THE MAGIC MIRROR.

Otago Witness, Issue 1901, 17 July 1890, Page 39

THE MAGIC MIRROR.

A FAIRY TALE. Oonclwltd.)

After the wioked Queen had proved, as she thonght, that Snowwhite was dead t she stepped up to her Mirror and aßked : • t Mirror, Mirror, on the wall, Who Is most beautiful of all ? " To her vexation the Mirror replied : Fair Queen, at home there Is none like thee. But over the mountains is Snowwbite free, With Beven little dwarfs who are strange to Bee, She ia a thousand times fairer than thee I

The Queen was furious when she heard thia, for Bhe knew tha Mirror was truthful. After a time ehe decided what to do. First Bhe painted her faoe and whitened her hair ; then Bhe dresßed herself in old women's clothes, and was so -disguised that no one could reoognise her. Soon she left the castle. When she reached the door of the dwarf's house she knocked and oried, " Beautiful goods to sell." Snowwbite when she heard thiß peeped out and said, " Good day, old lady. What have you in your basket for me to buy?" " Everything that io pretty," she replied. She unbolted the door and toldher tooome in. Presently she said, "Ohild, come here. I will show you how to lace your stays," But no sooner had she put the lace in the holes than she began to pull bo hard that Snowwhite could not breathe, so she fell down at her feet as if dead. " Now you are beautiful, indeed," said the disguised Queen, and fanoying she heard footBtepa she rushed away as quickly as she could. Not long after the dwarfs oame home, and they were very frightened to see dear little Snowwhite lying on the ground as if Bhe were dead. They lifted her up and saw what had been done. Jhey undid her stays, and at last she began to breathe a little, and in a short time she was all right again. When she told them what had happened they said it was no other than hex wioked stepmother, "Snowwhite," they said, ''you must never again let anyone in when we are away." Tha wioked Queen, when she returned home, after, as she thought, killing Snowwhite, went to the Mirror and asked : Mirror, Mirror, on the wall, Am I nob mosb beautiful of all? Then answered the Mirror : Queen, thou art not the fairest now. bnowwhite over the mountain'! brow, A thouiand times fairer is she than thou.

When she heard this she was terrified. " I must think of something else," she Baid to herself, "to get rid of that child." So she went to the dwrffts' house and cried, " Goods to sell, fine goods to sell." When Snowwhite heard her she looked out of the window and said, "Go away, go away. I must not let you in." "Look" at this, then," said the Queen, and she held np a oomb which she had poisoned before the child's eyee, Peor Snowwhite' could not refuse buod a present, so she opened the door and let her in. After she had bought a few of the woman'B things the woman Baid, •' Let me try thia oomb on your hair." So Snowwbite, thinking no wrong, let her j drena her hairj but as soon as the comb touched the roots of her hair she fell down to the ground apparently lifeless, The Qaeen felt sure that she waß dead, and went home to her mirror and asked : * *- Mirror, Mirror on the wall, Am I not most beautiful of all ? Bnt the Mirror replied : Queen, thou art the fairest here, ' j Bub not when Bnowwhite is near; Over the mountain still is she, j Fairer a thousand times than thee.

As the Looking-glass thus replied, the Queen trembled with rage. " Snowwhite shall die," cried she, "if it coßts me my own )ife." So ehe went into her chamber and poisoned a beautiful apple. Whoever ate a small piece would die. As soon as the apple was ready the wicked Queen disguised herself aB a farmer's wife and went to the dwarfs' cottage. When she knocked at the door, Snowwbite Btretched her head out of the window and said, "I dare not let you in. The seven dwarfß have forbidden me." "But I am all right," said the Queen. Stay, I will show you my apples. Are they not beautiful ? Let me make you a present of "No, thank you," cried Snowwhite, "I dare not take it." tt , „ " What !" cried the woman, " are you afraid that it is poisoned 1 Look here now, I will cut the apple in halves. You will have the rosy cheek side, and I will eat the other. She had put the poison in the side Bhe gave to Snowwhite. So Snowwhite took the apple, but no Booner bad she taken one bite than Bhe fell on the ground dead. Then the Queen laughed, and said, " White as imow, red as Wood, and black as ebony ; this time the dwarfs will not be able to wake thee. As soon as she got home she went to the Mirror, and asked who was the most beautiful in the land. It replied : * Fair Queen there Is none Iv all the land

As beautiful as thee l The little dwarfß, when they came in, were very much frightened when they found Snowwhite was realty dead. They said they could not lay this beautiful child in the dark, cold earth ; so they agreed to have a coffin made entirely of glasß that they might watoh for any afgnß of deoay, and they wrote in letters of gold her name on the lid, and that Bhe was the daughter of a king. The coffin was placed on the Bide of the mountain, and eaoh of them watched it by turns, and the birds came and mourned for Snowwhite— first the owl, then the robin, and at last the dove. Snowwhite lay for « long, lone time, but showed not the least signs of decay. It seemed as if she Blept, for her skin was Bnowwhite, her cheeks rosy red, and her hair black as ebony. It happened one day that the son of a king oame by chance upon the dwarfs' house, and aaked for a night's lodging. As he left he saw the coffin lying there, and read the words on it. Then he Baid to the dwarf : . " Let me have it as a gift, and I will give you whatever you aßk," but the elder dwarf •' We would not give it theo for all the gold in the land." But at last they had to let it go to the Prince. Then the Prinoe called his servants to take away the coffin. Now it happened that one of them made a false Btep and shook the coffin, and the bit of apple fell from Snotwhite's mouth, and in a little while she opened her eyes, lifted up the ooffia hd, and ah* cried full of joy. The King's son approaohed and said, • .Ucar Snowwhite, you are safe ; yea are with me. 1 love yon better than all the world. You must come to my father's castle to be my wife." QThe marriage was Boon afterwards celebrated with great pomp.

Now it happened that the stepmother was invited to the wedding feast. Before she left her house she stood in her dress before the glass to admire herself, and she could not help saying i Mirror, Mirror on the wall Am I not most beautiful of all ? Then to her surprise it replied : Fair Queen, thou art the fairest here, But at the palace now The bride will prove a thousand times More beautiful than thou. Then the wicked woman uttered a curse and was dreadfully alarmed. Her rage and terror were bo great that her slippers felt like iron bands full of fire in which she waa obliged to dance, and so she continued to dance till she fell dead on the floor— a sad example of envy and jealoußy.