Mother Hulda such a will that the feathers flew about like snow-flakes:

and so she led a good life, had never a cross word, but
boiled and roast meat every day. When she had lived a
A widow had two daughters; one was pretty and long time with Mother Hulda, she began to feel sad, not
industrious, the other was ugly and lazy. And as the ugly knowing herself what ailed her; at last she began to
one was her own daughter, she loved her much the best, think she must be home-sick; and although she was a
and the pretty one was made to do all the work, and be thousand times better off than at home where she was,
the drudge of the house. Every day the poor girl had to yet she had a great longing to go home. At last she said
sit by a well on the high road and spin until her fingers to her mistress: "I am homesick, and although I am very
bled. Now it happened once that as the spindle was well off here, I cannot stay any longer; I must go back
bloody, she dipped it into the well to wash it; but it to my own home." Mother Hulda answered: "It pleases
slipped out of her hand and fell in. Then she began to me well that you should wish to go home, and, as you
cry, and ran to her step-mother, and told her of her have served me faithfully, I will undertake to send you
misfortune; and her stepmother scolded her without there!" She took her by the hand and led her to a large
mercy, and said in her rage: "As you have let the spindle door standing open, and as she was passing through it
fall in, you must go and fetch it out again!" Then the girl there fell upon her a heavy shower of gold, and the gold
went back again to the well, not knowing what to do, hung all about her, so that she was covered with it. "All
and in the despair of her heart she jumped down into the this is yours, because you have been so industrious,"
well the same way the spindle had gone. After that she said Mother Hulda; and, besides that, she returned to her
knew nothing; and when she came to herself she was in her spindle, the very same that she had dropped in the
a beautiful meadow, and the sun was shining on the well. And then the door was shut again, and the girl
flowers that grew round her. And she walked on through found herself back again in the world, not far from her
the meadow until she came to a baker's oven that was mother's house; and as she passed through the yard the
full of bread; and the bread called out to her: "Oh, take cock stood on the top of the well and cried:
me out, take me out, or I shall burn; I am baked enough
already!" Then she drew near, and with the baker's peel "Cock-a-doodle doo!
she took out all the loaves one after the other. And she Our golden girl has come home too!"
went farther on till she came to a tree weighed down
with apples, and it called out to her: "Oh, shake me, Then she went in to her mother, and as she had returned
shake me, we apples are all of us ripe!" Then she shook covered with gold she was well received. So the girl
the tree until the apples fell like rain, and she shook until related all her history, and what had happened to her,
there were no more to fall; and when she had gathered and when the mother heard how she came to have such
them together in a heap, she went on farther. At last she great riches she began to wish that her ugly and idle
came to a little house, and an old woman was peeping daughter might have the same good fortune. So she sent
out of it, but she had such great teeth that the girl was her to sit by the well and spin; and in order to make her
terrified and about to run away, only the old woman spindle bloody she put her hand into the thorn hedge.
called her back. "What are you afraid of, my dear child? Then she threw the spindle into the well, and jumped in
Come and live with me, and if you do the house-work herself. She found herself, like her sister, in the beautiful
well and orderly, things shall go well with you. You meadow, and followed the same path, and when she
must take great pains to make my bed well, and shake it came to the baker's oven, the bread cried out: "Oh, take
up thoroughly, so that the feathers fly about, and then in me out, take me out, or I shall burn; I am quite done
the world it snows, for I am Mother Hulda." As the old already!" But the lazy-bones answered: "I have no
woman spoke so kindly, the girl took courage, desire to black my hands," and went on farther. Soon
consented, and went to her work. She did everything to she came to the apple-tree, who called out: "Oh, shake
the old woman's satisfaction, and shook the bed with me, shake me,

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we apples are all of us ripe!" But she answered: "That is
all very fine; suppose one of you should fall on my
head," and went on farther. When she came to Mother
Hulda's house she did not feel afraid, as she knew
beforehand of her great teeth, and entered into her
service at once. The first day she put her hand well to
the work, and was industrious, and did everything
Mother Hulda bade her, because of the gold she
expected; but the second day she began to be idle, and
the third day still more so, so that she would not get up
in the morning. Neither did she make Mother Hulda's
bed as it ought to have been made, and did not shake it
for the feathers to fly about. So that Mother Hulda soon
grew tired of her, and gave her warning, at which the
lazy thing was well pleased, and thought that now the
shower of gold was coming; so Mother Hulda led her to
the door, and as she stood in the doorway, instead of the
shower of gold a great kettle full of pitch was emptied
over her. "That is the reward for your service," said
Mother Hulda, and shut the door. So the lazy girl came
home all covered with pitch, and the cock on the top of
the well seeing her, cried:

"Cock-a-doodle doo!
Our dirty girl has come home too!"

And the pitch remained sticking to her fast, and never, as

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