Page:Tales and Legends from the Land of the Tzar.djvu/32

16 The sisters looked on in amazement. They longed to have it for themselves, and wondered how they could best get it from Simpleton, for she took such great care of it, and would take nothing in exchange.

At last one day the wicked sisters said coaxingly to Simpleton,—

"Come with us, dear, into the forest, and help us pick strawberries."

Simpleton gave the plate and the apple to her father to take care of, and joined her sisters. When they arrived at the forest they set to work picking wild strawberries. After some time the two elder sisters suddenly came upon a spade lying on the grass. They seized it, and while Simpleton was not looking they gave her a heavy blow with the spade. She turned ghastly pale, and fell dead on the ground. They took her up quickly, buried her under a birch-tree, and went home late to their parents, saying,—

"Simpleton has run away from us. We looked for her everywhere, but cannot find her; she must have been eaten up by some wild beasts, while we were not looking."

The father, who really had a little love for the girl, became very sad, and actually cried. He took the plate and apple, and locked them both up carefully in a glass case. The sisters also cried very much, and pretended to be very sorry, though the real reason was that they found out that they were not likely to have the transparent apple and plate after all, but would have to do all the hard work themselves.

One day a shepherd, who was minding a flock of sheep, happened to lose one, and went into the forest