\nas if just awakened.\n\n\"If you had been at the ball,\" said one of the sisters, \"you would not\nhave been tired; for there was there the most beautiful princess that\never was seen, who paid us much attention, and gave us oranges and\ncitrons.\"\n\nCinderella could scarcely contain herself for joy. She asked the name of\nthe princess, but they said it was not known, and that the king's son\nwas therefore much distressed, and would give anything he had to know\nwho she could be.\n\nCinderella smiled, and said, \"Was she, then, so very beautiful? Could\nnot I see her? O, Javotte, do lend me your yellow dress, that you wear\nevery day, that I may go to the ball, and have a peep at this wonderful\nprincess!\"\n\n\"Indeed,\" said Javotte, \"I am not so silly as to lend my dress to a\nwretched Cinderella like you.\"\n\nCinderella expected this refusal, and was very glad of it; for she would\nhave been greatly embarrassed if her sister had lent her the dress.\n\nThe next evening the sisters again went to the ball, and Cinderella soon\nmade her appearance, more magnificently dressed than before. The king's\nson was constantly at her side, saying the most agreeable things; so\nthat Cinderella did not notice how the time passed, and had quite forgot\nher godmother's injunctions. While she therefore thought it was scarcely\neleven o'clock, she was startled by the first stroke of midnight. She\nrose very hastily, and fled as lightly as a fawn, the prince following,\nthough he could not overtake her. In her flight she let one of her glass\nslippers fall, which the prince picked up with the greatest care.\n\nCinderella arrived at home out of breath, without carriage or servants,\nin her shabby clothes, and had nothing remaining of all her former\nmagnificence except one of her little glass slippers,--the fellow of\nthat she had lost.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nUpon inquiry being made of the guards, at the palace gates, as to\nwhether the princess had gone out, they replied that they had seen no\none go out but a young girl, very poorly dressed, who looked more like a\npeasant than a fine lady.\n\nWhen the two sisters returned from the ball Cinderella asked if they had\nenjoyed themselves, and if the beautiful lady had again been there. They\ntold her that she had been there, but that when the clock struck twelve\nshe had started off so quickly that she let one of her pretty glass\nslippers fall off; that the prince, who quickly followed her, had picked\nit up, and had done nothing but look at it all the rest of the evening;\nand that he was evidently very much in love with the beautiful creature\nto whom it belonged, and would spare no pains to find her.\n\nThis was indeed the case; for, a few days after, the prince caused it to\nbe published, with the sound of trumpets, that he would marry the lady\nwhose foot would exactly fit the slipper.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nSo the slipper was first tried on by all the princesses, then by all the\nduchesses, and next by all the ladies belonging to the court; but in\nvain. It was then taken to the two sisters, who tried every possible way\nof getting their foot into it, but without success.\n\nCinderella, who was looking at them, and now recognized her slipper,\nsaid, laughingly, \"Let me see if it will fit me.\"\n\nThe sisters immediately began to laugh, and to ridicule her; but the\ngentleman who had been appointed to try on the slipper, having looked\nattentively at Cinderella, and finding her very pretty, said she was\nquite right in her request; for he was ordered to try it on to\neverybody.\n\nHe desired her to sit down, and at once found that the slipper would go\non her foot, without any trouble, and, indeed, fitted her like wax.\n\nThe astonishment of the sisters was very great, but still greater when\nCinderella drew from her pocket the fellow-slipper, and, to the great\ndelight of the gentleman, placed it upon her other foot.\n\nHer godmother now made her appearance, and, having touched Cinderella\nwith her wand, she made her look even more magnificent than on either of\nthe former occasions.\n\nThe sisters now recognized in Cinderella the beautiful person they had\nseen at the ball, and threw themselves at her feet, to implore\nforgiveness for all the ill-treatment they had shown her. Cinderella\nraised them up, and, embracing them, said she forgave them, with all her\nheart, their unkindness to her, and hoped that for the future they would\nbe more kind in their behavior to every one about them. She told them\nshe had never forgotten the last words of her mother, on her\ndeath-bed:--\"My child, always be good, and bear with patience everything\nthat occurs to you; then, whatever toils and troubles you may suffer\nduring life, happiness will be your lot in the end.\"\n\nThese words now proved to be true; for, having borne unkindness and\ncruelty with patience ever since her father's second marriage, she was\nnow going to be the wife of the king's son.\n\nCinderella then explained the visit of her godmother, the queen of the\nfairies; and how her magic wand had furnished her with dresses,\ncarriages, and attendants; and how, by forgetting the good fairy's\norders, she was obliged to quit the ball-room so suddenly; and how, in\nher haste, she lost her little glass slipper, and, for her disobedience,\nwas deprived of all her fine clothes.\n\nCinderella being now betrothed to the prince, she was taken to the\npalace, dressed in all her splendor; and, being as amiable as she was\nbeautiful, invited her sisters to live in the palace with her, where\nthey were soon married to two great lords belonging to the court.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nThe prince thought Cinderella more beautiful than ever, and in a few\ndays married her. She was most happy in the love of her husband, the\nesteem of the court, and the good-will of all who knew her.\n\n[Illustration]","title":"Little Cinderella","tradition":"myth-cosmogony","translated_text":null,"word_count":3036}