Cinderella's mother died while she was a very little child, leaving
her to the care of her father and her step-sisters, who were very
much older than herself; for Cinderella's father had been twice
married, and her mother was his second wife. Now, Cinderella's
sisters did not love her, and were very unkind to her. As she grew
older they made her work as a servant, and even sift the cinders: on
which account they used to call her in mockery "Cinderella." It was
not her real name, but she became afterwards so well known by it that
her proper one has been forgotten.
She was a sweet tempered, good girl, however, and everybody except
her cruel sisters loved her. It happened, when Cinderella was about
seventeen years old, that the King of that country gave a ball, to
which all the ladies of the land, and among the rest the young girl's
sisters were invited. So they made her dress them for this ball, but
never thought of allowing her to go.
"I wish you would take me to the ball with you, sisters," said
Cinderella, meekly.
"Take you, indeed!" answered the elder sister with a sneer, "it
is no place for a cinder-sifter: stay at home and do your work."
When they were gone, Cinderella, whose heart was sad, sat down and
cried; but as she sorrowful, thinking of the unkindness of her
sisters, a voice called to her from the garden, and she went to see
who was there. It was her godmother, a good old Fairy.
"Do not cry, Cinderella," she said; "you also shall go to the ball,
because you are a kind, good girl. Bring me a large pumpkin."
Cinderella obeyed, and the fairy touched it with her wand, turned it
into a grand coach. Then she turned a rat into a coach-man, and some
mice into footmen; and touching Cinderella with her wand, the poor
girl's rags became a rich dress trimmed with costly lace and jewels,
and her old shoes became a charming pair of glass slippers, which
looked like diamonds. The fairy told her to go to the ball and enjoy
herself, but to be sure and leave the ball-room before the clock
struck eleven. "If you do not," she said, "your fine clothes will all
turn to rags again.
So Cinderella got into the coach, and drove off with her six footmen
behind, very splendid to behold, and arrived at the King's Court,
where she was received with delight. She was the most beautiful young
lady at the ball, and the Prince would dance with no one else. But
she made haste to leave before the hour fixed and had time to undress
before her sisters came home. They told her a beautiful Princess had
been at the ball, with whom the Prince was delighted. They did not
know it was Cinderella herself.
Three times Cinderella went to royal balls in this manner, but the
third time she forgot the Fairy's command, and heard eleven o'clock
strike. She darted out of the ball-room and ran down stairs in a
great hurry. But her dress all turned to rags before she left the
palace and she lost one of her glass slippers. The Prince sought for
her everywhere, but the guard said no one had passed the gate but a
poor beggar girl. However, the prince found the slipper, and in order
to discover where Cinderella was gone, he had it proclaimed that he
would marry the lady who could put on the glass slipper. All the
ladies tried to wear the glass slipper in vain, Cinderella's sisters
also, but when their young sister begged to be allowed to try it
also, it was found to fit her exactly, and to the Prince's delight,
she drew the fellow slipper from her pocket, and he knew at once that
she was his beautiful partner at the ball. So she was married to the
Prince, and the children strewed roses in their path as they came out
of church.
Cinderella forgave her sisters, and was so kind to them that she made
them truly sorry for their past cruelty and injustice.