Oldal 235 [235]
THE ALMOND TREE. 187
month had passed she called to her husband, and said, weep¬
i
by “Tf I die, bury me under the almond tree."
Then she was comforted and happy until the ninth month
had passed, and then she bore a child as white as snow and as
red as blood, and when she saw it her joy was so great that
she died.
Her husband buried her under the almond tree, and he
wept sore ; time passed, and he became less sad; and after
he had grieved a little more he left off, and then he took
another wife.
His second wife bore him a daughter, and his first wife’s
child was a son, as red as blood and as white as snow. When¬
ever the wife looked at her daughter she felt great love for her,
but whenever she looked at the little boy, evil thoughts came
into her heart, of how she could get all her husband’s money
for her daughter, and how the boy stood in the way; and so
she took great hatred to him, and drove him from one corner
to another, and gave him a buffet here and a cuff there, so
that the poor child was always in disgrace; when he came
back after school hours there was no peace for him.
Once, when the wife went into the room upstairs, her little
daughter followed her, and said,
“ Mother, give me an apple.”
“Ves, my child,” said the mother, and gave her a fine
apple out of the chest, and the chest had a great heavy lid
with a strong iron lock.
“ Mother,” said the little girl, " shall not my brother have
one too ? ”
That was what the mother expected, and she said,
“Yes, when he comes back from school.”
And when she saw from the window that he was coming,
an evil thought crossed her mind, and she snatched the apple,
and took it from her little daughter, saying,
“You shall not have it before your brother.”
Then she threw the apple into the chest, and shut to the
lid. Then the little boy came in at the door, and she said to
him in a kind tone, but with evil looks,
* My son, will you have an apple?”