New Waggings of Old Tales Author:John Kendrick Bangs Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: History records precisely, and the little lass avers, That her father was their father, but their mother was n't hers. Jealousy the seeds Hatred sowe... more »d in Cinderella's home; When her sisters brushed her hair they never failed to yank the comb. Cinderella's beauty brought her bitter blossomings of Hate, And her goings were restricted by the kitchen and the gate. She was slave to their siestas when the dinner hour was o'er; She must wash the china dishes, she must scrub the kitchen floor; She must shovel coal, and Monday do the washing in the morn; She must wear a constant smile that shall but sharpen up their scorn; She must sleep up in the garret, say her prayers a prey to rats, And avoid a chance of comfort on a bedstead minus slats. They would call her naughty names and do their best to make her say Something wrong to give their mother's muscle exercise that day. But her feelings, lignum-vitse, though they suffered, she controlled, And the silver of their soeeches she returned with silence, gold. Now it chanced a handsome Prince had sent some invitations out For a german, which excited all the neighborhood about. To this ball the hateful sisters of dear Cinderella went, Happy in their miser hearts, and in her pain and discontent. And they taunted her when going, saying, " Don't you wish that you Were a lady like your sisters, and with them were going too ? " " Mock me not," quoth Cinderella; " life has other joys for me. I shall keep myself from mischief darning stockings after tea." Scarcely had their figures vanished ere beside the chim-- ney-breast Came the sound as of a breathless and a much- belated guest; And a voice of strange falsetto smote the unoffending air; And...« less