48 THE HOUSE IN THE WOODS

I

Once there was a poor wood-cutter who had a wife and three little girls.

He went into the woods every day to cut down trees. It was very hard work.

One day he said to his wife, “I shall be gone all day, for I must go a long way into the woods. I want our oldest girl to bring me a warm dinner.”

“She might lose her way, ”said the mother. “No, no! ”said the father. “I will take a bag of grass seed with me. I will drop the seeds to show the way.”

So the father went into the woods, and he dropped the seed to show the way.

At noon the oldest girl went to find him. She took some bread and a pail of hot soup.

She looked for the grass seed to show the way, but the blackbirds had eaten it all up. On and on she went. By and by, night came, and it was very dark in the woods.

“I am afraid! ”she said, “I cannot find Father, and I do not know the way home. I do not want to stay in the woods all night. What shall I do? ”

All at once she saw a light shining through the trees. “That must be a house, ”she said, “I will knock at the door and say that I am lost. Maybe I can stay all night.”

So she walked on toward the light until she came to a tiny house.

Tap! tap! tap! She knocked at the door. “Come in! ”said a gruff voice. She lifted the latch and went in.

An old woman was sitting in the room. There was a bright fire on the hearth. A cock, a hen, and a speckled cow were lying before it.

“If you please, ”said the oldest girl, “I have lost my way. It is very dark in the woods. May I stay here all night? ”

The old woman turned to the cock, the hen, and the speckled cow.

“Shall we let her stay? ”she asked.

The cock crowed, the hen clucked, and the speckled cow said, “Moo! ”

The old woman knew what they meant. She said, “You may stay, but you must work. Go into the kitchen and get us some supper.”

The oldest girl did not want to work, but she went into the kitchen.

She made a dish of stew, and gave some to the old woman.She ate the rest, but she forgot to feed the cock, the hen, and the cow.

Then she said, “I am sleepy. I want to go to bed.”

“You must make the beds first, ”said the old woman. So she led her upstairs.

The oldest girl made her own bed, but she forgot to make the old woman's bed. Then she lay down and went to sleep.

By and by the old woman came upstairs. Her bed was not made, and she found the oldest girl asleep.

Then the old woman opened a large door in the floor. Bump! The oldest girl, the bed, and all, fell down into the cellar.

II

That night, when the wood-cutter got home, he was tired and hungry. “Where is our oldest girl? ”he said. “I have had no dinner.”

“I sent her with some hot dinner for you, ”said the mother,“but she did not come back. I am afraid she is lost.”

“She will come home in the morning, ”said the wood-cutter.“She will find a place to sleep. The second girl must bring my dinner tomorrow.”

“She might lose her way, too, ”said the mother.

“No, no! ”said the wood-cutter. “I will take a bag of wheat, and drop some of it to show the way. It is larger than grass seed, and she can see it better.”

So the next day the father went into the Woods. He dropped the wheat as he went, but the birds ate it all up, so the second girl could not find the way.

She went on and on until it was dark. She heard the owls hoot and she was afraid.

Then she saw the same light shining through the trees that her older sister had seen, and she found the same tiny house. She went in and asked the old woman if she might stay all night.

The old woman turned to the cock, the hen, and the speckled cow. “Shall we let her stay? ”she asked.

The cock crowed, the hen clucked, and the speckled cow said, “Moo! ”

So the second girl stayed all night. She went into the kitchen and cooked some supper, but she forgot to feed the cock, the hen, and the speckled cow.

Then she went upstairs and made her bed, but she was like her sister, and forgot to make the old woman's bed.

So the door in the floor opened, and bump! The second girl, the bed, and all, fell down into the cellar.

III

In the morning the wood-cutter said, “Our second girl must have lost her way, too. I have had no dinner for two days. Our youngest girl must bring my hot soup and bread today.”

“She may lose her way, too, ”said the mother, “I have lost two girls! I cannot let her go! ”

“No, no! ”said the wood-cutter. “I will take a bag of peas with me this time. I will drop the peas to show the way. They are bigger than wheat, and she will be sure to see them. Then she will find the way.”

So the wood-cutter went into the woods. He dropped the peas to show the way, but the birds ate them all up.The youngest girl could not find the way.

She went on and on until it was dark. Then she saw the light shining through the trees and she found the tiny house. She knocked on the door, as her sisters had done.

The old woman opened the door as she had done for the two older sisters.

The youngest girl spoke kindly to the cock, the hen, and the speckled cow. She went close to them and patted them. Then she went into the kitchen and cooked the old woman's supper.

Now the youngest girl was kind-hearted, and she would not eat until the cock, the hen, and the speckled cow had been fed. She brought corn for the cock and the hen, and an armful of hay for the speckled cow.

Then she brought a pail full of cool water for them, and they drank as much as they wanted.

Then the youngest girl ate her supper. After supper she went upstairs to make the old woman's bed. She shook the bed well, and put clean sheets upon it. Then she made a bed for herself, and soon fell fast asleep.

IV

When she woke up, the sun was shining, and everything was changed.

She was in a beautiful room!

The bed was made of ivory, and the chairs were all made of gold.

“Oh, oh! ”she said. “This must be a dream. I shall wake by and by.”She pinched herself to see if she was asleep, but she found that she was wide awake.

“I must get up and cook the old woman's breakfast, ”she said. “I must feed the cock, the hen, and the speckled cow.”

She ran downstairs and found herself in a wonderful room. In the center of the room was a great table. Someone was sitting at the table, but it was not the old woman. It was a beautiful princess!

There was a bright fire on the hearth. The cock, the hen, and the speckled cow were not lying by the fire, but three servants were bringing in dishes of food.

The youngest girl was so surprised that she did not know what to do.

“Come to me, dear little girl, ”said the princess, “and I will tell you all about it. My father is a king. A witch changed me into an old woman, and my castle into a tiny house. She changed my three servants into a cock, a hen, and a speckled cow.

“No one could change us back but a kind girl. You were kind. You cooked my supper and made my bed. You did not forget the cock, the hen, and the speckled cow.

“So last night we were all changed back again. We were changed because you were kind to us. I am a Princess again, and the cock, the hen, and the speckled cow are servants.

“We are all happy again. You must live with us, and we will make you happy, too.”

“But I must go home now, ”said the youngest girl, “My father and mother will be sad. I must help them find my sisters who were lost in the woods.”

“Do not run away, ”said the Princess, “I will go with you, and I will help your father and mother. Then I will take you to live with me. But first let us find your sisters. Come with me.”

So she opened the cellar door. Out came the oldest girl and the second girl. How happy they were to see their sister! Then they all went together to the wood-cutter's house.

(Old Tale)

Word list

latch: an object that is used for holding a door closed

hearth: an area in front of a fireplace

speckled: having many dots on the skin or fur

cellar: the bottom floor of a house

hoot: the sound that an owl makes

You Practice

A) Answer the following questions.

1) How many people were in the poor woodcutter's family?

2) Why did the oldest girl go into the woods to find her father?

3) Why couldn't the oldest girl follow the grass seed that her father had used to show the way?

4) Where did each of the sisters go after she was lost?

5) What happened to the first and second sister after they went to sleep?

6) Why did the youngest sister wake up in a castle instead of the cellar?

B) There are many adjectives and nouns in this story. An adjective describes a noun, and a noun is a person, place, thing, or idea. Make a list of adjectives and nouns that are used in the story. The first one has been done for you.

poor (adjective) woodcutter (noun)

1)

2)

3)

4)

5)

6)

7)

8)

C) True or false? Read these sentences carefully. Write true or false for each one.

1) _____ All three daughters did the same things at the old woman's house.

2) _____ The oldest daughter was the kindest of all.

3) _____ Two of the woodcutter's daughters disappeared.

4) _____ There were four animals in the old woman's house.

5) _____ All the daughters returned to the woodcutter's house.