59 lines
2.7 KiB
Text
59 lines
2.7 KiB
Text
Stories about Snakes
|
|
|
|
First Story.
|
|
|
|
There was once a little child whose mother gave her every afternoon a
|
|
small bowl of milk and bread, and the child seated herself in the yard
|
|
with it. When she began to eat however, a snake came creeping out of a
|
|
crevice in the wall, dipped its little head in the dish, and ate with
|
|
her. The child had pleasure in this, and when she was sitting there
|
|
with her little dish and the snake did not come at once, she cried,
|
|
|
|
"Snake, snake, come swiftly
|
|
Hither come, thou tiny thing,
|
|
Thou shalt have thy crumbs of bread,
|
|
Thou shalt refresh thyself with milk."
|
|
|
|
|
|
Then the snake came in haste, and enjoyed its food. Moreover it showed
|
|
gratitude, for it brought the child all kinds of pretty things from its
|
|
hidden treasures, bright stones, pearls, and golden playthings. The
|
|
snake, however, only drank the milk, and left the bread-crumbs alone.
|
|
Then one day the child took its little spoon and struck the snake
|
|
gently on its head with it, and said, "Eat the bread-crumbs as well,
|
|
little thing." The mother, who was standing in the kitchen, heard the
|
|
child talking to someone, and when she saw that she was striking a
|
|
snake with her spoon, ran out with a log of wood, and killed the good
|
|
little creature.
|
|
|
|
From that time forth, a change came over the child. As long as the
|
|
snake had eaten with her, she had grown tall and strong, but now she
|
|
lost her pretty rosy cheeks and wasted away. It was not long before the
|
|
funeral bird began to cry in the night, and the redbreast to collect
|
|
little branches and leaves for a funeral garland, and soon afterwards
|
|
the child lay on her bier.
|
|
|
|
Second Story.
|
|
|
|
|
|
An orphan child was sitting on the town walls spinning, when she saw a
|
|
snake coming out of a hole low down in the wall. Swiftly she spread out
|
|
beside this one of the blue silk handkerchiefs which snakes have such a
|
|
strong liking for, and which are the only things they will creep on. As
|
|
soon as the snake saw it, it went back, then returned, bringing with it
|
|
a small golden crown, laid it on the handkerchief, and then went away
|
|
again. The girl took up the crown, it glittered and was of delicate
|
|
golden filagree work. It was not long before the snake came back for
|
|
the second time, but when it no longer saw the crown, it crept up to
|
|
the wall, and in its grief smote its little head against it as long as
|
|
it had strength to do so, until at last it lay there dead. If the girl
|
|
had but left the crown where it was, the snake would certainly have
|
|
brought still more of its treasures out of the hole.
|
|
|
|
Third Story.
|
|
|
|
|
|
A snake cries, "Huhu, huhu." A child says, "Come out." The snake comes
|
|
out, then the child inquires about her little sister: "Hast thou not
|
|
seen little Red-stockings?" The snake says, "No." "Neither have I."
|
|
"Then I am like you. Huhu, huhu, huhu."
|