It happened that the cat met the fox in a forest, and as she thought to herself: ‘He is clever and full of experience, and much esteemed in the world,’ she spoke to him in a friendly way.
HOW THEY WENT TO THE MOUNTAINS TO EAT NUTS ‘The nuts are quite ripe now,’ said Chanticleer to his wife Partlet, ‘suppose we go together to the mountains, and eat as many as we can, before the squirrel takes them all away.’ ‘With all my heart,’ said Partlet, ‘let us go and make a holiday of it together.’ So they went to the mountains; and as it was a lovely day, they stayed there till the evening.
She sat down in one corner of the room, and began to bewail her hard fate; when on a sudden the door opened, and a droll-looking little man hobbled in, and said, ‘Good morrow to you, my good lass; what are you weeping for?’ ‘Alas!’ said she, ‘I must spin this straw into gold, and I know not how.’ ‘What will you give me,’ said the hobgoblin, ‘to do it for you?’ ‘My necklace,’ replied the maiden.
There was a king who had twelve beautiful daughters.
There was once a shoemaker, who worked very hard and was very honest: but still he could not earn enough to live upon; and at last all he had in the world was gone, save just leather enough to make one pair of shoes.
There was once a cook named Gretel, who wore shoes with red heels, and when she walked out with them on, she turned herself this way and that, was quite happy and thought: ‘You certainly are a pretty girl!’ And when she came home she drank, in her gladness of heart, a draught of wine, and as wine excites a desire to eat, she tasted the best of whatever she was cooking until she was satisfied, and said: ‘The cook must know what the food is like.’ It came to pass that the master one day said to her: ‘Gretel, there is a guest coming this evening; prepare me two fowls very daintily.’ ‘I will see to it, master,’ answered Gretel.
Once upon a time there was a dear little girl who was loved by everyone who looked at her, but most of all by her grandmother, and there was nothing that she would not have given to the child.
The mother of Hans said: ‘Whither away, Hans?’ Hans answered: ‘To Gretel.’ ‘Behave well, Hans.’ ‘Oh, I’ll behave well.
There was once a miller who had one beautiful daughter, and as she was grown up, he was anxious that she should be well married and provided for.
Once upon a time there was a widow who had two daughters; one of them was beautiful and industrious, the other ugly and lazy.
There was once a fisherman who lived with his wife in a pigsty, close by the seaside.
Two kings’ sons once upon a time went into the world to seek their fortunes; but they soon fell into a wasteful foolish way of living, so that they could not return home again.
In a village dwelt a poor old woman, who had gathered together a dish of beans and wanted to cook them.
There was once a forester who went into the forest to hunt, and as he entered it he heard a sound of screaming as if a little child were there.
There were once a man and a woman who had long in vain wished for a child.
A certain cat had made the acquaintance of a mouse, and had said so much to her about the great love and friendship she felt for her, that at length the mouse agreed that they should live and keep house together.
A shepherd’s dog had a master who took no care of him, but often let him suffer the greatest hunger.
An honest farmer had once an ass that had been a faithful servant to him a great many years, but was now growing old and every day more and more unfit for work.
An aged count once lived in Switzerland, who had an only son, but he was stupid, and could learn nothing.
There was once a man who had a daughter who was called Clever Elsie.
The king of a great land died, and left his queen to take care of their only child.
A king and queen once upon a time reigned in a country a great way off, where there were in those days fairies.
There was once upon a time an old goat who had seven little kids, and loved them with all the love of a mother for her children.
The wife of a rich man fell sick; and when she felt that her end drew nigh, she called her only daughter to her bed-side, and said, ‘Always be a good girl, and I will look down from heaven and watch over you.’ Soon afterwards she shut her eyes and died, and was buried in the garden; and the little girl went every day to her grave and wept, and was always good and kind to all about her.
One fine evening a young princess put on her bonnet and clogs, and went out to take a walk by herself in a wood; and when she came to a cool spring of water, that rose in the midst of it, she sat herself down to rest a while.
A poor woodman sat in his cottage one night, smoking his pipe by the fireside, while his wife sat by his side spinning.
Once upon a time, a mouse, a bird, and a sausage, entered into partnership and set up house together.
There was a certain village wherein no one lived but really rich peasants, and just one poor one, whom they called the little peasant.
A long time ago there lived a king who was famed for his wisdom through all the land.
It was the middle of winter, when the broad flakes of snow were falling around, that the queen of a country many thousand miles off sat working at her window.
A shepherd had a faithful dog, called Sultan, who was grown very old, and had lost all his teeth.
There was once upon a time a queen to whom God had given no children.
Once in summer-time the bear and the wolf were walking in the forest, and the bear heard a bird singing so beautifully that he said: ‘Brother wolf, what bird is it that sings so well?’ ‘That is the King of birds,’ said the wolf, ‘before whom we must bow down.’ In reality the bird was the willow-wren.
A certain king had a beautiful garden, and in the garden stood a tree which bore golden apples.
There were two brothers who were both soldiers; the one was rich and the other poor.
One summer’s morning a little tailor was sitting on his table by the window; he was in good spirits, and sewed with all his might.
There was once an old castle, that stood in the middle of a deep gloomy wood, and in the castle lived an old fairy.
A farmer had a faithful and diligent servant, who had worked hard for him three years, without having been paid any wages.
There was once a man called Frederick: he had a wife whose name was Catherine, and they had not long been married.
There was once upon a time a woman who was a real witch and had two daughters, one ugly and wicked, and this one she loved because she was her own daughter, and one beautiful and good, and this one she hated, because she was her stepdaughter.
Long, long ago, some two thousand years or so, there lived a rich man with a good and beautiful wife.
Hard by a great forest dwelt a poor wood-cutter with his wife and his two children.
There was once a very old man, whose eyes had become dim, his ears dull of hearing, his knees trembled, and when he sat at table he could hardly hold the spoon, and spilt the broth upon the table-cloth or let it run out of his mouth.
Some men are born to good luck: all they do or try to do comes right—all that falls to them is so much gain—all their geese are swans—all their cards are trumps—toss them which way you will, they will always, like poor puss, alight upon their legs, and only move on so much the faster.