THE MAGIC MIRROR.

Otago Witness, Issue 1901, 10 July 1890, Page 39

THE MAGIC MIRROR.

A FAIRY TALE. Dear Dot.— ThU is the Btory I promised the Uttle folks.— Youra truly, B. L. Pbarck. South Dunedin, June 38. One day in the middle of winter a Queen eat at her window knitting. Her knitting needle was of black ebony, and as she worked, and the snow glittered, she pricked her finger, and three drops of blood fell into the snow. The red spots looked so beautiful in the white snow that the Queen thought to herself, "Oh 1 if I only had a little child I should like it to be as fair as snow, as rosy as the blood, and with hair and eyes an black as ebony," Very soon after this the Queen had a little daughter just as she had said, bo they gave her the name of Snowwhite. At the birth of the little child the Queen died. When Snowwhite was one-year-old the King took another wife. She was very handsome, but was proud and vain. She possessed a wonderful Mirror, and when she stood before it to look at herself Bhe would say : Mirror, Mirror on the wall, Am I not most beautiful of all ? Then the Mirror would reply : Young Queen thou art so wondrous fair, None can witk thee at all compare. Then she would go away quite contented, for she knew that the Magio Mirror could only speak the truth. Years went by, and as Snowwhite grew up she grew more beautiful till she reached the age of seven, when the people began to talk of her, and say she would be more lovely than the Queen, so the proud woman went to the Mirror and asked : Mirror, Mirror on the wall, Am I not most beautiful of all ? But the Mirror answered : Queen, thou art lovely still to «cc, But Snowwhite will be A thousand times prettier than thee. The Queen was terrified, and turned green and yellow with jealousy. If she had caught Snowwhite at that moment she would have been ready to tear her heart out of her body, Bhe hated the maiden so fiercely. At last she beoame so jealous that she could not sleep night or day, and she sent for a hunter and said, " Hunter, I want you to get rid of that child. Take her out in the woods, and if you bring me some proofs that Bhe is dead I will reward you handsomely. Never let her appear before my eyes again." The hunter entioed the child into the woods, but when he took out his knife to thruat into Snowwhite's innocent heart she fell on her knees and wept, and said: " Ah, dear hunter, leave me my life, I will run away into the wild woods and never, never come home again." " Bun away, then, poor child," he oried, " 1 cannot harm thee."

Snowwhite thanked him sweetly, and was out of sight in a few moments. To satisfy the Queen he took part of the inside of a young fawn, which the wicked woman thought was poor little Snowwhite, and was overjoyed to think she was dead, But the poor child, when she found herself alone in the woods was dreadfully frightened and knew not what to do. She ran on as long as she could, till her little feet became quite sore, and towards evening she saw a pretty little bouse, bo ehe went up to it and found the door open and no one at heme. In the middle of the room waß a little table all ready for supper. On it were arranged seven little plates, seven little spoons, seven little knives and forks, and seven mugs ; by the wall stood seven little beds near eaoh one, oovered with a white quilt. Poor Snowwhite was very hungry, and thirsty, and she ate a few vegetables and a little bread from eaoh plate, and drank a little wine out of eaoh cup. After this she felt very tired, so she thought she would lie down and rest on one of the beds. So she lay down, and was soon fast asleep. When it was dark the masters of the house came home. First they lighted seven little lamps. Then said the first : " Who has been sitting in my little chair 1 " The second exclaimed : " Who has been eating from my little plate?" The third cried: "Who has taken a bit of my bread?" Who has been eating my vegetables ?" said the fourth. Then said the fifrh : " Some one has used my fork." The sixth oried "Who has been cutting with my knife ? " and, " Some one has been drinking out of my little cup," said the seventh. Then the eldest looked at his bed, and seeing that it looked tumbled, he oried out that some one had been upon it. The others came running forward and found all their beds in the same condition, but when the seventh approached his bed, and saw Snowwhite lying there fast asleep, he called the others, who came quickly, and holding their lights over their heads, oried out as they saw the sleeping child: "Oh, what a beautiful little child!" They let her sleep as long as she liked in the little bed. In the morning when Snowwhite awoke, and saw all the dwarfs, she was terribly frightened, but they spoke kindly to her till she lost all fear, and they asked her name.

"I am called Snowwhite," she replied. "But how came you here?" they aßked. Then she related all that had happened. When they went out next morning they told not to let anyone in the house.

do be continued.)