Atondido Stories
"Oh, dear Golden Antlers, wherever you are In valley or mountain
or pasture afar, Come quick! Don't delay! The wicked wood maidens
are dragging away Your little Smolicheck! Come quick! Don't delay!"
This time by good luck the deer was not far away. When he
heard Smolicheck's cry, he bounded up, drove the little wood
maidens off, and carried Smolicheck home on his antlers.
When they got home he put Smolicheck across his knee and
gave him something—you know what!—to make him remember
not to disobey next time. Smolicheck cried and he said he never,
never, never would open the door again no matter how sweetly
the wood maidens begged.
For some days no one came to the door. Then again one af-
ternoon there was a knocking and sweet voices called out:
"Smolicheck, Smolicheck, please open the door Just a wee little
crack of two fingers—no more! We'll reach in our cold little hands to
get warm, Then leave without doing you the least bit of harm! So open,
Smolicheck, please open the door!"
But Smolicheck pretended he didn't hear. Then when the
little wood maidens began to shake and to shiver and to cry with
the cold and to beg him to open the door just a little crack so that
they could warm their hands, he said to them:
"No, I won't open the door, not even a teeny weeny crack, be-
cause if I do you'll push in as you did before and catch me and
drag me off!"
The wicked little wood maidens said:
"Oh no, Smolicheck, we wouldn't do that! We'd never think
of such a thing! And besides, if we did take you with us, you'd
have a much better time with us than you have here, shut up in a
little house all alone, while Golden Antlers is off having a good
time by himself. We'd give you pretty toys and we'd play with
you and you'd be very happy."
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