THE FAIRY
Once on a time there was a woman who had two daughters. The older was very much like her mother, and was very ugly.
The younger was not like her, but was very good and beautiful.
The woman liked the older girl because she was like herself.
She did not like the younger; so she made her do all the hard work.
One day the younger daughter had gone to the spring to get water. It was a long way from home.
As she was standing by the spring, a poor old woman came by and asked her for a drink.
"Indeed, you shall have a drink," said the girl.
She filled her pitcher and gave the old woman some water.
The woman drank, and then said, "You are so kind and good, my dear, that I will give you a gift."
Now this old woman was a fairy, but the girl did not know it.
"I will give you a gift," she said, "and this shall be the gift: With every word that you speak, either a flower or a jewel shall fall from your mouth."
When the younger girl came home, her mother scolded her because she had been so long at the spring.
"I am very sorry indeed, mother," said the girl.
At once two roses, two pearls, and two diamonds fell from her mouth.
"What is this!" cried the mother. "I think I see pearls and diamonds falling out of your mouth! How does this happen, my child?"
This was the first time the woman had ever called her "my child."
The girl told her all that had happened, and while she spoke, many more diamonds fell from her mouth.
"Well, well, well!" said the woman, "I must surely send my dear Fanny to the spring, so that she too may have this gift."
Then she called her older daughter. "Fanny, my dear, come here! See what has happened to your sister. Should you not like to have such diamonds whenever you wish them?
"All you need to do is to go out to the spring to get some water. An old woman will ask for a drink and you will give it to her."
"I think I see myself going out there to the spring to get water!" said the older daughter.
"Go at once!" said the mother.
So the older daughter went.
She took with her the best silver pitcher in the house, and grumbled all the way.
When she had come to the spring, she saw a lady in beautiful clothes standing under a tree.
The lady came to her and asked for a drink.
It was really the fairy, but now she looked like a princess.
The older daughter did not know that it was the fairy, so she said:
"Do you think that I came to the spring to get water just for you, or that I brought this fine silver pitcher so that you could drink from it? Drink from the spring if you wish."
"You are not very polite, I think," said the fairy, "but I will give you a gift, and this shall be the gift: With every word that you speak, either a snake or a toad shall fall from your mouth."
When the older daughter went back to the house, her mother called out, "Well, daughter?"
"Well, mother," said the girl, and as she spoke, a snake and a toad fell out of her mouth.
"What!" cried the mother. "Your sister has done all this, but she shall pay for it!"
With that, the mother took a stick and ran after the younger daughter.
The poor child ran away from her and hid in the woods.
The prince of that country had been hunting and happened to pass through those woods on his way home.
He saw the young girl and asked her why she was standing there and crying, all alone in the woods.
"O sir, my mother has turned me out of the house," she said.
The prince was greatly surprised to see five or six pearls and as many diamonds fall from her mouth as she spoke.
"Tell me how all this happened," said the prince.
So she told him all about it.
The prince took her with him, and they went to the king's house, and there they were married, and were very happy.
But the older sister grew more and more ugly in her heart, until even her mother could not live with her.
So her mother turned her out, and no one ever heard of her again.