Tales and Legends from the Land of the Tzar/The Little Brown Cow
THE LITTLE BROWN COW.
In a certain kingdom lived and reigned a king and queen who had an only daughter, the beautiful young Princess Marie. Now it so happened that the queen died and the king married again. His second wife had three daughters, who were very remarkable to look upon; the eldest of them had only one eye, the second two, and the third and youngest of them had—three.
The step-mother, of course, took a violent dislike to the young Princess Marie. She hated her for her beauty, and tried all she could to spoil her good-looks and make her less attractive. She clothed her in the oldest dresses she could find, and gave her as little as she could to eat, in order to starve her. She would send the young princess into the fields dressed like a maid-of-all-work, and tell her to look after a favourite little brown cow; but she would never give her anything to take with her to eat, except a piece of dry bread. However, the princess did not mind all this. When she went into the green fields to look after the little cow, she would get in at the animals right ear and out at its left. As soon as she had done this, her shabby clothes would change into rich and beautiful garments, and she would find plenty to eat and drink provided; then she would walk about after the little brown cow, richly attired; but as soon as the day drew to an end, she would jump in at the little cow's left ear and out at its right, and return home to the palace dressed in her usual shabby clothes, bringing the piece of dry bread back to her step-mother.
"I wonder how she manages to have enough?" thought the steprmother to herself.
At last the step-mother could stand it no longer. She was very curious to know how Princess Marie contrived to get through the day without eating the piece of dry bread she had given her. So she called her eldest daughter, with the one eye, and said,—
"Go into the fields with Princess Marie, and see what she does with herself to keep off hunger?"
The two girls went together into the green fields, and sat down on the grass. "Go to sleep, my dear sister," said Princess Marie, "and I will sing you a song."
So the one-eyed maiden made herself as comfortable as she possibly could upon the grass, while Princess Marie murmured to herself,—
"Don't look, little eye; but go to sleep!" And then she commenced singing until her sister fell fast asleep. Princess Marie then arose, and climbing into the little cow's right ear and out at the left was clad in the beautiful garments again. After having plenty to eat and drink, she walked about after the little brown cow. When evening came, Princess Marie got in at the animal's left ear and out at its right, and was once more in her shabby clothes. She went up to her sleeping sister and woke her.
"Get up, sister mine," she said; "it is time to return home!"
"Dear me!" exclaimed the sister in alarm; "I have been fast asleep all the time, and have seen nothing. Shan't I catch it, when I get back to my mother."
She did. When she came home her mother said, "What did Princess Marie eat and drink?"
"I do not know; I saw nothing."
The mother flew into a dreadful rage; but on the following morning she sent her second daughter, Two-Eyes, into the fields, saying,—
"Go with Princess Marie, and watch her. See what it is she eats and drinks?"
Away went the two girls into the green fields to look after the little brown cow.
"Sit down on the grass, dear sister mine," said Princess Marie, "and let me sing you to sleep."
Two-Eyes lay down upon the grass, while the beautiful princess whispered to herself: "Don't watch, little eyes, but both go to sleep! Sleep away, sleep away, sister mine!" Then the princess began to sing, and her sister fell asleep till the evening, having seen nothing all the time, so that she also came in for a severe scolding on her return home.
Next morning the step-mother sent her youngest daughter, Three-Eyes, after Princess Marie, saying: "Go, my dear, and find out what Princess Marie eats and drinks."
When the maidens came to the green fields, Princess Marie said: "Sit down on the green grass, my sister, and let us have a chat!"
The girls sat down, and Princess Marie said to herself: "Close, little eyes, and both go to sleep!" But she forgot all about the third eye; so two of the eyes went to sleep, while the third was wide-awake and saw Princess Marie run up to the little brown cow and climb in at its right ear, and come out of its left, beautifully dressed, and then set to work to eat and drink all kinds of good things, after which she walked about and looked after the little brown cow, until the evening, when she came up to her supposed sleeping sister and woke her, saying,—
"Get up, dear sister, for it is time to go home!"
When they returned to the palace, Princess Marie gave the piece of dry bread back to her step-mother, and left the room.
"Well," asked the wicked queen of her three-eyed daughter, "did you see what Princess Marie ate and drank?" Three-Eyes at once told her mother everything that she had seen with her third eye. When the queen heard all, she at once sent for the cook, giving him the following order: "Go, man, and kill the little brown cow, and cut her into small pieces."
The cook obeyed; but as soon as Princess Marie heard what was going to be done to her pet animal, she ran into the fields and said to the cook: "If you must kill the little cow, give me at least her little heart."
This the cook did. The princess took it and planted it in the palace garden. In a very short time a bush grew in that very spot, covered with lovely sweet fruit, and a number of beautiful singing birds, which sang royal songs all day long, and sometimes even the songs of the peasants.
Now a certain young prince, by name Ivan, heard of this wonderful bush, and of the beautiful Princess Marie, who had planted it. So he went to the palace and saw the wicked queen, who at once asked him what he wanted.
The prince put a silver plate on the table, and said: "Whichever of the four damsels fills this plate full of the delicious fruit from the wonderful bush, shall be my wife." Now the cunning young prince well knew that no one but the fair Princess Marie could gather the fruit from that bush, for the singing birds would allow no one else to approach.
The queen sent her eldest daughter, One-Eye, to the bush to pluck the fruit; but the birds would not let her come near it, so she had to return without any, being afraid of losing her only eye! The step-mother then sent her two younger daughters; but they were just as unfortunate as their sister, the birds would not even let them have fruit of any kind.
There was nothing for it; the step-mother had at last to send Princess Marie for the fruit. The princess took the silver plate and went to the bush; she commenced gathering the delicious fruit, and all the little birds began helping her to fill up the plate. When it was quite full, she returned to the palace and gave it to the prince, who was delighted, and at once asked her to become his wife. Princess Marie made no objection, so the wedding feast was got ready, and everybody was happy, even the step-mother.
Prince Ivan, and his wife Princess Marie, lived in peace and plenty all their lives.