There was once a poor widow who lived in a little cottage wiht her two children, Snow-White and Rose-Red. They were so named because they were like the flower on the two rosebushes which grew in front of the cottage. These two childrean were as good as any children in the world. They loved each other dearly, and agreed that they would never separeat. Often the children would run deep into the forest to gather berries. The hare would eat out of their hands, the fawn would graze at their side. In the evenings, teh mother would say, "Go, Snow-White and bolt the door." Then the three of them would sit down before the hearth, and mother would read out of a book, while her children sat spinning. By their side lay a little lamb. and on a perch behind them a little white dove resested with her head under a wing. One evening, when teh snowflackes were falling, there was a knock at the door. Rose-Red drew the bolt and a great bear poked his head in! Rose-Red ran back, the little lamb bleated, the dove fluttered on her perch, and Snow-White hid behind her mother. The bear began to speak. "Do not be afraid. I will do you no harm. May I come in and warm myself?" "Poor bear!" cried the mother. "Come inand lie down before the fire." Then she said to Snow-White and Rose-Red, "Come her, my daughters. The bear will not harm you." Soon the lamb and dove, too overcame their fears and welcome the visitor. "Children," said the bear."please clean the snow off my coat." Snow-White and Rose-Red swept teh snow off with their brooms. Then the bear stretchted himself before the fire. The children played with the clumsy animal. They pulled his long shaggy hair. They set their feet upon his back and rolled him to and fro. Teh bear bore all their tricks good-naturedly, and if they hit too hard hw called out. "Leave me my life, you children, Snow-White and Rose-Red, Or you will never wed." When bedtime came and the children had gone to sleep, the mother said to the bear. "You may sleep here on the hearth if you like." In the morning, the bear trotted away over the snow, but in the evenings he returend at a certain hour. He would lie down on the heart and allow the children to play with him. But one morning, when spring had returned and all was green again, the bear told Snow-White that he must leave and could not return the whole summer. Snow-White was sad to see the bear leave. As he passed through the door, his hairy coat caught on the bolt. Snow-White thought seh saw the glittering of gold under the coat The bear ran off ans was soon hidden behinde the trees. Some time later the mother sent the children into the wookds to gather sticks. They came to a tree laying across the path. And there was a dwarf, with a wrinkled face and a snow-white beard! The end of his beard was caught in a split of the tree, and the little man was trying to free himself. He glared oat the children. "Are you going to pass by without offering to help me?" "What have you done, little man?" asked Rose-Red. "I wanted to split the tree to get some wood for my fireplace and my beard got caught." The children tried and tried to free the dwarf, but without success. Finally, Snow-White pulled her scissors from a pocket and cut off hte end of the beard. As soon as the dwarf was freed, he snatched up his sack. The children saw that it was filled with gold! He threw it over his shoulder and marched off, grumbling, "Stupied people, to cut off a piece of my beautiful beard!" Some time aftward Snow-White and Rose-Red went fishing. As they came near the pond, they saw the same dwarf hopping about on the bank. "What are you doing?" asked Rose-Red. "You will fall into the water." "I am not quite such a simpleton as that," replied the dwarf. "Don't you see that my beard is caught in my fishing line and this fish is pulling me in." Snow-White and Rose-Red tried to untangle the dwarf's beard, but they could not. So Snow-White pulled out her scissors again and cut off another piece of the little man's beard. The dwarf cried in great rage, "It was not enough t shorten my fine beard once, but yiou must now take away the best part of it!" With these unkind words the dwarf took a bag of precious stones, and slipped away to his cave. Not many days after this adventure, the children happened to pass teh place where teh dwarf had shakend out his bag of precious stones, thinking nobody was near. The bright stones glittered so that Snow-White and Rose-Red stopped to admire them. The dwarf suddenly appeared. "Why do you stand there gapping?" he raged. Suddenly there was a loud, roaring nosie and a great bear came running out of the forest. The dwarf jumped up, but he could not reach his cave before the bear overtook him. "Spare me, my dear prince bear!" the dwarf cried out in fear. "I will give yiou all my treasures. What have youi to fear from a little man like me? There are two wicked girls, take them instead." But the bear gave the dwarf a single blow with his paw. The bad-hearted dwarf did not move again. The children were running away and the bear called after them, "Snow-White! Rose-Red! Do not be afraid! Wait, and I will go with you." The children recognized the bear's voice and stopped. To their great surprise, his rough coat fell off and there stood a tall man, dressed entirely in gold. "I am a king's son," he said. "bewitched by that wicked dwarf, who stole all my treasures, to wander in the forest in the form of a bear until his death released me." In time, Snow-White was married to the prince, and Rose-Red to his brother. Together they shared the large treasure which the dwarf had collected. The mother also lived happliy for many years with her two children. The rosebushes by the cottage were replanted in front of the palace. Every year they brought forth beautiful red and white roses in honor of Snow-White and Rose-Red
