MemGPT/example_short_stories · Datasets at Hugging Face

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already perished in this manner, when the king's son arrived, and
blinded by her great beauty, was willing to stake his life for
it. Then he went to her and laid his riddle before her. What
is this, said he. One slew none, and yet slew twelve. She
did not know what that was. She thought and thought, but she
could not solve it. She opened her riddle-books, but it was
not in them - in short, her wisdom was at an end. As she
did not know how to help herself, she ordered her maid to
creep into the lord's sleeping-chamber, and listen to his
dreams, and thought that he would perhaps speak in his sleep
and reveal the riddle. But the clever servant had placed
himself in the bed instead of his master, and when the maid
came there, he tore off from her the mantle in which she had
wrapped herself, and chased her out with rods. The second night
the king's daughter sent her maid-in-waiting, who was to see
if she could succeed better in listening, but the servant
took her mantle also away from her, and hunted her out with
rods. Now the master believed himself safe for the third
night, and lay down in his own bed. Then came the princess
herself, and she had put on a misty-grey mantle, and she
seated herself near him. And when she thought that he was
asleep and dreaming, she spoke to him, and hoped that he
would answer in his sleep, as many do, but he was awake, and
understood and heard everything quite well. Then she asked,
one slew none, what is that. He replied, a raven, which
ate of a dead and poisoned horse, and died of it. She
inquired further, and yet slew twelve, what is that. He
answered, that means twelve murderers, who ate the raven and died
of it.
When she knew the answer to the riddle she wanted to steal
away, but he held her mantle so fast that she was forced to
leave it behind her. Next morning, the king's daughter
announced that she had guessed the riddle, and sent for the
twelve judges and expounded it before them. But the youth
begged for a hearing, and said, she stole into my room in the
night and questioned me, otherwise she could not have
discovered it. The judges said, bring us a proof of this.
Then were the three mantles brought thither by the servant,
and when the judges saw the misty-grey one which the king's
daughter usually wore, they said, let the mantle be
embroidered with gold and silver, and then it will be your
wedding-mantle.
There was once a widow who had two daughters - one of
whom was pretty and industrious, whilst the other was ugly
and idle. But she was much fonder of the ugly and idle one,
because she was her own daughter. And the other, who was a
step-daughter, was obliged to do all the work, and be the
cinderella of the house. Every day the poor girl had to sit by a
well, in the highway, and spin and spin till her fingers bled.
Now it happened that one day the shuttle was marked with her
blood, so she dipped it in the well, to wash the mark off, but it
dropped out of her hand and fell to the bottom. She began to
weep, and ran to her step-mother and told her of the mishap. But
she scolded her sharply, and was so merciless as to say, since
you have let the shuttle fall in, you must fetch it out again.
So the girl went back to the well, and did not know what to do.
And in the sorrow of her heart she jumped into the well to get the
shuttle. She lost her senses. And when she awoke and came to
herself again, she was in a lovely meadow where the sun was
shining and many thousands of flowers were growing. Across this
meadow she went, and at last came to a baker's oven full of bread,
and the bread cried out, oh, take me out. Take me out. Or I shall
burn. I have been baked a long time. So she went up to it, and
took out all the loaves one after another with the bread-shovel.
After that she went on till she came to a tree covered with apples,
which called out to her, oh, shake me. Shake me. We apples are
all ripe. So she shook the tree till the apples fell like rain,
and went on shaking till they were all down, and when she had
gathered them into a heap, she went on her way.
At last she came to a little house, out of which an old woman
peeped. But she had such large teeth that the girl was
frightened, and was about to run away. But the old woman called
out to her, what are you afraid of, dear child. Stay with me.
If you will do all the work in the house properly, you shall be
the better for it. Only you must take care to make my bed well,
and shake it thoroughly till the feathers fly - for then there
is snow on the earth. I am mother holle.
As the old woman spoke so kindly to her, the girl took courage
and agreed to enter her service. She attended to everything to the
satisfaction of her mistress, and always shook her bed so vigorously
that the feathers flew about like snow-flakes. So she had a
pleasant life with her. Never an angry word. And to eat she had
boiled or roast meat every day.
She stayed some time with mother holle, before she became sad.
At first she did not know what was the matter with her, but found
at length that it was home-sickness. Although she was many thousand
times better off here than at home, still she had a longing to be
there. At last she said to the old woman, I have a longing for
home, and however well off I am down here, I cannot stay any
longer. I must go up again to my own people. Mother holle said,
I am pleased that you long for your home again, and as you have
served me so truly, I myself will take you up again. Thereupon
she took her by the hand, and led her to a large door. The door
was opened, and just as the maiden was standing beneath the
doorway, a heavy shower of golden rain fell, and all the gold clung
to her, so that she was completely covered over with it.
You shall have that because you have been so industrious, said
mother holle, and at the same time she gave her back the shuttle
which she had let fall into the well. Thereupon the door closed,
and the maiden found herself up above upon the earth, not far

already perished in this manner, when the king's son arrived, and

blinded by her great beauty, was willing to stake his life for

it. Then he went to her and laid his riddle before her. What

is this, said he. One slew none, and yet slew twelve. She

did not know what that was. She thought and thought, but she

could not solve it. She opened her riddle-books, but it was

not in them - in short, her wisdom was at an end. As she

did not know how to help herself, she ordered her maid to

creep into the lord's sleeping-chamber, and listen to his

dreams, and thought that he would perhaps speak in his sleep

and reveal the riddle. But the clever servant had placed

himself in the bed instead of his master, and when the maid

came there, he tore off from her the mantle in which she had

wrapped herself, and chased her out with rods. The second night

the king's daughter sent her maid-in-waiting, who was to see

if she could succeed better in listening, but the servant

took her mantle also away from her, and hunted her out with

rods. Now the master believed himself safe for the third

night, and lay down in his own bed. Then came the princess

herself, and she had put on a misty-grey mantle, and she

seated herself near him. And when she thought that he was

asleep and dreaming, she spoke to him, and hoped that he

would answer in his sleep, as many do, but he was awake, and

understood and heard everything quite well. Then she asked,

one slew none, what is that. He replied, a raven, which

ate of a dead and poisoned horse, and died of it. She

inquired further, and yet slew twelve, what is that. He

answered, that means twelve murderers, who ate the raven and died

of it.

When she knew the answer to the riddle she wanted to steal

away, but he held her mantle so fast that she was forced to

leave it behind her. Next morning, the king's daughter

announced that she had guessed the riddle, and sent for the

twelve judges and expounded it before them. But the youth

begged for a hearing, and said, she stole into my room in the

night and questioned me, otherwise she could not have

discovered it. The judges said, bring us a proof of this.

Then were the three mantles brought thither by the servant,

and when the judges saw the misty-grey one which the king's

daughter usually wore, they said, let the mantle be

embroidered with gold and silver, and then it will be your

wedding-mantle.

There was once a widow who had two daughters - one of

whom was pretty and industrious, whilst the other was ugly

and idle. But she was much fonder of the ugly and idle one,

because she was her own daughter. And the other, who was a

step-daughter, was obliged to do all the work, and be the

cinderella of the house. Every day the poor girl had to sit by a

well, in the highway, and spin and spin till her fingers bled.

Now it happened that one day the shuttle was marked with her

blood, so she dipped it in the well, to wash the mark off, but it

dropped out of her hand and fell to the bottom. She began to

weep, and ran to her step-mother and told her of the mishap. But

she scolded her sharply, and was so merciless as to say, since

you have let the shuttle fall in, you must fetch it out again.

So the girl went back to the well, and did not know what to do.

And in the sorrow of her heart she jumped into the well to get the

shuttle. She lost her senses. And when she awoke and came to

herself again, she was in a lovely meadow where the sun was

shining and many thousands of flowers were growing. Across this

meadow she went, and at last came to a baker's oven full of bread,

and the bread cried out, oh, take me out. Take me out. Or I shall

burn. I have been baked a long time. So she went up to it, and

took out all the loaves one after another with the bread-shovel.

After that she went on till she came to a tree covered with apples,

which called out to her, oh, shake me. Shake me. We apples are

all ripe. So she shook the tree till the apples fell like rain,

and went on shaking till they were all down, and when she had

gathered them into a heap, she went on her way.

At last she came to a little house, out of which an old woman

peeped. But she had such large teeth that the girl was

frightened, and was about to run away. But the old woman called

out to her, what are you afraid of, dear child. Stay with me.

If you will do all the work in the house properly, you shall be

the better for it. Only you must take care to make my bed well,

and shake it thoroughly till the feathers fly - for then there

is snow on the earth. I am mother holle.

As the old woman spoke so kindly to her, the girl took courage

and agreed to enter her service. She attended to everything to the

satisfaction of her mistress, and always shook her bed so vigorously

that the feathers flew about like snow-flakes. So she had a

pleasant life with her. Never an angry word. And to eat she had

boiled or roast meat every day.

She stayed some time with mother holle, before she became sad.

At first she did not know what was the matter with her, but found

at length that it was home-sickness. Although she was many thousand

times better off here than at home, still she had a longing to be

there. At last she said to the old woman, I have a longing for

home, and however well off I am down here, I cannot stay any

longer. I must go up again to my own people. Mother holle said,

I am pleased that you long for your home again, and as you have

served me so truly, I myself will take you up again. Thereupon

she took her by the hand, and led her to a large door. The door

was opened, and just as the maiden was standing beneath the

doorway, a heavy shower of golden rain fell, and all the gold clung

to her, so that she was completely covered over with it.

You shall have that because you have been so industrious, said

mother holle, and at the same time she gave her back the shuttle

which she had let fall into the well. Thereupon the door closed,

and the maiden found herself up above upon the earth, not far