“Well, I never saw the equal to that!”
cried the princess.
“Oh, here is the equal to it,” said he,
and pulled out the other.
“Now, you think you’ll wear out my soul,
don’t you?” said she.
“No, I won’t wear out your soul, for I
have a sole that’s worn out already,”
said the lad, and pulled out the shoe sole.
Then the princess hadn’t a word to say.
“Now, you’re mine,” said Boots.
And so she was.
Once on a time there was a Queen who had twelve sons
but no daughter.
One day she was out driving in the woods and met the
prettiest little lassie one ever did see, and so the
Queen stopped her horses, lifted the child up in her
arms, kissed her on both cheeks, all the while thinking:
“I wish I had a little girl of my own, oh, how
long I’ve waited and wished for one.”
Just then an old witch of the trolls came up to her,
but you wouldn’t have known it was a witch at
all, she looked so kind and good.
“A daughter you shall have,” she said,
“and she shall be the prettiest child in twelve
kingdoms, if you will give to me what ever comes to
meet you at the bridge.”
Now the Queen had a little snow white dog of which
she was very fond, and it always ran to meet her when
she had been away. She thought, of course, it
was the dog the old dame wanted, so the Queen said,
“Yes, you may have what comes to meet me on
the bridge.” With that she hurried home
as fast as she could.
But, who should come to meet her on the bridge but
her twelve sons; and before the mother could cry out
to them the wicked witch threw her spell upon them
and turned them into twelve ducks which flapped their
wings and flew away. Away they went and away
they stayed.
But the Queen had a daughter, and she was the loveliest
child one ever set eyes upon. The Princess grew
up, and she was both tall and fair, but she was often
quiet and sorrowful, and no one could understand what
it was that ailed her. The Queen, too, was often
sorrowful, as you may believe, for she had many strange
fears when she thought of her sons. And one day
she said to her daughter, “Why are you so sorrowful,
lassie mine? Is there anything you want?
If so, only say the word, and you shall have it.”
“Oh, it seems so dull and lonely here,”
said the daughter, “every one else has brothers
and sisters, but I am all alone; I have none.
That’s why I’m so sorrowful.”
“But you had brothers, my daughter,” said
the Queen; “I had twelve sons, stout, brave
lads, but I lost them all when you came;” and
so she told her the whole story.
When the Princess heard that she had no rest; for
she thought it was all her fault, and in spite of
all the Queen could say or do, though she wept and
prayed, the lassie would set off to seek her brothers.
On and on she walked into the wide world, so far you
would never have thought her small feet could have
had strength to carry her so far.
