continued from yesterday.....
Life was wonderful for the beautiful young girl, until a terrible thing happened. One day both of her parents died. Suddenly there was no one to care for or buy her lovely clothes or hats or gloves, and no servants to brush her hair or help her stay clean and lovely.
Eventually the beautiful young girl had to find a job as a servant for another family, taking care of their little girls. She could no longer were gloves to cover her hands and keep her skin soft and white. Soon they turned tan and brown and rough from washing the children’s clothes and playing with them outside. She didn't have any lovely hats to wear so her face grew tan and her skin wasn’t smooth and soft anymore. Instead of lovely silk and lace gowns she wore simple servant dresses, and she kept her hair twisted into a tight knot covered with a servant’s cap. No one brushed it for her any more, but every night she brushed the little girl’s hair one hundred times, and while she brushed she would tell them happy stories and sing songs, and they loved her very much.
It looked like everything about the beautiful girl had changed, except her smile. It was still the same, because inside she really hadn’t changed at all. She was still sweet and kind, and beautiful!
Years passed, and eventually the prince was old enough to take a bride. He had never forgotten the beautiful girl he saw in the village, so he decided to find the girl and ask her to be his wife. When the people in the village heard the prince was coming all the ladies were very excited. They quickly got fancied up in their prettiest dresses and went to watch for the prince.
The little girls who the beautiful girl took care of wanted her to go see the prince, too. They were sure the prince would fall in love if he saw her because they knew she was the most beautiful girl in the world. But the beautiful girl didn’t want to go. She thought she was no longer beautiful. She knew that her skin wasn’t smooth and soft and white, her hair wasn’t long and lovely, and her clothes weren’t gorgeous anymore. In fact, she was sure that if the prince saw her he wouldn’t think she was beautiful at all. But the little girls begged and pleaded, and the beautiful girl didn’t want to make them sad, so at last she told them she would take them to see the prince, although she planned to stand at the back of the crowd where the prince wouldn’t be able to see her.
So they went and stood with all the other lovely ladies along the side of the road and waited for the prince. Finally he came, riding his horse slowly down the street. Carefully he looked at each woman, searching for the beautiful girl who had won his heart. The beautiful girl stood way at the back of the crowd, watching over the little girls she took care of. The prince looked and looked, and he saw many lovely ladies. He saw fancy dresses and hats and gloves. He saw silky smooth hair and skin, but he didn’t see the beautiful girl he loved.
to be continued, one more time.........
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