Cinderella looked after the coach as far as she could see, and then returned to the kitchen in tears, where, for the first time, she bewailed her hard and cruel lot, little dreaming that a kind fairy was at the same moment watching over her. She continued sobbing in the chimney-corner until a rap at the door aroused her, and she got up to see what had caused it. She found a little old woman, hobbling on crutches, who besought her to give her some food.

“I have only my own supper, but you are most welcome to share it. Please step in and warm yourself by the fire.”

“Thank you, my dear,” said the old woman, in a feeble, croaking voice; and when she had hobbled in, and taken her seat by the fire, she continued, “Hey! dearee me! what are all these tears about, my child?”

And then Cinderella told her of all her griefs,—how her sisters had gone to the ball, and how she should like to have gone also.

“But you shall go, exclaimed her visitor, who was suddenly transformed into a beautiful fairy, “or I am not queen of the fairies, and your godmother. Dry up your tears, my dear goddaughter, and do as I bid you, and you shall have clothes and horses finer than any one.”

As Cinderella had often heard her father talk of her godmother, and tell her that she was one of those kind fairies who protect good children, her spirits revived, and she wiped away her tears.

The fairy took Cinderella by the hand, and said, “Now, my dear, go into the garden, and fetch me a pumpkin.”

“Alas!” said she, “you are ridiculing me. I am not likely to go to the ball.”

“You are right,” replied the sister; “people would be amused to see a Cinderella there.”

If Cinderella had been at all unamiable she might have dressed their heads all awry, for such unkindness; but she returned good, and did it in the best possible style.

The sisters were in such spirits they could scarcely eat for two days. And their time was spent before the looking-glass, and more than a dozen laces were broken in attempts to tighten their waists into elegant shapes.

At length the long-wished-for evening arrived, and these proud misses stepped into their carriage, and drove away to the palace.

This woman knew that Ella’s father could provide a good life for her and her daughters, so she was careful to conceal her bad qualities and give the appearance of being kind and amiable. Sadly, just a few weeks later  Ella’s dear father feel ill and passed away. Then the step-mother’s true character showed itself. She could not endure her good-natured step-daughter, with all her charming qualities; for they only made her own daughters appear more vile. She made Ella do all the household work, while the step-sisters stand away. When the poor girl finished her daily work, she was made to sit in the chimney-corner among the cinders, and her step-sisters gave her the cruel nickname of “Cinder-Ella.”

Once upon a time, there lived a man and his loving wife and their little daughter, Ella. The man had worked hard and done well, and the little family was happy and well off. But one sad day tragedy struck, and the beloved wife and mother fell deathly ill. Before she passed, she called her little child to her, and thus addressed her: “My dearest Ella, always be good, and bear everything that occurs to you with kindness and patience; then, whatever toil and problems you may suffer will oneday pass, and happiness will be your lot in the end.”

After uttering these words the poor lady died, and her daughter was overwhelmed with grief at the loss of so good and kind a mother.

As time passed, Ella grew into a young woman, with an inner beauty born of her good nature and kindness. Then, the man sought another wife; and he looked for some amiable lady who might be a good mother to his child, and a companion to himself. Unfortunately, his choice fell on a widow lady, of a proud and overbearing temper, who had two daughters by a former marriage, both as haughty and bad-tempered as herself.

The prince said, ‘You are safe and with friends.’ Then he told her all that had happened, and said, ‘I love you far better than all the world; so come with me to my father’s palace, and if you please I wish you to be my wife.’ And Snow White consented, and went home with the prince; and everything was got ready with great pomp and splendor for their wedding.

Royalty from all the surrounding kingdoms were invited to the wedding feast, , Snow White’s stepmother the queen; and as she was dressing herself in fine rich clothes, she looked in the glass and said:

‘Tell me, glass, tell me true!
Of all the ladies in the land,
Who is fairest, tell me, who?’

And the glass answered:

‘Thou, lady, art loveliest here, I ween;
But lovelier still is the new-made queen.’

When she heard this she was dismayed; but her envy and curiosity were so great, that she could not help setting out to see the bride. And when she got there, and saw that it was no other than Snow White, who, as she thought, had been dead a long while, her face contorted with such rage that it stuck that way, and she was never beautiful again.

The dwarfs led the pair to the place where Snow White lay, and the wizard checked her. Sadly, he said: ‘It is true that the maiden is not completely dead, but my spells cannot rouse her. She is afflicted by a terrible enchanted poison. There is a small chance she could be saved, but it would require the true love of many people. The poison is very powerful, and true love is the only antidote.’ At this the dwarfs exclaimed that each of them had loved Snow White as he would his own daughter, and each began earnestly thinking of her kindness and good nature. The wizard cast spells to focus these loving thoughts to encounteract the poison, but the poison was too powerful, and Snow White remained still. All this time the prince had been gazing at Snow White, and suddenly found himself falling deeply in love with her. The prince’s love combined with that of the dwarfs, and very slowly Snow White began to stir. Her stirrings were so small at first the prince and dwarfs feared they were imagining them, but then her chest began to rise and fall with signs of breathing, and then her eyelids fluttered. Finally, Snow White opened her eyes and raised herself to a sitting position, and said, ‘Where am I?’ And the dwarfs gave out a great cheer!

When evening came, and the dwarfs had gone home, they found Snow White lying on the ground: no breath came from her lips, and they were afraid that she was quite dead. They lifted her up, and combed her hair, and washed her face with wine and water; but all was in vain, for the dear girl seemed quite dead. So they laid her down upon a bier, and all seven watched and bewailed her three whole days; and then they thought they would bury her: but her cheeks were still rosy; and her face looked just as it did while she was alive; so they said, ‘We will never bury her in the cold ground.’ And they made a coffin of glass, so that they might still look at her, and wrote upon it in golden letters what her name was, and that she was a king’s daughter. And the coffin was set among the hills, and one of the dwarfs always sat by it and watched. And the birds of the air came too, and bemoaned Snow White; and first of all came a raven, then a dove, and at last an owl, and sat by her side.

But Snow White put her head outof the window and said, ‘I am sorry, but dare not let anyone in, for the dwarfshave told me not.’ ‘Do as you please,’ said the old woman, ‘but at anyrate take this pretty apple; I will give it you.’ ‘No,’ said Snow White, ‘Idare not take it.’ ‘Oh please!’ answered the other, ‘I want you to enjoy it,for it is rosy red like your cheeks. Do you think it is poisoned? Watch! I willeat from it myself.’ The queen had cleverly poisoned only one side of theapple, and she bite from the other side. Then Snow White was much tempted totaste, for the apple looked so very delicious; and when she saw the old womaneat, she could wait no longer. But she had scarcely put the piece into hermouth, when she fell down dead upon the ground. ‘This time nothing will savethee,’ said the queen; and she went home to her glass, and at last it said:

‘Thou, queen, art the fairest ofall the fair.’

And then her wicked heart wasglad, and as happy as such a heart could be.

The queen, thinking Snow White was dead, had not used her magic looking glass in some months. But one day she went to her glass and repeated the familiar refrain:

‘Tell me, glass, tell me true!
Of all the ladies in the land,
Who is fairest, tell me, who?’

And the glass answered:

‘Thou, queen, art the fairest in all this land:
But over the hills, in the greenwood shade,
Where the seven dwarfs their dwelling have made,
There Snow White is hiding her head; and she
Is lovelier still, O queen! than thee.’

Then the queen was very angry; for she knew that the glass always spoke the truth. With vengeance in her heart she called for the servant who had betrayed her, but he had fled into hiding realizing he was in danger. Shaking with rage, the evil queen said ‘Snow White shall die, I will make sure of it myself.’ So she went into her chamber, and made an elaborate plan. She prepared a poisoned apple: the outside looked very rosy and tempting, but whoever tasted it was sure to die. Then she dressed herself up as a peasant’s wife, and traveled over the hills to the dwarfs’ cottage, and knocked at the door.

By and by in came the masters ofthe cottage. They were seven dwarfs, returning home from their work of miningfor gold and silver in the nearby mountains. They lighted up their sevenlamps, and saw at once that all was not right. The first said, ‘Who has beensitting on my stool?’ The second, ‘Who has been eating off my plate?’ Thethird, ‘Who has been picking my bread?’ The fourth, ‘Who has been meddling withmy spoon?’ The fifth, ‘Who has been handling my fork?’ The sixth, ‘Who has beencutting with my knife?’ The seventh, ‘Who has been drinking my wine?’ Then thefirst looked round and said, ‘Who has been lying on my bed?’ And the rest camerunning to him, and everyone cried out that somebody had been upon his bed. Butthe seventh saw Snow White, and called all his brothers to come and see her;and they cried out with wonder and astonishment and brought their lamps to lookat her, and said, ‘Good heavens! what a lovely child she is!’ And they werevery glad to see her, and took care not to wake her; and the seventh dwarfslept that night under the kitchen table so as not to disturb her rest.

In the morning Snow White toldthem all her story; and they pitied her, and implored her to stay with them,and they would take good care of her and protect her as best they could. SnowWhite readily agreed, provided she be allowed to earn her room andboard by keeping the cottage in order, and cook and wash and knit andspin for them.