Page:The Folk-Lore Journal Volume 7 1889.djvu/318

 36 TABULATION OF FOLKTALES.

at her, but enters their room without invitation and sits by the stove eating She will not spare any food for the little men, and when they give her a broom and tell her to sweep all clean outside the back door, she replies that she is not their servant, and they must sweep for themselves. As they give her nothing she leaves. — (7) Then to punish her incivility, the first dwarf decrees that she shall grow uglier every day; the second, that at every word a toad shall spring from her mouth; the third, that she shall die miserably. Finding no strawberries outside, the girl goes angrily home, and every one is filled with loathing at sight of the toads.— (8) Her mother is the more en- raged against her beautiful step-daughter, and contrives every possible injury. She boils some yarn and flings it on the girl's shoulders; gives her an axe to cut a hole in the frozen river and rinse the yarn. — (9) The girl obeys, but while she is cutting the ice the king drives up in a splendid carriage. He takes compassion on her, marvels at her great beauty, and with her consent drives her to his palace and weds her. — (10) A year afterwards the queen bears a son, and her step-mother and her daughter hearing of her good fortune come on pretence of visiting her. "When the king is absent they lift the queen out of bed and throw her from the window into the stream. The ugly daughter gets into bed, and when king returns, old woman says he must not speak to his wife, who is in a violent perspiration. The next day he is alarmed to see toads leap from his wife's mouth as she answers him, instead of gold as formerly. Old woman explains it as result of the perspiration, and promises speedy recovery. — (11) During the night a duck swimming up the gutter says, " King, what art thou doing now ? Sleepest thou or wakest thou? And my guests, what may they do? " The scullion, who has been listening, replies, " They are sleeping soundly too." Duck asks again, " What does little baby mine? " and he answers, " Sleepeth in her cradle fine." Then in form of queen she goes up-stairs, nurses the baby, shakes up the bed, and returns down stream in shape of duck. (12) This she does for two nights, and on the third bids scullion tell king to swing his sword three times over her on the threshold ; which being accom- plished, the queen stands safe and sound before him. King rejoices greatly, but keeps queen hidden away till after christening of child, then asks, " What does a person deserve who drags another out of bed and throws him in the water ? " Old woman replies, " Nothing better than to be put in a barrel stuck full of nails and rolled down-hill into the water." — (13) Which sentence, by the king's command, is forthwith executed upon herself and her ugly daughter.

Alphabetical List of Incidents.

Barrel with nails, step mother and daughter put in and drovmed (13).

Duck resumes queen's shape on king's swinging sword (12).

Gold pieces from step-daughter when she speaks (5).

King marries step-daughter (9).

Queen visits baby in bed, and returns to water as duck (11).