Snow White again cut off the end of his beard to free him and again he snatched his bag—­this time of pearls, lying among the rushes—­and fled.  One day, on going to town to buy thread, needles, laces, and ribbons, they met the Dwarf a third time.  This time an eagle had caught him and was about to carry him off.  The Children, with compassion, held on and freed him; but again he scolded, seized his bag of precious stones, and slipped away to his cave.  On their return from town, the Children again met the Dwarf, in the wood, counting his treasure.  Again he was very angry, but just then the Bear arrived out of the forest and demanded the life of the Dwarf.  The Dwarf offered up in his stead, Snow White and Rose Red.  But the Bear, faithful to his old comrades, slew the Dwarf, and then becoming a beautiful Prince, went home with the Sisters.  Snow White married the Prince and Rose Red his Brother, and they all lived with their Mother happily in the beautiful palace.

When the Bear slew the Dwarf spring returned to the land.  The Dwarf with his snow-white beard seems to typify winter.  Each time the Dwarf’s beard was cut the beard of winter became shorter, another winter month was gone, and there remained a shorter season.  The bag of gold which the Dwarf first took might signify the golden fruit of autumn, and the pearls and diamonds which he next took, the ice and snow of winter.  The Dwarf’s beard became entangled in the fishing-line when the icy winds of winter began to give the pond its frozen coat; and then the animals of the wood were compelled to seek a refuge.  When the Bear came out of the wood to meet the Dwarf and slew him, the time for the departure of winter was at hand, and spring returned to the land.

This fairy tale evidently shows a good, interesting plot, with something happening all the time.  The climax is very distinctly marked, everything leads up to the meeting of the Bear and the Dwarf in the forest.  The characters present interesting variety and strong contrasts.  The setting is unusually beautiful:  the cottage, the wood, the lake, the town, the hillside, the palace, and the two symbolic rose-trees.  The tale appeals to the emotions of love, kindness, compassion, and gratitude.  It presents to the imagination distinct episodes:  the home-life of the Children in the cottage, their life in the wood, their adventure with the Bear, their three adventures with the Dwarf, and the meeting of the Bear and the Dwarf.  The conclusion follows closely upon the climax,—­the Bear, grateful to the kind Children, saved their lives and re-transformed, became a Prince.  The happy marriage brings the tale to a close, with the palace home guarded by the two rose-trees.  The message of the tale is the possible beauty of woman’s love and character, and the loveliness of spring and of summer.

A Modern Tale[18]

The Elephant’s Child