And the birch rustled its leaves , and said : ' I have served you longer than I can say , and you never tied a bit of twine even round my branches ; and the dear children bound them up with their brightest ribbons . ' So the witch saw there was no help to be got from her old servants , and that the best thing she could do was to mount on her broom and set off in pursuit of the children . And as the children ran they heard the sound of the broom sweeping the ground close behind them , so instantly they threw the handkerchief down over their shoulder , and in a moment a deep , broad river flowed behind them . When the witch came up to it , it took her a long time before she found a place which she could ford over on her broom-stick ; but at last she got across , and continued the chase faster than before . And as the children ran they heard a sound , and the little sister put her ear to the ground , and heard the broom sweeping the earth close behind them ; so , quick as thought , she threw the comb down on the ground , and in an instant , as the cat had said , a dense forest sprung up , in which the roots and branches were so closely intertwined , that it was impossible to force a way through it . So when the witch came up to it on her broom she found that there was nothing for it but to turn round and go back to her hut . But the twins ran straight on till they reached their own home . Then they told their father all that they had suffered , and he was so angry with their step-mother that he drove her out of the house , and never let her return ; but he and the children lived happily together ; and he took care of them himself , and never let a stranger come near them . THE HAZEL-NUT CHILD -LRB- 29 -RRB- -LRB- 29 -RRB- From the Bukowniaer . Van Wliolocki . There was once upon a time a couple who had no children , and they prayed Heaven every day to send them a child , though it were no bigger than a hazel-nut . At last Heaven heard their prayer and sent them a child exactly the size of a hazel-nut , and it never grew an inch . The parents were very devoted to the little creature , and nursed and tended it carefully . Their tiny son too was as clever as he could be , and so sharp and sensible that all the neighbours marvelled over the wise things he said and did . When the Hazel-nut child was fifteen years old , and was sitting one day in an egg-shell on the table beside his mother , she turned to him and said , ` You are now fifteen years old , and nothing can be done with you . What do you intend to be ? ' ' A messenger , ' answered the Hazel-nut child . Then his mother burst out laughing and said , ` What an idea ! You a messenger ! Why , your little feet would take an hour to go the distance an ordinary person could do in a minute ! '
But the XXXXX child replied , ` Nevertheless I mean to be a messenger !
Bukowniaer Hazel-nut Wliolocki broom-stick day egg-shell hour minute old step-mother