Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1883-05-05
LITTLE sxsw.wairE.
i. SCRAP OF RUSSIAN FIX LOBE.

ii A SCRAP OF RUSSIAN FIX LOBE.
! A very old couple once lived lionel,
life IN their little house about a milk
from village. Being ch,ldiess, the Ions
winter evenings were 20 them very tedi.
Gus One evening, while the man SAT
doing IN his chair, be dreamed dream.
and when he avoks be az once rose 10
carry out his VISION. Exclaiuing, II
know nos what to do" and rushing out
of the house, be walked quite a stretch
on the snow covered highway. Upon a
certain spot be took handful OF snow,
rolled and pressed II into ball. brought
II to his home and laid il upoo the tile
stove. covering II with fur. he waited
quite a while by its side; but whsn his
attention WAS for a moment drawn to
something else, and as be Turned his
glance once more to the snowfall, he
Saw that II had suddenly changed into a
most beautiful babe. The oyefjoyed
pal. at once named her Snow " bite.
| Their happiness seemed 10 have no limit,
for now they we're no longer chiidiess,
5u. had another being To- care for, feed.
caress and dress.
Snow White grew and grew till she
vas good sized girl: and she no, only
grew IN stature. but also in beauty.
Once, when able to 20 out alone aud
play with other children. Snow White
and her playmateS vent into the forest
tn gather slid berries. After while one
of the children said:
Let Us do oar utmost, and she who
gathers the most berries will receive
from her parents a new red gown and
be the hrst to get married. At the cross
road from the village We wall decide
who Is the lucky maiden To be thus
blessed
When. late in the afternoon. they
came together again at the appointed
spot. il was found tha. Snow White had
the most berries. The Others, Jealous of
her good fortune. at once began 10 i'll
use her; and one of them, holder than
the Test, gave her blow. upon which
SEow- White fell TO the ground lifeiess.
When her companions saw what they
had done they We're filed with horror,
and were full of dread of the punish
ment that would surely bef,ll them If
their act should bs discoyered: and they
finally decided to bury li.,le Snow White
there and then deep III the ground. So
that no one should find out what had
happened. They dug a grave under
pi;:e tree, near litti. brook, placed the
body III 1t, threw the earth over u, and
covered ]. up with clean soil level with
the region around 1t, after which they
all retained Ia their homes. When they
passed the house of SNOW Whites pa
rents they were asked,
Where is our little darlin9!"
oh, we don't know answered they
all in unison: she took another patti Ia
the forest, and must have missed u.s.
Perhaps she has lost her way. We looked
for her a long time. but, fearing that IL
would become very dark and stormy.
We gave up the search aud st lrted for
home
The old man at once went out tn find
his lost darling. He called her, bat re-
ceived no reply. Many day and night
hs repeated the search, but she could
not be heard or found. Both the old
nan and his good wife were still more |
lonely than before, for nov they missed
the pat,er of the little feet and the pratt |
tie of the chlld's voice. They cried and !
cried, but little Snow. White did not re- |
turn to them.
In the meantime there grew on Snow |
Whites grave by the brook buirush of |
unusual beauty and hight. One day a |
teamster drove up with a load of mer-
chandise for the storekeeper i'll the next |
village, and, noticing the reed. thought |
it would make very fine flute; he being |
a good player upon that instrument. |
Descending from his seat he cut down |
the bulrlsh and made flute from it, |
Soon after, when he nsared tho village, |
he became very thirsty, and stopped at |
the house of the old people who lately
had lost their darling. and asked them |
for drink of something to quench HIS |
thirst. They brought him large jug of |
mead, and when he had drunk they in
vited him into the house to pirtake with
them of their MONDAY meal. When the |
teamster had rested and refreshed him
self he took the flute and said:
"Now, to thank you for your kind hos
pitality, will entertain you with little
music"
Placing the flute to his lips, he tried |
to play, but instead of musical sounds |
the instrument gave forth words only, in
a plaintive, human voice. And this is
what the hute said:
"Dumm, DUNN, dideldum. Dearest
father and mother mine, do you know
Why cry? Do you know that the girls
who were with me gathering berries have
killed me ont of jealousy because Oh
tanned more berries than they did. and
that then they buried me under the pilie
tree and stamped the ground hard upon
me? Dunn, DUNN. dideldum."
The old man, with tears in his eyes,
begged the tsamster to hand him this
strange flute, and when he had taken II
he said:
This is most wonderful instrument. |
1t is made of reed, yet it has the voice
of human being. If you will make me |
present of it / will give you anything
you may DESIRE"
mo, will take nothing for it. You
have treated me 80 kindly that you are
welcome to it,
Saying this the teamster took his de- |
parture. When alone again the old man |
said to his wife:
II am fally persuaded that this ia a |
miracle. What think you, dear wife? |
should We not break this flute in two and |
see what is inside?"
She consented, and. behold. there was
their darling Snow White again, alive |
and in all her beauty.
Great JOY again was in their midst, |
and the three lived happier than ever
before. Soon after, when Snow White |
was Of manageable age, a noble and |
rich snitor asked for her hand, and she |
married him with the consent of her |
parents, who also moved out of their |
little house into a large palace and lived |
to a very old age. But Snow Whites |
former companions all died wretched |
old maids.