Once upon a time there was a little princess who had skin as white as snow, lips and cheeks as red as blood, and hair as black as ebony. Her name was Snow White. As she grew up she. became prettier and prettier every day until her stepmother, the queen, became very jealous. At last the wicked stepmother could endure her presence no longer, and she ordered a huntsman to take poor Snow White into the forest and kill her. Because she was so young and pretty the huntsman had pity on the child and told her to run into the forest and hide.

SCENE I. Snow White ran as far as her legs would carry her, stumbling over sharp rocks and through bramble bushes. At last toward evening, she came to a little house, and she stepped inside to rest.

SCENE II. Everything was very small in the little house, but as clean and pretty as could be. By the fireplace a little table was set with seven little plates and seven little mugs, and opposite were seven neat little beds. The exhausted girl threw herself across three of the beds and fell fast asleep. When night came, the masters of the house returned home. They were seven dwarfs who worked daily in gold mines deep down in the heart of the mountain. "Good gracious, what a lovely child," cried the astonished dwarfs. "How did she ever get here?" They gathered closely to look at her, but were very quiet so she would not waken. In the morning Snow White was very frightened when she woke and saw the seven dwarfs. They questioned her so kindly she soon gained confidence, and told them her sad story. "It you will cook and sew and wash for us," said the dwarfs, "you may stay here, and we will always take care of you."

SCENE III. Snow White consented. She lived happily with the dwarfs, preparing their meals and keeping their little house clean. Every morning she stood at the doorway and waved them goodbye as they departed for the mines. But they warned her, "Be careful. Your stepmother may discover that you are here, and may try to harm you." Now the stepmother, who was really a witch, did learn that Snow White lived with the seven dwarfs. She was very angry, and determined to kill her. Disguising herself as an old woman, the wicked queen prepared a poisoned apple, and went over the seven hills to the house of the seven dwarfs.

SCENE IV. Snow White, being rather lonely through the day, thought, "There can be no harm in this poor old woman." Inviting her to come in, she gratefully accepted the delicious looking apple that the witch offered her. But with the first bite. Snow White fell down as if dead.

SCENE V. The night when the seven dwarfs arrived home they found Snow White lying on the floor, and she neither breathed nor stirred. They wept bitterly, for they loved her dearly. For three days they watched over her, and still she looked as lovely as ever—skin as white as snow, cheeks and lips as red as blood, and hair as black as ebony.

SCENE VI. "We cannot hide her in the dark ground," said the dy arts. So they laid her in a coffin of glass and placed it on the mountain top. Every day they came to watch over her.

SCENE VII. One day a prince riding by on his handsome white horse saw the lovely girl in the glass coffin and heard her sad tale from the dwarfs. He fell in love with Snow White and persuaded the dwarfs to allow him to take her to his palace, where he would always cherish her. But when he moved the glass coffin, he jolted it so violently that the piece of apple Snow White had swallowed fell out of her throat. She sat up alive and well. There was much rejoicing, and the dwarfs danced for happiness as Snow White consented to go to the palace and be the bride of the prince.