|Once upon a time there lived a man and his wife and one beautiful
daughter. The wife fell sick and died, and some time after the father
married again, for he needed some one to take care of his child. The new
wife appeared very well before the wedding, but afterward she showed
a bad temper. She had two children of her own, and they were proud and
unkind like their mother. They could not bear their gentle sister, and
they made her do all the hard work.
She washed the dishes, and scrubbed the stairs. She swept the floor in
my lady’s chamber, and took care of the rooms of the two pert misses.
They slept on soft beds in fine rooms, and had tall looking-glasses,
so that they could admire themselves from top to toe. She lay on an old
straw sack in the garret.
She bore all this without complaint. She did her work, and then sat in
the corner among the ashes and cinders. So her two sisters gave her the
name of Cinderella or the cinder-maid. But Cinderella was really much
more beautiful than they; and she surely was more sweet and gentle.
Now the king’s son gave a ball, and he invited all the rich and the
grand. Cinderella’s two sisters were fine ladies; they were to go to
the ball. Perhaps they would even dance with the prince. So they had new
gowns made, and they looked over all their finery.
Here was fresh work for poor Cinderella. She must starch their ruffles
and iron their linen. All day long they talked of nothing but their fine
clothes.
“I shall wear my red velvet dress,” said the elder, “and trim it with my
point lace.”
“And I,” said the younger sister, “shall wear a silk gown, but I shall
wear over it a gold brocade, and I shall put on my diamonds. You have
nothing so fine.”
Then they began to quarrel over their clothes, and Cinderella tried
to make peace between them. She helped them about their dresses, and
offered to arrange their hair on the night of the ball.