The Wolf and 7

The wolf and the seven young kids
There was once an old goat who had seven little ones, white, all seemed right, and they opened the door. And
and was as fond of them as ever mother was of her when he was inside they saw it was the wolf, and they
children. One day she had to go into the wood to fetch were terrified and tried to hide themselves. One ran
food for them, so she called them all round her. "Dear under the table, the second got into the bed, the third
children," said she, "I am going out into the wood; and into the oven, the fourth in the kitchen, the fifth in the
while I am gone, be on your guard against the wolf, for cupboard, the sixth under the sink, the seventh in the
if he were once to get inside he would eat you up, skin, clock-case. But the wolf found them all, and gave
bones, and all. The wretch often disguises himself, but them short shrift; one after the other he swallowed
he may always be known by his hoarse voice and down, all but the youngest, who was hid in the
black paws." - "Dear mother," answered the kids, "you clock-case. And so the wolf, having got what he
need not be afraid, we will take good care of wanted, strolled forth into the green meadows, and
ourselves." And the mother bleated good-bye, and laying himself down under a tree, he fell asleep.
went on her way with an easy mind. Not long after, the mother goat came back from the
It was not long before some one came knocking at the wood; and, oh! what a sight met her eyes! the door was
house-door, and crying out: "Open the door, my dear standing wide open, table, chairs, and stools, all
children, your mother is come back, and has brought thrown about, dishes broken, quilt and pillows torn off
each of you something." But the little kids knew it was the bed. She sought her children, they were nowhere to
the wolf by the hoarse voice. "We will not open the be found. She called to each of them by name, but
door," cried they; "you are not our mother, she has a nobody answered, until she came to the name of the
delicate and sweet voice, and your voice is hoarse; you youngest. "Here I am, mother," a little voice cried,
must be the wolf." Then off went the wolf to a shop "here, in the clock case." And so she helped him out,
and bought a big lump of chalk, and ate it up to make and heard how the wolf had come, and eaten all the
his voice soft. And then he came back, knocked at the rest. And you may think how she cried for the loss of
house-door, and cried: "Open the door, my dear her dear children.
children, your mother is here, and has brought each of At last in her grief she wandered out of doors, and the
you something." But the wolf had put up his black youngest kid with her; and when they came into the
paws against the window, and the kids seeing this, meadow, there they saw the wolf lying under a tree,
cried out, "We will not open the door; our mother has and snoring so that the branches shook. The mother
no black paws like you; you must be the wolf." The goat looked at him carefully on all sides and she
wolf then ran to a baker. "Baker," said he, "I am hurt noticed how something inside his body was moving
in the foot; pray spread some dough over the place." and struggling. Dear me! thought she, can it be that my
And when the baker had plastered his feet, he ran to poor children that he devoured for his evening meal
the miller. "Miller," said he, "strew me some white are still alive? And she sent the little kid back to the
meal over my paws." But the miller refused, thinking house for a pair of shears, and needle, and thread.
the wolf must be meaning harm to some one. "If you Then she cut the wolf's body open, and no sooner had
don't do it," cried the wolf, "I'll eat you up!" And the she made one snip than out came the head of one of
miller was afraid and did as he was told. And that just the kids, and then another snip, and then one after the
shows what men are. other the six little kids all jumped out alive and well,
And now came the rogue the third time to the door and for in his greediness the rogue had swallowed them
knocked. "Open, children!" cried he. "Your dear down whole. How delightful this was! so they
mother has come home, and brought you each comforted their dear mother and hopped about like
something from the wood." - "First show us your tailors at a wedding. "Now fetch some good hard
paws," said the kids, "so that we may know if you are stones," said the mother, "and we will fill his body
really our mother or not." And he put up his paws with them, as he lies asleep." And so they fetched
against the window, and when they saw that they were some in all haste, and put them inside him, and the
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mother sewed him up so quickly again that he was
none the wiser.
When the wolf at last awoke, and got up, the stones
inside him made him feel very thirsty, and as he was
going to the brook to drink, they struck and rattled one
against another. And so he cried out:
"What is this I feel inside me

Knocking hard against my bones?
How should such a thing betide me!
They were kids, and now they're stones."
So he came to the brook, and stooped to drink, but the

heavy stones weighed him down, so he fell over into
the water and was drowned. And when the seven little
kids saw it they came up running. "The wolf is dead,
the wolf is dead!" they cried, and taking hands, they
danced with their mother all about the place.
***
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The Wolf and 7

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The wolf and the seven young kids

"What is this I feel inside me

So he came to the brook, and stooped to drink, but the

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