The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1850-03-09
The Three SpInSters.
TRANSLATED FROM THE GERMA

The Three SpinSters.
TRANSLATED FROM THE GERMAN.
There was once a maid so idle that she
would not spin, her mother might say what
she pleased but could not compel her to work.
At length, overcome with anger and impa
tience. the mother gave her daughter beat
inc. at which the girl began to cry. just at
that time the Queen was riding by and hear
ing the noise, stopped her carriage, and enter
ing the house she enquired OF the woman why
she beat her child, so that people in the street
could hear her weep. The mother was
ashamed to tell the Queen OF her daughters
Iaziness, and answered, II cannot prevent her
from working, she is everlastlngly spinning
and am so poor that | cannot furnish her
with fax;'' upon which the Queen said. mo
thing like to hear letter than spinning, no
thing delights me so much as the hummlng
of the spinning wheel-permit me to take
your daughter along with me, to my castle
there she may spin as much as she has
mind to-" The mother consented very Will
lingly, and the Queen took the maiden home
with her. When they had arrived at the
castle she led her through three rooms hlled
| from the top to the bottom with the finest
! fax
Nov spin me this flax" said the Queen,
''and when yol get done, you shall have my
oldest son for husband; although you are
poor, won't mind that your interchangeable IN
dustry is dowry enough"
The maiden was inwardly frightened. for
she could not spin all the fax, not even if she
had lived to be three hundred years old and
had worked every day from morning till night.
When left alone she began to weep, and sat
three days without stirring her hands. The
third day the Queen came. and when she saw
that nothing had been done she was surpris-
ed; the maiden said that she had not been
able to commence her work IN consequence OF
her great sadness occasioned by leaving her
mother: the Queen put up with this excuse,
but sait Oh going away, ito morrow you
must begin to work for me-"
When the maiden was again alone she was
al loss what to do. and in her sadness she
walked to the window. There she saw three
little old women coming towards her, the first
of whom had a huge fiat foot, the second
had such great underlip that it hung down
over her chin. and the third had very broad
thumb; they came under the window and ask
ed the maiden what allied her: she told them
Of her distress, when they offered to help her,
and said, III you will invite US to your we'd
ding, not be ashamed Of US, call US your aunts,
and moreover give Us Il seat atyour table, we
will spin your fax, and that too in short
time"
with all my heart" answered she ''onIy
come in and begin to work Immediately"
Then the three wonderful women entered,
and in the first room they made a hole in the
flax. where they seated themselves and began
to spin. One of them drew out the thread
and trod the spinning wheel, the other reel
ed it, and the third twisted and beat it
with her finger on the table. and as often as
? she struck the table, skein ct yarn, beauti-
fully spun, fell 10 the ground.
Every time the Queen came, the spinners
were concealed, and the maiden showed her
the large pile of finished yarn, for which the
Queen praised her without measure. When
the first room was empty, they went to the
second, then to the third, and that also was
!, soon finished. Now the three old women
took leave of the maiden, and said to her, "Do
not forget what you have promised us, and
it shall be well with you"
When tile Maiden showed the Queen the
empty rooms and the great lie OF yarn, they
began to make preparations for the wedding,
,, and the bridegroom rejoiced that he was 10
r have such a skiIlful and industrious wife, and
praised her exceedingly.
" | have three aunts," said the maiden,
. they have been very good to me- | would
not willingly forget them in my good fortune,
pray give me permission to invite them to my
wedding, and also that they may sit at the
table with me- The Queen and bridegroom
readily gave their consent. When the testI-
val began, the three spinsters in singular
dresses, walked in, and the bride said, You
are welcome. dear aunts."
"Ah," exclaimed the bridegroom how
e did you come by such ugly relatives" where
upon he went to one with a large foot and
said, : How did You get such large ioot?''
by treading," by treading." He went to
the second; ''Pray do tell me how you came
by such an underlip2" By licking" an
swered she, "by licking" He asked the
twisting thread, . answered she, Shy twist
ing thread" The Kingson was terror
r struck, and said, {" then my fair bride shall
never again touch spinning Wheel
Thus she got rid of the disagreeable task
: of spinning flax Cambridge Chronicle.