Once, when I was a little girl, I read a story in the Childrens Friend about a beautiful girl who learns what true beauty is. This story changed my life. It helped me get through the difficult years of childhood and adolescence when I felt like I was the ugly duckling trying to live in a world of beautiful swans. I wish I could give credit to the author of this story, but I don't even know the real title. I sure am thankful for it, though. It made all the difference in the world to me.
The Most Beautiful Girl
Once upon a time there was a beautiful girl who lived in a lovely house with her mother and father. Everyone thought she was the most beautiful girl in the world. She wore gorgeous dresses made from silk and lace that floated around her and made her look lovely. She wore long white gloves that covered her hands and her arms and kept her delicate skin smooth and soft and white. She wore wonderful hats that shaded her face whenever she went outside and kept her skin smooth and fair.
This beautiful girl also had long, silky hair that shown like gold. Every night her servants brushed it 100 times to keep it shiny and smooth. In every way this girl was the most beautiful girl in the world, but best of all was the way her eyes sparkled every time she smiled, which was the loveliest thing about her because she smiled all the time, and her smile was like sunshine that made everyone feel happy and good!
One day a prince rode through the girl's village. She happened to be walking down the street with her mother, and as the prince passed she looked up and smiled at him. Immediately the prince lost his heart to the beautiful girl, and he made up his mind that he would marry her when he grew up.
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.
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.
Just as the prince approached the place where the beautiful girl stood, one of the little girls she took care of stumbled and fell. The little girl scraped her knee on a rock and began to cry. The beautiful girl knelt and wrapped her arms around the crying child. She kissed the little girl's knee and dried her tears, then picked her up and held her in her arms, kissing her hair and whispering in her ear. The little girl looked up into her smiling face and the beautiful girl smiled down with twinkling eyes just as the prince rode past. He saw the sparkling smile, and immediately knew this was the girl he was looking for. He didn’t even notice the cap covering her hair, the simple servant dress she was wearing, or her rough, tanned skin. All he saw was her beautiful smile.
Quickly the prince slid off the back of his horse and pushed his way through the crowd until he was standing right in front of the beautiful girl. He reached out and caught one of her hands, pressed it to his lips, then fell down on one knee and cried, "Beautiful lady, will you marry me? You are the most beautiful girl in the world, and I have loved you since I was a boy!"
The girl looked at him in amazement. "But I’m not beautiful," she whispered. "I don’t have beautiful clothes, or hair, or skin. I’m just a poor servant girl. You can’t be in love with me."
The prince stood up and gazed into the girls eyes. "You are the most beautiful girl in the world," he said. "I fell in love with you when I was a little boy, and the second I saw your smile I recognized you. I know you are as beautiful inside as you are outside, and you will make me a perfect queen. Please say you will marry me."
So the beautiful girl went back to the palace with the prince and became his wife, and they lived happily ever after, because she was as beautiful inside as out, and she made him the happiest man alive.
Quickly the prince slid off the back of his horse and pushed his way through the crowd until he was standing right in front of the beautiful girl. He reached out and caught one of her hands, pressed it to his lips, then fell down on one knee and cried, "Beautiful lady, will you marry me? You are the most beautiful girl in the world, and I have loved you since I was a boy!"
The girl looked at him in amazement. "But I’m not beautiful," she whispered. "I don’t have beautiful clothes, or hair, or skin. I’m just a poor servant girl. You can’t be in love with me."
The prince stood up and gazed into the girls eyes. "You are the most beautiful girl in the world," he said. "I fell in love with you when I was a little boy, and the second I saw your smile I recognized you. I know you are as beautiful inside as you are outside, and you will make me a perfect queen. Please say you will marry me."
So the beautiful girl went back to the palace with the prince and became his wife, and they lived happily ever after, because she was as beautiful inside as out, and she made him the happiest man alive.
The End
