The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1904-09-17
TIE ADJ UlRES
OF TIFF WOOD
CUTTERS DAUGHTER

One morning when he was going to his
work he said to his wife, 4Send my
eldest daughter out into the wood with
my dinner at noon. I shall be quite
read = for it, and that she may not lose
her5Sway&I Will take a bag of mllet
with me and strew the seeds on the.
path
As soon as5---e sun had reached the
meridian anC was shining over The
wood The maiden started on Scr road
with "a large jug OF soup ard some
bread for her fathers dinner But the
field and hedge sparrows, the lallls
e the fnches. and other birds, had long
before picked up the seeds, SO that
;$.sthe e maiden could not find the track.
Fortunately she vent forward in
the right direction; yet the sun went
down and night came on before She
could find shelter. The trees rustled
in the darkness, the night-owl scream
ed, and the poor girl was in great fear,
when all at once she saw light twink
ling in the distance through the. trees
There must be people living yonder,"
She thought, sand no doubt they will
give me a nights lodging"
She turned her steps toward the
light, and very soon came to house
through the window of which the light
shone.
She knocked at the door, and q
rough voice cried from within. Come
3 in!n She stepped into a narrow, dark
81 hall, tapped at the room door. The
same voice cried. Come in" and
6 when the door opened she saw very
i old man sitting at a table; his chin
rested on his hands, and his white
beard fell over them nearly to the
ground. Near the stove lay three an
u inals-a cock, a hen, and speckled
Z cow The maiden told the old man of
her trouble, and asked if she could
r have nights lodging. Instead of
answering her the old man turned to
the animals, and said:
Little chicks and spotted cow,
Shall we keep her here or no?''
The animals made certain sounds
which meant that she was to stay
So the old man said: you will find
plenty of everything here, SO go into
the kitchen and cook some sup
per-"
The maiden found an abundance of
u all she wanted, and after cooking a
dishfu1 of good food she placed it on
tie table, and seating herself with the
old man, ate a hearty meal, but she
never thought of the animals. When
she was satisfied she said, 81 am
very tired; where is a bed on which
81 can s1eep?'' In reply came voice:
You can eat and drink,
But you cannot think
OF poor animals such as we;
You shall have bed,
Just to rest your head,
~ But you don't know where it will be-
The maiden scarcely noticed what
KS the voice said, for the old man told
her to go upstairs, where she would
q find. two rooms, with a bed in each;
she was to shake the beds and make
them both. The young maiden went
quickly upstairs, made her own bed,
and without thinking Of one for the
old man she lay down and went fast
asleep. After awhile the old man
came up to his room, and finding his
bed not made shook his head, and 60
ing into the room where the maiden
lay sleeping, opened trap-door in the
floor and let down the bed on which
she lay into the cellar beneath.
Meanwhile the woodcutter returned
home in the evening very late and re-
preached his wife for having left him
the whole day hungry. 1T was not
my fault she said; Il sent the maid
en- with your dinner at noon, and I
suppose she must have lost her way;
she will be back again tomorrow, no
doubt
Before the day, however, the wood
cutter was obliged to be off to the
forest, and he desired his wife to
send his second daughter with his
dinner 81 will carry a bag of linseed
with me this time" he said; ''as the
seeds are larger than the millet she
"a will see them more easily, and will
not be likely to lose her way
But at noon. when the maiden went
with her fathers dinner, the linseed
had disappeared; the birds Of the for
est as on the day before had picked