# Tales and Legends from the Land of the Tzar/The Witch

THE WITCH.
Once upon a time there lived an old man and his wife, but the man becoming a widower soon married again. It so happened that the first wife had left a daughter, whom the second wife, of course, hated and wanted to get rid of in some way or other.
One day the father went out on business, leaving his little girl with her step-mother. Scarcely had he left the house when the woman said to the girl,—
"Go to your aunt, my sister, and ask her for a needle and thread to make you a dress."
Now this step-mother's sister was a wicked old witch. The little girl not being at all stupid, and knowing this, went first to her real aunt, her mother's sister, to ask her advice.
"Good-day, aunty!" said she.
"Good-day, my dear. What brings you here?"
"My step-mother has told me to go to her sister, the witch, to ask for a needle and thread to sew me a dress, but I thought I had better come to you first, for your advice."
"When you want to get away from the witch," began the aunt, "the trees will wave their branches in your face to prevent you from passing, but you must tie them up with the silk ribbons, which I shall give you. Then the gates will creak and shut with ​all their force against you, but you must put some oil in the holes and on the hinges. Then the dogs will bark and want to bite you, but you must give them some bread; then a cat will want to scratch your eyes out, but you must give her some ham. And then a maid will want to boil you, but you must give her a handkerchief; all this you must do, or you will never be able to leave the witch."
Away went the little girl, on and on until she reached a hut, where an old witch with a wooden leg, was sitting spinning.
"Good-day, aunty!" said the child.
"Good-day to you, my dear," replied the witch. "What brings you here?"
"My step-mother has sent me to you for a needle and thread to sew me a dress."
"Very well," said the witch, "sit you down in my place and spin, while I go and get the things you want."
The little girl obeyed, and the witch left the room and told her maid-servant,—
"Go, heat the bath, hot enough to boil my niece, for I want to make my dinner off her."
When the maid came to fetch the little girl, she found her nearly half-dead with fright.
"Dear maid," she said, giving her a handkerchief, "don't put so much wood in the stove, but pour more cold water in the bath."
The maid obeyed, for she was so delighted with her present.
After awhile the witch came to the window, and asked,—
​"Are you boiling, niece? Are you boiling, my dear?"
"Yes, aunty! Yes, dear aunty."
When the witch had gone away, a cat came running up to the little girl, and wanted to scratch her eyes out; but the child gave it some ham, much to the animal's delight, and then she asked it how she could best run away?
"Here," said the cat, "are two things which will save you from the witch, a comb and a towel; take them and run away. When you have gone a little distance, you must put your ear to the ground, and if you hear her coming near, throw down the towel, and a large river will appear. If the witch manages to cross the water, you must again put your ear to the ground, and as soon as she is near, throw down the comb and it will become a very dark forest, through this the witch will be unable to pass. Now go."
The little girl took the comb and towel, thanked the cat, and ran away. In the yard the dogs barked and wanted to bite her, but she gave them some bread, and they let her pass; then the gates began to creak and shut in her face, but she put some oil in the holes and on their hinges, they, too, let her pass; then the trees began waving their branches in her face, so she tied them up with silk ribbons, and they also let her pass.
Now when the witch came to the window, asking as before,—
"Are you boiling, niece? Are you boiling, my dear?"
The cat replied in the little girl's voice,—
​"Yes, aunty! Yes, my dear aunty!"
But the witch was beginning to get very hungry, and also very angry. She rushed into the room in a rage, but on seeing that the little girl was not there she became furious, and scolded the maid for not having made the bath hot enough.
"I have served you for many a year," the maid answered, "but you never gave me so much as a rag for my head, but that little girl gave me a handkerchief."
The witch then ran to the cat and beat the unfortunate animal, telling it that it had no right to let the little girl go, but that it ought to have scratched her eyes out.
"I have served you so long, and you never gave me a bone all the time, while she gave me some ham."
Away went the old witch and scolded the dogs, the gates, and the trees.
The dogs answered her, and said,—
"We have served you so long, and you have never even given us any corn, but she gave us some bread."
The gates answered her, and said,—
"We have served you for many years, but you never put any grease on our hinges, while she poured some oil on them."
Then the trees said,—
"We have been with you for very many years, but you never tied so much as a thread round us, while she tied us up with silken ribbons."
Finding that she could do nothing, or get any ​sympathy from those around her, the witch started off after her niece. But the little girl put her ear to the ground, as the cat had told her, and when she heard the witch coming she threw down the towel, and a very large river appeared; then she ran on a little farther and again put her ear to the ground, and heard that the old witch had crossed over and was coming nearer towards her. She ran on, and then threw down the comb, and immediately a very dense forest sprang up, through which the wicked old woman could not pass, though she tried very hard; but all in vain, she was obliged to return home. What she had for her dinner I do not know.
When the little girl's father came home, and saw that the child was not there, he asked his wife,—
"Where is my little daughter?"
"She has gone to her aunt to fetch a needle and thread," answered the wife. "She will be back soon."
And much to the woman's astonishment, her little step-daughter did very soon put in an appearance.
Her father at once asked her where she had been.
"My step-mother sent me to her sister, who is a wicked old witch, and who wanted to eat me up."
"But how did you get away?"
The child told him the whole story, how she went to her real aunt first, how the cat had helped her, and all she had done.
​Her father was furious with his wife, and ordered her at once to be shot. And from that day he and his little daughter lived in happiness, peace, and plenty. I went there a little while ago and drank their health and made merry.