HOUSEHOLD STORIES from The BROTHERS GRIMM

51 Tales translated to English by Lucy Crane & Illustrated by Walter Crane

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188                            GRIMM'S FAIRY TALES.
" Mother," said the boy, " how terrible you look ! yes, giv me an apple !"
Then she spoke as kindly as before, holding up the cove of the chest,
" Come here and take out one for yourself."
And as the boy was stooping over the open chest, crasl went the lid down, so that his head flew off among the ret apples. But then the woman felt great terror, and wondere< how she could escape the blame. And she went to the ches of drawers in her bedroom and took a white handkerchief ou of the nearest drawer, and fitting the head to the neck, sh bound them with the handkerchief, so that nothing should b< seen, and set him on a chair before the door with the appl< in his hand.
Then came little Marjory into the kitchen to her mother who was standing before the fire stirring a pot of hot water.
" Mother," said Marjory, " my brother is sitting before th< door and he has an apple in his hand, and looks very pale; '. asked him to give me the apple, but he did not answer me it seems very strange."
" Go again to him," said the mother, " and if he will no answer you, give him a box on the ear."
So Marjory went again and said,
" Brother, give me the apple."
But as he took no notice, she gave him a box on the ear and his head fell off, at which she was greatly terrified, anc began to cry and scream, and ran to her mother, and said,
"O mother! I have knocked my brother's head off!' and cried and screamed, and would not cease.
" O Marjory ! " said her mother, " what have you done i but keep quiet, that no one may see there is anything th( matter; it can't be helped now; we will put him out of th( way safely."
When the father came home and sat down to table, he said
" Where is my son ? "
But the mother was filling a great dish full of black broth and Marjory was crying bitterly, for she could not refrain. Then the father said again,
" Where is my son ? "