A certain young man had fallen in love with this lazy maiden; and their wedding-day was appointed. On the evening before, the industrious servant girl kept dancing about in her fine dress, till the bride exclaimed:
“Ah! how the girl does jump about,
Dressed in my shreds and leavings!”
When the bridegroom heard this, he asked the bride what she meant, and she told him that the maid had worked herself a dress with the shreds of thread which she had thrown away. As soon as the bridegroom heard this, and saw the difference between the laziness of his intended and the industry of her servant, he gave up the mistress and chose the maid for his wife.
The Wolf and the Seven Kids
There was once an old nanny-goat who had seven kids, and she was just as fond of them as a mother of her children. One day she was going into the woods to fetch some food for them, so she called them all up to her, and said:
“My dear children, I am going out into the woods. Beware of the wolf! If once he gets into the house, he will eat you up, skin, and hair, and all. The rascal often disguises himself, but you will know him by his rough voice and his black feet.”
The kids said: “Oh, we will be very careful, dear mother. You may be quite happy about us.”
Bleating tenderly, the old goat went off to her work. Before long, some one knocked at the door, and cried:
“Open the door, dear children! Your mother has come back and brought something for each of you.”