The boy was called Haensel and the girl Grethel. He had
little to bite and to break, and once, when great scarcity fell on the
land, he could no longer procure daily bread. Now when he thought over
this by night in his bed, and tossed about in his anxiety, he groaned
and said to his wife, "What is to become of us? How are we to feed
our poor children when we no longer have anything even for ourselves?"
"I'll tell you what, husband," answered the woman, "early tomorrow
morning we will take the children out into the forest to where it is
the thickest, and there we will light a fire for them, and give each
of them one piece of bread more; then we will go to our work and leave
them alone. They will not find the way home again, and we shall be
rid of them." "No, wife," said the man, "I will not do that; how can I
bear to leave my children alone in the forest? The wild animals would
soon come and tear them to pieces." "O, thou fool!" said she, "then we
must all four die of hunger and thou mayest as well plane the planks
for our coffins;" and she left him no peace until he consented. "But I
feel very sorry for the poor children, all the same," said the man.
[Illustration: HAeNSEL AND GRETHEL Ludwig Richter]
The two children had also not been able to sleep for hunger, and had
heard what their step-mother had said to their father. Grethel wept
bitter tears, and said to Haensel, "Now all is over with us.
Pages:
231
232
233
234
235
236
237
238
239
240
241
242
243
244
245
246
247
248
249
250
251
252
253
254
255