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Title: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
Date of first publication: 1938
Place and date of edition used as base for this ebook:
  New York: Coward-McCann, 1938
  (First Edition, twenty-eighth impression)

Author: Wanda Gg (1893-1946)
Date first posted: 22 September 2007
Date last updated: 22 September 2007
Project Gutenberg Canada ebook #25

This ebook was produced by: Iona Vaughan and Robert Morrow




SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS

OTHER BOOKS BY WANDA GG

   MILLIONS OF CATS
   THE FUNNY THING
   SNIPPY AND SNAPPY
   WANDA GG'S STORY BOOK
   THE ABC BUNNY
   GONE IS GONE
   TALES FROM GRIMM
   GROWING PAINS
   NOTHING AT ALL
   THREE GAY TALES FROM GRIMM




SNOW WHITE
AND THE SEVEN DWARFS


FREELY TRANSLATED AND ILLUSTRATED BY

WANDA GG




Coward, McCann & Geoghegan, Inc.
New York

Copyright, 1938, by WANDA GG


PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA




SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS


Once upon a time, in the middle of winter, the snowflakes were
falling like feathers from the sky. At a castle window framed in
ebony sat a young Queen working at her embroidery, and as she was
stitching away and gazing at the snowflakes now and then, she
pricked her finger and three little drops of blood fell down upon
the snow. And because the red color looked so beautiful there on
the snow she thought to herself, "Oh, if I only had a little
child as white as snow, as rosy red as blood, and with hair as
ebon black as the window frame!"

Soon after this a baby girl was born to her--a little Princess
with hair of ebon black, cheeks and lips of rosy red, and a skin
so fine and fair that she was called Snow White. But when the
child was born the Queen died.

After a year had passed, the King married a second time. His new
wife, who was now Queen, was very beautiful but haughty and proud
and vain--indeed, her only wish in life was to be the fairest in
the land. She had a mirror, a magic one, and when she looked in
it she would say:

   "Mirror, Mirror, on the wall,
   Who's the fairest one of all?"

and the mirror would reply:

   "Oh Queen, thou art the fairest in the land."

With this the Queen was well content for she knew that her mirror
always spoke the truth.

The years flowed on, and all this time Snow White was growing
up--and growing more beautiful each year besides. When she was
seven years old she was fair as the day, and there came a time
when the Queen stood in front of her mirror and said:

   "Mirror, Mirror, on the wall,
   Who's the fairest one of all?"

and this time the mirror answered:

   "Queen, thou art of beauty rare
   But Snow White with ebon hair
   Is a thousand times more fair."

At this the Queen became alarmed and turned green and yellow with
envy. And whenever she saw Snow White after that, her heart
turned upside down within her--that was how much she hated the
innocent child for her beauty. These envious feelings grew like
weeds in the heart of the Queen until she had no peace by day or
by night. At last she could bear it no longer. She sent for a
royal huntsman and told him to take the child into the woods and
do away with her. "And bring me a token," she added, "so that I
may be sure you've obeyed me."

So the huntsman called Snow White and led her into the woods but
before he could harm her, she burst into tears and said, "Oh
please, dear hunter, have mercy! If you will let me go, I'll
gladly wander away, far away into the wildwood and I'll never
come back again."

The huntsman was glad enough to help the sweet innocent girl, so
he said, "Well, run away then, poor child, and may the beasts of
the wood have mercy on you." As a token he brought back the heart
of a wild boar, and the wicked Queen thought it was Snow White's.
She had it cooked and ate it, I am sorry to say, with salt and
great relish.

*          *          *          *          *

Little Snow White wandered off into the depths of the wildwood.
Above her were leaves and leaves and leaves, about her the trunks
of hundreds of trees, and she didn't know what to do. She began
to run, over jagged stones and through thorny thickets. She
passed many wild animals on the way, but they did not hurt her.
She ran all day, through woods and woods and over seven high high
hills. At last, just at sunset, she came upon a tiny hut in a
wooded glen. The door was open and there was no one at home, so
she thought she would stay and rest herself a little.

She went in and looked around. Everything was very small inside,
but as neat and charming as could be, and very very clean. At one
end of the room stood a table decked in white, and on it were
seven little plates, seven little knives and forks and spoons,
and seven little goblets. In front of the table, each in its
place, were seven little chairs; and at the far side of the room
were seven beds, one beside the other, all made up with coverlets
as pure and white as plum blossoms.

Snow White was hungry and thirsty, so she took from each little
plate a bit of vegetable and a bite of bread, and from each
little goblet a sip of sweet wine. She had become very tired,
too, from all her running, and felt like taking a nap. She tried
one bed after another but found it hard to choose the one which
really suited her.

The first little bed was too hard.

The second little bed was too soft.

The third little bed was too short.

The fourth little bed was too narrow.

The fifth little bed was too flat.

The sixth little bed was too fluffy.

But the seventh little bed was just right so she lay down in it
and was soon fast asleep.

After the sun had set behind the seventh hilltop and darkness had
crept into the room, the masters of the little hut came
home--they were seven little dwarfs who dug all day and hacked
away at the hills, in search of gems and gold. They lit their
seven little lights and saw right away that someone had been
there, for things were not quite the same as they had left them
in the morning.

Said the first little dwarf, "Who's been sitting in my chair?"

Said the second little dwarf, "Who's been eating from my plate?"

Said the third, "Who's been nibbling at my bread?"

Said the fourth, "Who's been tasting my vegetables?"

Said the fifth, "Who's been eating with my fork?"

And the sixth, "Who's been cutting with my knife?"

And the seventh, "Who's been drinking from my little goblet?"

Now the first little dwarf turned around, and saw a hollow in his
bed and said, "Someone's been sleeping in my bed."

And the second little dwarf looked at his bed and said,
"Someone's been sleeping in mine too. It's rumpled."

And the third said, "In mine too, it's all humped up and
crumpled."

And the fourth said, "In mine too. It's full of wrinkles."

And the fifth said, "And mine. It's full of crinkles."

And the sixth said, "Mine too. It's all tumbled up and jumbled."

But the seventh cried, "Well, someone's been sleeping in my bed,
AND HERE SHE IS!"

The others came crowding around, murmuring and whispering in
wonderment at the sight. "Ei! Ei!" they said, "how beautiful is
this child!" They brought their tiny lights and held them high,
and looked and looked and looked. So pleased were they with their
new little guest that they did not even wake her, but let her
sleep in the bed all night. The seventh dwarf now had no bed, to
be sure, but he slept with his comrades, one hour with each in
turn until the night was over.

In the morning when Snow White awoke and saw seven little men
tiptoeing about the room, she was frightened, but not for long.
She soon saw that they were friendly little folk, so she sat up
in bed and smiled at them. Now that she was awake and well
rested, she looked more lovely than ever, with her rosy cheeks
and big black eyes. The seven little dwarfs circled round her in
new admiration and awe, and said, "What is your name, dear
child?"

"They call me Snow White," said she.

"And how did you find your way to our little home?" asked the
dwarfs. So she told them her story.

All seven stood around and listened, nodding their heads and
stroking their long long beards, and then they said, "Do you
think you could be our little housekeeper--cook and knit and sew
for us, make up our beds and wash our little clothes? If you will
keep everything tidy and homelike, you can stay with us, and
you shall want for nothing in the world."

"Oh yes, with all my heart!" cried Snow White. So there she
stayed, and washed and sewed and knitted, and kept house for the
kindly little men. Every day the seven dwarfs went off to one of
the seven hills to dig for gems and gold. Each evening after
sunset they returned, and then their supper had to be all ready
and laid out on the table. But every morning before they left
they would warn Snow White about the Queen.

"We don't trust her," they said. "One of these days she'll find
out that you are here. So be careful, child, and don't let anyone
into the house."

*          *          *          *          *

The dwarfs were right. One day the Queen, just to make sure,
stood in front of her mirror and said:

   "Mirror, Mirror, on the wall,
   Who's the fairest one of all?"

and the mirror replied:

   "Thou art very fair, Oh Queen,
   But the fairest ever seen
   Dwells within the wooded glen
   With the seven little men."

The Queen turned green with fury when she heard this, for now she
knew that the huntsman had deceived her, and that Snow White was
still alive.

Day and night she sat and pondered, and wondered what to do, for
as long as she was not the fairest in the land, her jealous heart
gave her no rest. At last she thought out a plan: she dyed her
face and dressed herself to look like a peddler woman. She did it
so well that no one would have known her, and then, with a
basketful of strings and laces, she made her way over the seven
hills to the home of the seven dwarfs. When she reached it she
knocked at the little door and cried, "Fine wares for sale! Fine
wares for sale!"

Snow White peeped out of the window and said, "Good day, my dear
woman, what have you there in your basket?"

"Good wares! Fine wares!" said the woman. "Strings, cords and
laces, of all kinds and colors," and she held up a loop of gaily
colored bodice laces.

Snow White was entranced with the gaudy trifle and she thought to
herself, "The dwarfs were only afraid of the wicked Queen, but
surely there can be no harm in letting this honest woman into the
house." So she opened the door and bought the showy laces.

"Child," said the woman as she entered the little room, "what a
sight you are with that loose bodice! Come, let me fix you up
with your new laces, so you'll look neat and trim for once."

Snow White, who suspected nothing, stood up to have the new gay
laces put into her bodice, but the woman worked quickly and laced
her up so tightly that Snow White lost her breath and sank to the
floor.

"Now!" cried the Queen as she cast a last look at the motionless
child, "now you have _been_ the fairest in the land!"

Luckily this happened just as the sun was sinking behind the
seventh hill, so it was not long before the dwarfs came trudging
home from work. When they saw their dear little Snow White lying
there, not moving, not talking, they were deeply alarmed. They
lifted her up, and when they saw how tightly she was laced, they
hurriedly cut the cords in two. And in that moment Snow White
caught her breath again, opened her eyes, and all was well once
more.

When the dwarfs heard what had happened they said, "That was no
peddler woman, Snow White; that was the wicked Queen. So please
beware, dear child, and let no one into the house while we're
gone."

*          *          *          *          *

By this time the Queen had reached her home, so she rushed to her
mirror and said:

   "Mirror, Mirror, on the wall,
   Who's the fairest one of all?"

and to her dismay it answered as before:

"Thou art very fair, Oh Queen,
But the fairest ever seen
Dwells within the wooded glen
With the seven little men."

At this the Queen's fury knew no bounds and she said, "But now,
my pretty one--now I'll think up something which _will_ be
the end of you!" And soon she was very busy.

You will not be surprised, I am sure, when I tell you that this
wicked creature was skilled in the arts of witchcraft; and with
the help of these arts she now worked out her second scheme. She
fashioned a comb--a beautiful golden comb, but a poisonous one.
Then, disguising herself as a different old woman, she crossed
the seven hills to the home of the seven dwarfs. When she reached
it she knocked at the door and cried as before, "Good wares for
sale! Fine wares! For sale! For sale!"

Snow White peeped out of the window but this time she said, "You
may as well go on your way, good woman. I am not allowed to let
anyone in."

"Very well!" said the old woman. "You needn't let me in, but
surely there can be no harm in _looking_ at my wares," and
she held up the glittering poisonous comb.

Snow White was so charmed by it that she forgot all about the
dwarfs' warning and opened the door. The old woman stepped inside
and said in honeyed tones, "Why don't you try it on right now, my
little rabbit? Look, I'll show you how it should be worn!"

Poor Snow White, innocent and trusting, stood there with
sparkling eyes as the woman thrust the comb into her ebon hair.
But as soon as the comb touched her head, the poison began to
work, and Snow White sank to the floor unconscious.

"You paragon of beauty!" muttered the Queen. "That will do for
you, I think."

She hurried away just as the sun was sinking behind the seventh
hill, and a few minutes later the dwarfs came trudging home from
work. When they saw Snow White lying there on the floor, they
knew at once that the Queen had been there again. Quickly they
searched, and soon enough they found the glittering poisonous
comb which was still fastened in the girl's black hair. But at
the very moment that they pulled it out, the poison lost its
power and Snow White opened her eyes and sat up, as well as ever
before.

When she told the seven dwarfs what had happened, they looked
very solemn and said, "You can see, Snow White, it was not an old
woman who came, but the wicked Queen in disguise. So please, dear
child, beware! Buy nothing from anyone and let no one, no one at
all, into the house while we're gone!"

And Snow White promised.

*          *          *          *          *

By this time the Queen had reached her home and there she stood
in front of her mirror and said:

   "Mirror, Mirror, on the wall,
   Who's the fairest one of all?"

and the mirror answered as before:

   "Thou art very fair, Oh Queen,
   But the fairest ever seen
   Dwells within the wooded glen
   With the seven little men."

When she heard this, the Queen trembled with rage and
disappointment. "I must, I _will_ be the fairest in the
land!" she cried, and away she went to a lonely secret chamber
where no one ever came. There, by means of her wicked witchery,
she fashioned an apple. A very beautiful apple it was, so waxy
white and rosy red that it made one's mouth water to look at it.
But it was far from being as good as it looked, for it was so
artfully made that half of it--the rosiest half--was full of
poison.

When the Queen had finished this apple she put it into a basket
with some ordinary apples, and disguised herself as a
peasant-wife. She crossed the seven hills to the home of the
seven dwarfs and knocked at the door as before.

Snow White peeped out of the window and said, "I am not allowed
to let anyone in, nor to buy anything either--the seven dwarfs
have forbidden it."

"Suits me," said the peasant-wife, "I can easily sell my fine
apples elsewhere. Here, I'll give you one for nothing."

"No," said Snow White, "I'm not allowed to take anything from
strangers."

"Are you afraid? Of poison, perhaps?" said the woman. "See, I'll
cut the apple in two and I myself will eat half of it to show you
how harmless it is. Here, you can have the nice rosy half, I'll
take the white part."

By this time Snow White's mouth was fairly watering for the
luscious-looking fruit, and when the woman took a big bite out of
the white half and smacked her lips, the poor girl could bear it
no longer. She stretched her little hand out through the window,
took the rosy half of the apple and bit into it. Immediately she
sank to the floor and knew no more.

With a glance of glee and a laugh over-loud, the Queen cried,
"Now, you! White as snow, red as blood and black as
ebony--_now_ let the dwarfs revive you!"

She could scarcely wait to get home to her mirror and say:

   "Mirror, Mirror, on the wall,
   Who's the fairest one of all?"

and to her joy it said:

   "Oh Queen, thou art the fairest in the land!"

Now there was peace at last in the heart of the Queen--that is,
as much peace as can ever be found in a heart full of envy and
hate.

*          *          *          *          *

After the wicked Queen had gone away, the sun sank down behind
the seventh hill and the dwarfs came trudging home from work.
When they reached their little home, no light gleamed from its
windows, no smoke streamed from its chimney. Inside all was dark
and silent--no lamps were lit and no supper was on the table.
Snow White lay on the floor and no breath came from her lips.

At this sight the seven little dwarfs were filled with woe, for
well they knew that this was once more the work of the wicked
Queen.

"We must save her!" they cried, and hurried here and there. They
lit their seven lights, then took Snow White and laid her on the
bed. They searched for something poisonous but found nothing.
They loosened her bodice, combed her hair and washed her face
with water and wine, but nothing helped: the poor child did not
move, did not speak, did not open her eyes.

"Alas!" cried the dwarfs. "We have done all we could, and now
Snow White is lost to us forever!"

Gravely they shook their heads, sadly they stroked their beards,
and then they all began to cry. They cried for three whole days
and when at last they dried their tears, there lay Snow White,
still motionless to be sure, but so fresh and rosy that she
seemed to be blooming with health.

"She is as beautiful as ever," said the dwarfs to each other,
"and although we cannot wake her, we must watch her well and keep
her safe from harm."

So they made a beautiful crystal casket for Snow White to lie in.
It was transparent all over so that she could be seen from every
side. On its lid they wrote in golden letters:

   SNOW WHITE--A PRINCESS

and when it was all finished they laid Snow White inside and
carried it to one of the seven hilltops. There they placed it
among the trees and flowers, and the birds of the wood came and
mourned for her, first an owl, then a raven, and last of all a
little dove.

Now only six little dwarfs went to dig in the hills every day,
for each in his turn stayed behind to watch over Snow White so
that she was never alone.

Weeks and months and years passed by, and all this time Snow
White lay in her crystal casket and did not move or open her
eyes. She seemed to be in a deep deep sleep, her face as fair as
a happy dream, her cheeks as rosy as ever. The flowers grew gaily
about her, the clouds flew blithely above. Birds perched on the
crystal casket and trilled and sang, the woodland beasts grew
tame and came to gaze in wonder.

Some one else came too and gazed in wonder--not a bird or a
rabbit or a deer, but a young Prince who had lost his way while
wandering among the seven hills. When he saw the motionless
maiden, so beautiful and rosy red, he looked and looked and
looked. Then he went to the dwarfs and said, "Please let me take
this crystal casket home with me and I will give you all the gold
you may ask for."

But the dwarfs shook their heads and said, "We would not give it
up for all the riches in the world."

At this the Prince looked troubled and his eyes filled with
tears.

"If you won't take gold," he said, "then please give her to me
out of the goodness of your golden hearts. I know not why, but my
heart is drawn toward this beautiful Princess. If you will let me
take her home with me, I will guard and honor her as my greatest
treasure."

When they heard this, the kind little dwarfs took pity on the
Prince and made him a present of Snow White in her beautiful
casket.

The Prince thanked them joyfully and called for his servants.
Gently they placed the crystal casket on their shoulders, slowly
they walked away. But in spite of all their care, one of the
servants made a false step and stumbled over a gnarly root. This
joggled the casket, and the jolt shook the piece of poisoned
apple right out of Snow White's throat. And lo! she woke up at
last and was as well as ever. Then all by herself she opened the
lid, sat up, and looked about her in astonishment.

The Prince rushed up and lifted her out of the casket. He told
her all that had happened and begged her to be his bride. Snow
White consented with sparkling eyes, so they rode away to the
Prince's home where they prepared for a gay and gala wedding.

*          *          *          *          *

But while this was going on in the Prince's castle, something
else was happening in that other castle where lived the wicked
Queen. She had been invited to a mysterious wedding, so she
dressed herself in her festive best and stood in front of her
mirror and said:

   "Mirror, Mirror, on the wall,
   Who's the fairest one of all?"

and the mirror answered:

   "Thou art very fair, Oh Queen,
   But the fairest ever seen
   Is Snow White, alive and well,
   Standing 'neath a wedding bell."

When she heard this, the Queen realized that it was Snow White's
wedding to which she had been invited. She turned purple with
rage, but still she couldn't stay away. It would have been better
for her if she had, for when she arrived she was given a pair of
red hot shoes with which she had to dance out her wicked life.
But as to all the rest--the Prince and his Princess Snow White,
and the seven little dwarfs--they all lived happily ever after.

THE END

[End of _Snow White_ by Wanda Gg]