Cream of the Crop 1/Cream of the Crop 1.iso/PRINTER/RUBPB22A.ARJ/RUP22C.EXE/SAMPLE_1

Text File | 1991-06-07 | 8KB | 141 lines

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<PT8>RUBICON PUBLISHER<QL9pt>
SAMPLE NO. 1<QZ>
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<bd12pt><pt30>I<pt12><bu12pt>n<itl> olden times when wishing still
helped one, <IL>there lived a king whose daughters were all beautiful;
and the youngest was so beautiful that the sun itself, which has seen so
much, was astonished whenever it shone in her face. Close by the king's
castle lay a great dark forest, and under an old lime-tree in the forest
was a well, and when the day was very warm, the king's child went out to
the forest and sat down by the fountain; and when she was bored she took
a golden ball, and threw it up on high and caught it; and this ball was
her favourite plaything.<IP2em>

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Now it so happened that on one occasion the princess's golden ball did
not fall into the little hand that she was holding up for it, but on to
the ground beyond, and it rolled straight into the water. The king's
daughter followed it with her eyes, but it vanished, and the well was
deep, so deep that the bottom could not be seen. At this she began to
cry, and cried louder and louder, and could not be comforted. And as she
thus lamented someone said to her, ``What ails you, king's daughter? You
weep so that even a stone would show pity.''

She looked round to the side from whence the voice came, and saw a frog
stretching forth its big ugly head from the water. ``Ah, old
water-splasher, is it you?'' said she: ``I am weeping for my golden
ball, which has fallen into the well.'' ``Be quiet, and do not weep,''
answered the frog. ``I can help you; but what will you give me if I bring
your plaything up again?'' ``Whatever you will have dear frog,'' said
she; ``my clothes, my pearls and jewels, and even the golden crown that
I am wearing.'' The frog answered, ``I do not care for your clothes,
your pearls and jewels, nor for your golden crown; but if you will love
me and let me be your companion and play-fellow, and sit by you at your
little table, and eat off your little golden plate, and drink out of
your little cup, and sleep in your little bed<L->if you will promise
this, I will go down below, and bring you your golden ball up again.''

``Oh yes,'' said she, ``I promise you all you wish, if you will but
bring me my ball back again.'' But she thought, ``How the silly frog
does talk! All he does is sit in the water with the other frogs, and
croak. He can be no companion to any human being.''

But the frog, when he had received this promise, put his head into the
water and sank down; and in a short while he came up again with the ball
in his mouth, and threw it on the grass. The king's daughter was
delighted to see her pretty plaything once more, and she picked it up
and ran away with it. ``Wait, Wait,'' said the frog. ``Take me with you.
I can't run as you can.'' But what did it avail him to scream his croak,
croak after her, as loudly as he could? She did not listen to it but
ran home and soon forgot the poor frog, who was forced to go back into
his well again.

The next day when she had seated herself at table with the king and all
the courtiers, and was eating from her little golden plate, something
came creeping splish splash, splish splash, up the marble staircase; and
when it had got to the top, it knocked at the door and cried,
``Princess, youngest princess, open the door for me.'' She ran to see
who was outside, but when she opened the door, there sat the frog in
front of it. Then she slammed the door to, in great haste, sat down to
dinner again, and was quite frightened. The king saw plainly that her
heart was beating violently, and said. ``My child, what are you so
afraid of? Is there perchance a giant outside who wants to carry you
away?'' ``Ah no,'' replied she. ``It is no giant, it is a disgusting
frog.''

``What does a frog want with you?'' ``Ah, dear father, yesterday as I
was in the forest sitting by the well, playing, my golden ball fell into
the water. And because I cried so, the frog brought it out again for me;
and because he so insisted, I promised him he should be my companion,
but I never thought he would be able to come out of his water. And now
he is outside there, and wants to come in to see me.''

In the meantime it knocked a second time, and cried, ``Princess,
youngest princess, open the door for me. Do you not know what you said
to me yesterday by the cool waters of the well? Princess, open the door
for me!''

Then said the king, ``That which you have promised must you perform. Go
and let him in.'' She went and opened the door, and the frog hopped in
and followed her, step by step, to her chair. There he sat and cried,
``Lift me up beside you.'' She delayed, until at last the king commanded
her to do it. Once the frog was on the chair he wanted to be on the
table, and when he was on the table he said, ``Now, push your little
golden plate nearer to me, that we may eat together.'' She did this, but
it was easy to see she did not do it willingly. The frog enjoyed what he
ate, but almost every mouthful she took choked her. At length he said, I
have eaten and am satisfied, now I am tired; carry me into your little
room and make your little silken bed ready, and we will both lie down
and go to sleep.''

The king's daughter began to cry, for she was afraid of the cold frog,
which she did not like to touch, and which was now to sleep in her
pretty bed. But the king grew angry and said. ``He who helped you when
you were in trouble ought not afterwards to be despised by you.'' So she
took hold of the frog with two fingers, carried him upstairs, and put
him in a corner. But when she was in bed he crept to her and said, ``I
am tired, I want to sleep as well as you; lift me up or I will tell your
father.'' At this she was terribly angry, and took him up and threw him
with all her might against the wall. ``Now, will you be quiet odious
frog?'' said she. But when he fell down he was no frog but a king's son
with kind and beautiful eyes. He by her father's will was now her dear
companion and husband. Then he told her how he has been bewitched by a
wicked witch, and how no one could have delivered him from the well but
herself, and that tomorrow they would go together into his kingdom.

Then they went to sleep, and next morning when the sun awoke them, a
carriage came driving up with eight white horses, which had white
ostrich feathers on their heads, and were harnessed with golden chains;
and behind stood the young king's servant Faithful Henry. Faithful Henry
had been so unhappy when his master was changed into a frog, that he had
caused three iron bands to be laid round his heart, lest it should burst
with grief and sadness. The carriage was to conduct the young king into
his kingdom. Faithful Henry helped them both in, and placed himself
behind again, and was full of joy because of this deliverance. And when
they had driven a part of the way, the king's son heard a cracking
behind him as if something hard had broken. So he turned round and cried
``Henry, the carriage is breaking.''

``No, master, it is not the carriage. It is a band from my heart, that
was put there in my great pain when you were a frog and imprisoned in
the well.'' Again and once again while they were on their way something
cracked, and each time the king's son thought the carriage was breaking;
But it was only the bands that were springing from the heart of Faithful
Henry because his master was set free and was so happy.

<ai><M->The Brothers Grimm<xi><qr>