66 lines
4.3 KiB
Plaintext
66 lines
4.3 KiB
Plaintext
THE LlTTLE PEAR GIRL
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Once upon a time, a peasant worked hard to make a living from his land.
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Every year his pear tree produced four basketfuls of fruit which had to be
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given to the king, a greedy ruler who grew rich at the expense of the poor.
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One year, part of the pear harvest went bad and the peasant was able to
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pick only three and a half baskets of fruit. The poor man was beside himself
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with fear, for the king refused to take less than four basketfuls, and the
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peasant would be cruelly punished.
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All he could do was put his youngest daughter into one of the baskets and
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cover her with a layer of pears, so that the basket looked full. The king's
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servants took away the four baskets without ever noticing the trick, and the
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little girl found herself all alone in the pantry, under the pears.
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One day, the cook went into the pantry and discovered her. Nobody could
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understand where on earth she had come from, and not knowing what to do with
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her, it was decided she should become a maid in the castle. Folk called her
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Violetta, for her eyes reminded them of the colour of violets.
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Violetta was a pretty girl, sweet and generous. One day, as she was
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watering the flowers in the royal gardens, she met the king's son, a youth of
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her own age, and the two became friends. The other maids, jealous of
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Violetta's beauty and of the affection many people in the castle felt for the
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girl, did everything they could to get her into trouble, by spreading nasty
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rumours about her. One day, the king sent for her and said severely:
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"I'm told you boast of being able to steal the witches' treasure trove. Is
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that true?" Violetta said 'no,' but the king refused to believe her and drove
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her out of his kingdom.
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"You may return only when you have laid hands on the treasure," he said.
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All Violetta's fondest friends, including the prince, were sorry to hear of
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the king's decision, but could do nothing to stop her going. The girl wandered
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through the forest and, when she came to a pear tree, she climbed into its
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branches and fell asleep. She was wakened at dawn by an old woman calling her:
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"What are you doing up there, all by yourself?" Violetta told the old woman
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her tale. She offered to help the little girl, gave her some round loaves, a
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broom, a little oil and some good advice, and the girl again set off. She
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reached a clearing with a large wood stove and saw three women tearing their
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hair, using it to sweep the ashes from the stove. Violetta offered them the
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broom and the women pointed out the way to the witches' palace.
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Suddenly, two hungry mastiffs blocked her path. Violetta threw them the
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loaves, the dogs ate them and let her pass. Then she came to the bank of a
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river in flood, but remembering the old woman's advice, she sang:
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Clear sparkling river
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Let me cross over,
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and the minute her song wafted into the air, the water stopped flowing.
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Violetta thus crossed the river and at last reached the witches' palace. The
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door was unlocked, but Violetta could not push it open for the hinges were
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rusted. So she rubbed on a little oil and the door swung open. The little girl
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walked through the empty halls till she came to a splendid room in wich lay a
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magnificent coffer full of jewels. Holding the coffer under her arm, Violetta
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made for the door, but the coffer, being enchanted, cried out:
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"Door! Don't let her out!" However, the door did open, for Violetta had
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oiled the hinges. Down at the river, the coffer cried out. This time it said:
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"Water! Drown her!" But the river did not stop the little girl from
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crossing; the two mastiffs did not attack ant the three strange women did not
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burn her in their stove. For each, in its own way, repaid the girl's courtesy.
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Back at the king's palace again, the prince ran happily to meet Violetta,
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telling her:
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"When my father asks you what you want as a reward, ask him for the basket
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of pears in the pantry!" And this Violetta did. Pleased at paying such a
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modest price, the king instantly ordered the humble basket to be brought. But
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nobody ever imagined for a minute that underneath the pears lay the prince.
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The young man came out of his hiding place, swore he was in love with Violetta
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and that he wanted to marry her.
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In this way, the king was forced to give his consent. Violetta brought her
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family to court and they all began a new and happy life.
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