Little red riding hood

Little red riding hood

And when she said, 'Good morning,' there was no answer. Then she went up to the bed and drew back the curtains; there lay the grandmother with her cap pulled over her eyes, so that she looked very odd.

'O grandmother, what large ears you have!' 'The better to hear with.'

'O grandmother, what great eyes you have!' 'The better to see with.'

'O grandmother, what large hands you have!' 'The better to take hold of you with.'

'But, grandmother, what a terrible large mouth you have!' 'The better to devour you!' And he at her in one bite.

Then the wolf, having satisfied his hunger, lay down again in the bed, went to sleep, and began to snore loudly. The huntsman heard him as he was passing by the house, and thought, 'How the old woman snores- I had better see if there is anything the matter with her.'

Then he went into the room, and walked up to the bed, and saw the wolf lying there. 'At last I find you, you old sinner!' said he; 'I have been looking for you a long time.'

And he made up his mind that the wolf had swallowed the grandmother whole, and that she might yet be saved. So he did not fire, but took a pair of shears and began to slit up the wolfs body. When he made a few snips Little Red Riding Hood appeared, and after a few more snips she jumped out and cried, 'Oh dear, how frightened I have been! It is so dark inside the wolf.' And then out came the old grandmother, still living and breathing.

But Little Red Riding Hood went and quickly fetched some large stones, with which she filled the wolf's body, so that when he waked up, and was going to rush away, the stones were so heavy that he sank down and fell

dead

They were all three very pleased. The huntsman took off the wolf's skin, and carried it home. The grandmother ate the cakes, and drank the wine, and held up her head again, and Little Red Riding Hood said to herself that she would never more stray about in the wood alone, but would mind what her mother told her.

It must also be related how a few days afterwards, when Little Red Riding Hood was again taking cakes to her grandmother, another wolf spoke to her, and wanted to tempt her to leave the path; but she was on her guard, and went straight on her way, and told her grandmother how that the wolf had met her, and wished her good day, but had looked so wicked about the eyes that she thought if it had not been on the high road he would have devoured her.

'Come,' said the grandmother, 'we will shut the door, so that he may not get in.'

Soon after came the wolf knocking at the door, and calling out, 'Open the door, grandmother, I am Little Red Riding Hood, bringing you cakes.' But they remained still, and did not open the door. After that the wolf slunk by the house, and got at last upon the roof to wait until Little Red Riding Hood should return home in the evening; then he meant to spring down upon her, and devour her in the darkness. But the grandmother discovered his plot. Now there stood before the house a great stone trough, and the grandmother said to the child, 'Little Red Riding Hood, I was boiling sausages yesterday, so take the bucket, and carry away the water they were boiled in, and pour it into the trough.'

And Little Red Riding Hood did so until the great trough was quite full. When the smell of the sausages reached the nose of the wolf he snuffed it up, and looked round, and stretched out his neck so far that he lost his balance and began to slip, and he slipped down off the roof straight into the great trough, and was drowned. Then Little Red Riding Hood went cheerfully home, and came to no harm.