Story Hour Readers Part 6

Cinderella was so beautiful, so elegantly dressed, and she danced so well, that the prince fell in love with her. He would dance with no one else.

The evening pa.s.sed away like a dream. Suddenly Cinderella heard a clock chime three quarters past eleven.

She bade the prince good-night and was soon on her way home in the pumpkin coach.

When Cinderella reached home, she found her Fairy G.o.dmother waiting to hear about the ball.

"It was fine!" said Cinderella. "The prince has invited me to attend the ball to be given to-morrow night. Oh, how I wish that I might go!"

"You may certainly go to the prince's ball to-morrow night. I wish to make you very happy, dear child," said the Fairy G.o.dmother.

By the time the mother and sisters had returned home from the ball, the Fairy G.o.dmother had disappeared.

Cinderella was sitting by the kitchen fire in her rags.

"Do you not wish that you had been to the ball?" asked the sisters.

"There was a wonderful princess there. The prince would dance with no one else."

"Who was she?" asked Cinderella.

"That we cannot say," answered the two sisters. "She would not tell her name, though the prince, on bended knee, begged her to do so."

The next night, as soon as the mother and sisters had started in their carriage to attend the ball, the Fairy G.o.dmother appeared once more.

Again, at the touch of her wand, the pumpkin became a coach; the mice became horses; the rat became a coachman, and the lizards became footmen.

The Fairy G.o.dmother touched Cinderella's clothes with her wand, and this time her rags became a beautiful costume of silver cloth, covered with rubies. In place of the worn-out shoes were the wonderful gla.s.s slippers.

"Whatever you do, remember to leave before the clock strikes twelve,"

said the Fairy G.o.dmother, as Cinderella drove away.

When Cinderella arrived at the king's palace, the prince met her at the door. He would dance with no one else.

Cinderella was very happy. The hours pa.s.sed swiftly away, but she left the palace before the clock struck twelve.

The king gave another ball the third night. This time Cinderella wore a costume of gold cloth, covered with sparkling diamonds; and on her feet were the wonderful gla.s.s slippers.

The prince met her at the door. He led her to the ball room and again would dance with no one else.

This time Cinderella was enjoying the ball so much that she forgot the warning of the Fairy G.o.dmother.

Suddenly the clock began to strike twelve. With a cry of alarm she fled from the ball room, dropping one of her gla.s.s slippers in her haste.

The prince hurried after her, but by the time he reached the royal courtyard the beautiful maiden had disappeared.

As Cinderella arrived at her own gate, the coach became a pumpkin; the horses became mice; the coachman became a rat and the footmen lizards.

Cinderella was again clothed in rags, but in her hand she carried one of the gla.s.s slippers that she had worn at the prince's ball.

The mother and sisters came home soon afterwards. They could talk of nothing but the sudden disappearance of the beautiful princess.

On the following morning, there was a noise of trumpets and drums.

The king's messengers pa.s.sed through the town, crying, "The king's son will marry the fair maiden whose foot the gla.s.s slipper exactly fits."

The prince rode behind in his coach. He was followed by a company of attendants, who carried the gla.s.s slipper upon a velvet cus.h.i.+on.

At last the procession arrived at the home of Cinderella.

The mother and sisters saw the prince coming.

They at once hid pretty Cinderella under a tub in the kitchen.

The prince tried to fit the gla.s.s slipper to the foot of the oldest daughter. The foot was too long and too thin at the heel.

"You can pare off the heel," said the mother.

But the prince only laughed.

He tried the gla.s.s slipper on the foot of the second daughter. Her foot was too short and too fat at the toe.

"You can pare off the toe," said the mother.

But the prince only laughed.

Suddenly the parrot called, from his cage by the kitchen window,

"You may pare off the heels, Or pare off the toes, But under the tub The slipper goes."

The prince ordered his attendants to lift the tub. Crouching under it sat Cinderella, clothed in rags but wearing on one foot the mate to the gla.s.s slipper.

The prince knelt upon the velvet cus.h.i.+on, and tried on Cinderella's foot the little gla.s.s slipper which he had found in the ball room. It fitted exactly. It was like the slipper that Cinderella had on the other foot.

At that moment, the Fairy G.o.dmother appeared. She touched Cinderella's clothes with her wand.

There stood Cinderella, dressed in a costume even more beautiful than those she had worn at the palace.

Then the prince saw that Cinderella was indeed the lovely maiden for whom he was searching. He arose and kissed her, and begged her to become his wife.

The prince and Cinderella were married, and in time they became king and queen. They ruled the kingdom long and well.

THE WIND

I saw yon toss the kites on high And blow the birds about the sky; And all around I heard you pa.s.s, Like ladies' skirts across the gra.s.s-- O wind, a-blowing all day long!

O wind, that sings so loud a song!