stung hard and asked: "Little maids are you warm?" "Go to the devil and rot, cursed one!" Then the maids were benumbed. In the morning the old woman said to her husband: "Harness up, put hay and warm coverings in the sleigh for the girls will be cold. There is a strong wind outside! Be quick old fool!" The old man hardly allowed himself time for breakfast and went forth. When he came to his little daughters they were dead. He put them in the sleigh, wrapped them up in the rugs, laid the hay over them and turned homeward. The old woman saw him coming from a distance, and went out to meet him: "Where are the children?" "In the sleigh." The old woman put the hay aside, took off the rugs, and found the children dead. Then she set upon the old man like a tempest and abused him. "What have you done with my daughters? You old hound! My own, my sweet buds, my rosy berries! I will beat you with the broom stick, I will beat you with the poker!" "Be quiet old witch. You tried to get riches but your daughters were obstinate. I am not guilty, you did it yourself!" The old woman was angry and kept on wrangling, but later reconciled herself with the stepdaughter and so lived a good and considerate life and no longer thought evil. A neighbor came and wooed and married Marfuschka. Things went well with her. The old man took the grandchildren under his care, frightened them with the Frost and bid them be willing and diligent.
"Desert Fairy Tale."—An old man lived with his wife. He had one daughter and she had one. His wife said to him: "Take your daughter away,"—and he took her in the dark forest. In the forest there stood a cottage and then he said to his daughter: "Sit here and wait while I go for a while and chop wood." He left, fastened a small board on a birch before the cottage, and went home.
The maid waited and waited for her father and the wind played with the little board. " My little father is chopping wood," thought she and went on waiting. But the day grew into evening. The sun set but her father did not come back. Night came on and the maid was still waiting. Between the trees there was extended, with some noise, a horse's head.
