Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review. Volume 1, 1890.djvu/571

 123

[Pages 1-122 will be found in Folk-Lore Journal, Vol. VII.]

TABULATION OF FOLKTALES.

[No. 47.]

Title Of Story Cinderella.

Dramatis PerSOnae. Rich man ; his Wif ".Their daughter Cinderella. Step-mother. Step-sisters. White bird. King. Two white pigeons. Turtledoves. Other birds. King's Son.

Abstract Of Story. (1) Rich man's wife, before dying, bids her only daughter be good : God will protect her : she will be always near her. Maiden goes daily and weeps at mother's grave ; her father soon takes another wife. (2) She brings with her two daughters, fair-faced, but evil-natured, who persecute the step -daughter, and dress her in an old gown and wooden shoes. She is made to do all the kitchen-work, while step-sisters tease her, emptying peas and lentils into the ashes for her to pick out again. As she sleeps on hearth and looks always grimy, she is called Cinderella. (3) One day father asks step-daughters what he shall bring them from fair. " Beautiful dresses," says one. " Pearls and jewels," says the second. Cinderella being asked, begs for the first branch which knocks against his hat on way home. Father brings gifts, and for Cinderella a branch of hazel. (4) She plants it on mother's grave, watering it with tears. It grows to a tree; thrice a day she sits beneath it, and a little white bird perches on branches and brings down whatever she wishes. (5) King appoints three days' fes- tival, to which all beautiful girls are invited, that his son may choose a bride. Step-sisters go and order Cinderella to dress them. She begs step-mother to let her go too. (6) They mock at her dirty clothes ; .step-mother empties dish of lentils into the ashes, saying she shall go if she has picked them out in two hours. Cinderella goes to garden, calls pigeons, turtledoves, and all birds to help her put " the good into the pot, the bad into the crop". Two white pigeons, followed by turtle- doves and other birds, come and collect all the good grain on a dish. (7 ) They fly off again ; Cinderella takes dish to step-mother, who forbids her going to ball because she has not fine clothes, and cannot dance. Cinderella weeps ; stepmother says if in one hour she can pick two dishes of lentils out of ashes she shall go. Cinderella again calk birds,

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