The Project Gutenberg eBook of Children's Hour with Red Riding Hood and Other Stories, by Watty Piper (2025)

*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 11592 ***

CHILDREN'S HOUR

WITH

AND OTHER STORIES

EDITED BY WATTY PIPER

1922

CONTENTS

LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD

There was once a sweet little maid who lived with her father andmother in a pretty little cottage at the edge of the village. Atthe further end of the wood was another pretty cottage and in itlived her grandmother.

Everybody loved this little girl, her grandmother perhaps lovedher most of all and gave her a great many pretty things. Once shegave her a red cloak with a hood which she always wore, so peoplecalled her Little Red Riding Hood.

One morning Little Red Riding Hood's mother said, "Put on yourthings and go to see your grandmother. She has been ill; take alongthis basket for her. I have put in it eggs, butter and cake, andother dainties."

It was a bright and sunny morning. Red Riding Hood was so happythat at first she wanted to dance through the wood. All around hergrew pretty wild flowers which she loved so well and she stopped topick a bunch for her grandmother.

Little Red Riding Hood wandered from her path and was stoopingto pick a flower when from behind her a gruff voice said, "Goodmorning, Little Red Riding Hood." Little Red Riding Hood turnedaround and saw a great big wolf, but Little Red Riding Hood did notknow what a wicked beast the wolf was, so she was not afraid.

"What have you in that basket, Little Red Riding Hood?"

"Eggs and butter and cake, Mr. Wolf."

"Where are you going with them, Little Red Riding Hood?"

"I am going to my grandmother, who is ill, Mr. Wolf."

"Where does your grandmother live, Little Red Riding Hood?"

"Along that path, past the wild rose bushes, then through thegate at the end of the wood, Mr. Wolf."

Then Mr. Wolf again said "Good morning" and set off, and LittleRed Riding Hood again went in search of wild flowers.

At last he reached the porch covered with flowers and knocked atthe door of the cottage.

"Who is there?" called the grandmother.

"Little Red Riding Hood," said the wicked wolf.

"Press the latch, open the door, and walk in," said thegrandmother.

The wolf pressed the latch, and walked in where the grandmotherlay in bed. He made one jump at her, but she jumped out of bed intoa closet. Then the wolf put on the cap which she had dropped andcrept under the bedclothes.

In a short while Little Red Riding Hood knocked at the door, andwalked in, saying, "Good morning, Grandmother, I have brought youeggs, butter and cake, and here is a bunch of flowers I gathered inthe wood." As she came nearer the bed she said, "What big ears youhave, Grandmother."

"All the better to hear you with, my dear."

"What big eyes you have, Grandmother."

"All the better to see you with, my dear."

"But, Grandmother, what a big nose you have."

"All the better to smell with, my dear."

"But, Grandmother, what a big mouth you have."

"All the better to eat you up with, my dear," he said as hesprang at Little Red Riding Hood.

Just at that moment Little Red Riding Hood's father was passingthe cottage and heard her scream. He rushed in and with his axechopped off Mr. Wolf's head.

Everybody was happy that Little Red Riding Hood had escaped thewolf. Then Little Red Riding Hood's father carried her home andthey lived happily ever after.

THE GOOSE-GIRL

There was once an old Queen who had a very beautiful daughter.The time came when the maiden was to go into a distant country tobe married. The old Queen packed up everything suitable to a royaloutfit.

She also sent a Waiting-woman with her. When the hour ofdeparture came they bade each other a sorrowful farewell and setout for the bridegroom's country.

When they had ridden for a time the Princess became verythirsty, and said to the Waiting-woman, "Go down and fetch me somewater in my cup from the stream. I must have something todrink."

"If you are thirsty," said the Waiting-woman, "dismountyourself, lie down by the water and drink. I don't choose to beyour servant."

Being very thirsty, the Princess dismounted, and knelt by theflowing water.

Now, when she was about to mount her horse again, theWaiting-woman said, "By rights your horse belongs to me; this jadewill do for you!"

The poor little Princess was obliged to give way. Then theWaiting-woman, in a harsh voice, ordered her to take off her royalrobes, and to put on her own mean garments. Finally she forced herto swear that she would not tell a person at the Court what hadtaken place. Had she not taken the oath she would have been killedon the spot.

There was great rejoicing when they arrived at the castle. ThePrince hurried towards them, and lifted the Waiting-woman from herhorse, thinking she was his bride. She was led upstairs, but thereal Princess had to stay below.

The old King looked out of the window and saw the delicate,pretty little creature standing in the courtyard; so he asked thebride about her companion.

"I picked her up on the way, and brought her with me forcompany. Give the girl something to do to keep her fromidling."

The old King said, "I have a little lad who looks after thegeese; she may help him."

The boy was called little Conrad, and the real bride was sentwith him to look after the geese. When they reached the meadow, thePrincess sat down on the grass and let down her hair, and whenConrad saw it he was so delighted that he wanted to pluck some out;but she said—

Then a strong wind sprang up, which blew away Conrad's hat rightover the fields, and he had to run after it. When he came back herhair was all put up again.

When they got home Conrad went to the King and said, "I won'ttend the geese with that maiden again."

"Why not?" asked the King.

Then Conrad went on to tell the King all that had happened inthe field. The King ordered Conrad to go next day as usual and hefollowed into the field and hid behind a bush. He saw it happenjust as Conrad had told him. Thereupon he went away unnoticed; andin the evening, when the Goose-girl came home, he asked her why shedid all these things.

"That I may not tell you," she answered.

Then he said, "If you won't tell me, then tell the iron stovethere;" and he went away.

She crept up to the stove and unburdened her heart to it. TheKing stood outside by the pipes of the stove and heard all shesaid. Then he came back, and caused royal robes to be put upon her,and her beauty was a marvel. Then he called his son and told himthat he had a false bride, but that the true bride was here.

The Prince was charmed with her beauty and a great banquet wasprepared. The bridegroom sat at the head of the table, with thePrincess on one side and the Waiting-woman at the other; but shedid not recognize the Princess.

When they had eaten, the King put a riddle to the Waiting-woman."What does a person deserve that deceives his master?" telling thewhole story.

The false bride answered, "He must be put into a barrel anddragged along by two white horses till he is dead."

"That is your doom," said the King, "and the judgment shall becarried out."

When the sentence was fulfilled, the young Prince married histrue bride, and they lived together in peace and happiness.

BABES IN THE WOOD

Once upon a time there lived two little children whose parentswere ill unto death. They begged their brother to care for the twolittle ones as he would his own.

The uncle promised he would be a father to them, but he soonbegan to scheme to possess the money the parents had left in hiscare for the children. He sent for two robbers and bargained withthem to take the two babes into the woods and kill them.

After going many miles into the woods one of the robbers said,"Let us not kill the little children, they never harmed us." Theother robber would not consent, so they came to blows. Thisfrightened the children so much that they ran away and did not seethe robbers again.

They wandered on and on until they became so tired and hungrythat at length they sat down at the foot of a tree and cried as iftheir hearts would break. The little birds heard them and began totrill sweet lullabies, which presently lulled them to rest.

The birdies knew that the children would die of cold and hunger,so they covered them with leaves of crimson and brown and green.They then told the angels in Heaven the sad story of the lostbabes, and one of the white-robed angels flew down to earth andcarried both the little ones back to Heaven, so that when theyawoke they were no longer tired and hungry, but were again withtheir dear mother.

THE SLEEPING BEAUTY

Once upon a time there was a king and queen who for a very longtime had no children, and when at length a little daughter was bornto them they were so pleased that they gave a christening feast towhich they invited a number of fairies. But, unfortunately, theyleft out one rather cross old fairy, and she was so angry that shesaid the princess should die when she reached the age of sixteen,by pricking her hand with a spindle.

All the other fairies present, except one, had already given theprincess their beautiful gifts, and this last one said she couldnot prevent part of the wicked wish coming true; but her giftshould be that the princess should not really die, but only fallinto a deep sleep, which should last for a hundred years, and atthe end of that time she should be awakened by a king's son.

It all happened as the fairies had predicted. When the princesswas sixteen years old she saw an old woman spinning and took thespindle from her to try this strange new work. Instantly shepricked her hand and fell into a deep sleep, as did everyone elsein the palace. There she lay in a bower of roses, year after year,and the hedge around the palace garden grew so tall and thick thatat last you could not have told that there was a castle at all.

At the end of the hundred years a king's son heard of the castleand the enchanted princess who lay asleep there and determined torescue her. So he cut his way through the thick prickly hedge andat length he came to the princess. When he saw how lovely and howsweet she looked he fell in love with her and, stooping, kissed herlips.

At once she awoke and with her the king and queen and all thecourtiers, who had fallen asleep at the same time.

As the princess was as much taken with the prince's appearanceas he was with hers, they decided to be married. And so the weddingwas celebrated the same day with great pomp and ceremony.

SNOWDROP AND SEVEN LITTLE DWARFS

Once upon a time there was a little princess called Snowdrop,who had a cruel step-mother who was jealous of her. The Queen had amagic mirror, which could speak to her, and when she looked into itand asked who was the fairest lady in the land the mirror told hershe was, for she was very beautiful; but as Snowdrop grew up shebecame still more lovely than her step-mother and the mirror didnot fail to tell the Queen this.

So she ordered one of her huntsmen to take Snowdrop away andkill her; but he was too tender-hearted to do this and left themaiden in the wood and went home again. Snowdrop wandered aboutuntil she came to the house of seven little dwarfs, and they wereso kind as to take her in and let her live with them. She used tomake their seven little beds, and prepare the meals for the sevenlittle men, and they were all quite happy until the Queen found outfrom her mirror that Snowdrop was alive still, for, as it alwaystold the truth, it still told her Snowdrop was the fairest lady inthe land.

She decided that Snowdrop must die, so she dyed her face anddressed up like an old pedlar, and in this disguise she went to thehome of the seven Dwarfs and called out, "Laces for sale."

Snowdrop peeped out of the window and said, "Good-day, mother;what have you to sell?"

"Good laces, fine laces, laces of every color," and she held outone that was made of gay silk.

Snowdrop opened the door and bought the pretty lace.

"Child," said the old woman, "you are a sight, let me lace youproperly for once."

Snowdrop placed herself before the old woman, who laced her soquickly and so tightly that she took away Snowdrop's breath and shefell down as though dead.

Not long after the seven dwarfs came home they found that shewas laced too tight and cut the lace, whereupon Snowdrop began tobreathe and soon came back to life again.

When the Queen got home and found by asking her mirror thatSnowdrop was still alive, she planned to make an end of her forgood, so she made a poisoned comb and disguised herself to looklike a different old woman.

She journeyed to the dwarfs' home and induced Snowdrop to lether comb her hair. The minute she put the poisoned comb in her hairSnowdrop fell down as though dead.

When the seven dwarfs came home they found their poor Snowdropon the floor, and suspecting the bad Queen began to look for thecause, soon finding the comb. No sooner had they removed it thanSnowdrop came to life again.

Upon the Queen's return home she found by asking her mirror thatSnowdrop still lived, so she disguised herself a third time andcame to the dwarfs' little house and gave Snowdrop a poisonedapple. As soon as the little princess took a bite it stuck in herthroat and choked her.

Oh! how grieved were the good little dwarfs. They made a fineglass coffin, and put Snowdrop into it and were carrying her awayto bury her when they met a prince, who fell in love with thelittle dead maiden, and begged the dwarfs to give her to him.

The dwarfs were so sorry for him they consented, and theprince's servants were about to carry the coffin away when theystumbled and fell over the root of a tree. Snowdrop received such aviolent jerk that the poisonous apple was jerked right out of herthroat and she sat up alive and well again.

Of course she married the prince, and she, her husbandand the good little dwarfs lived happily ever after, but the cruelstep-mother came to a bad end, and no one was even sorry forher.

*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 11592 ***