Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1898-07-10
THE STORY OF swANWHITE
As It Is Told by the scandinavian
ppaCaufS

L
A strange tale is told by the Scandi-
navian peasants as they gather the
children about the evening fires after
the labor of day. 1t is of young girl
who was beautiful and good, but who
had, a witch mother and step sister as
wicked and as ugly as she was fair.
They Lived together in a little hut
near a running spring, and every day
the young girl went to carry water to
the house in pail. This the mother
made her do because she was jealous OF
her fame and beauty, while her own
daughter sat all day in chair, and had
every wish gratified. So time passed,
and the beautiful girl grew more beau
tiful. and her nature, which delighted
n the flowers, and the sunshine, and in
III her surroundings, grew gentler and
rweeter, day by day.
The homely sister, however, was like
her witch mother, and each day she
crew more discontinued, and frowns
we're perpetually on her face, till she
grew so ugly that people hated to look
at her as they passed her mothers door
way.
One day, as usual, with her pail on
her head, the younger sister went sing
ing to the spring. The birds were ca
rolling In the trees over her head; the
Swaying branches cast Pickering shad-
ows and broken sunlight on her path,
and on she went, singing like the lark
IN the morning. When she reached the
spring, she stopped and filed her pail.
and as she rested a moment on the
bank, she let her hand slip into the
cool, clear stream, which she had been
careful not to stir to the bottom.
Suddenly, beside her own, she saw
another hand, small, and white, and
soft and as she looked in wonder, the
bubbling waters seemed to speak:
"Give me your golden bail, your
plaything and three times I will wish
you WE'LL
Not a moment did the girl hesitate;
for it was the first time she had heard
a kind voice since her brother went to
a far-off land to serve a strange king;
SO she dropped her golden ball into the
uptuImed hand, and then, springing to
her feet, she grasped her Jail of water
and sped home.
The Spirit of the Spring, however,
had wished her well before she reach
ed home She grew thrice as beautiful
as she had been; wherever her foot trod
rare understanding roses sprung, and
when she uttered word, golden rings
fell from her lips.
When the witch-woman saw these
wonders, she suddenly changed her be-
havior to the young girl. She did all
in her power to make her talk, ard
soon they were very rich from the sale
of the golden rings. Then she set her
self to find out all that had happened
to the maiden, who from that time
forth was called Swanwhite, the beau
tiful. Having learned the secret, the
mother sent her own daughter to fetch
water from the spring
But the girl was angered ait the unac-
cl1stomed task, and she stirred I'D the
water till 1t was dark and muddy. Then
VIXEN the pail was filled, she sat down
to rest, and continued to stir the water
with her hand. Suddenly another hand
appeared beside her own, and a sweet
voice rippled:
Give me your golden ball, your
plaything, and thrice will I wish you
WELL"
Indeed, you will not get my BALL"
the pettish girl cried, and wishing evil
to the water, she sped home, upsetting
her pail as she rose from the bank.
Then the stream Kissed and rushed
down its banks in rage, and she heard
threatening voice call after her:
Thrice do wish you evil; may YOU
grow thrice uglier than you are: may