“I’ve neither brought thy golden ball
     Nor come to set thee free,
   But I have come to see thee hung
     Upon this gallows-tree.”

Then the hangman said, “I will stop no longer, thou’rt making game of me.  Thou must be hung at once.”

But now, at long last, she saw her sweetheart coming through the crowd, so she cried to him: 

  “Stop, stop, I see my sweetheart coming! 
   Sweetheart, hast thou brought my golden ball
      And come to set me free?”

Then her sweetheart held up her golden ball and cried: 

  “Aye, I have brought to thee thy golden ball
     And come to set thee free;
   I have not come to see thee hung
     Upon this gallows-tree.”

So he took her home, then and there, and they lived happy ever after.

THE TWO SISTERS

Once upon a time there were two sisters who were as like each other as two peas in a pod; but one was good, and the other was bad-tempered.  Now their father had no work, so the girls began to think of going to service.

“I will go first and see what I can make of it,” said the younger sister, ever so cheerfully, “then you, sis, can follow if I have good luck.”

So she packed up a bundle, said good-bye, and started to find a place; but no one in the town wanted a girl, and she went farther afield into the country.  And as she journeyed she came upon an oven in which a lot of loaves were baking.  Now as she passed, the loaves cried out with one voice: 

“Little girl!  Little girl!  Take us out!  Please take us out!  We have been baking for seven years, and no one has come to take us out.  Do take us out or we shall soon be burnt!”

Then, being a kind, obliging little girl, she stopped, put down her bundle, took out the bread, and went on her way saying: 

“You will be more comfortable now.”

After a time she came to a cow lowing beside an empty pail, and the cow said to her: 

“Little girl!  Little girl!  Milk me!  Please milk me!  Seven years have I been waiting, but no one has come to milk me!”

So the kind girl stopped, put down her bundle, milked the cow into the pail, and went on her way saying: 

“Now you will be more comfortable.”

By and by she came to an apple tree so laden with fruit that its branches were nigh to break, and the apple tree called to her: 

“Little girl!  Little girl!  Please shake my branches.  The fruit is so heavy I can’t stand straight!”

Then the kind girl stopped, put down her bundle, and shook the branches so that the apples fell off, and the tree could stand straight.  Then she went on her way saying: 

“You will be more comfortable now.”

So she journeyed on till she came to a house where an old witch-woman lived.  Now this witch-woman wanted a servant-maid, and promised good wages.  Therefore the girl agreed to stop with her and try how she liked service.  She had to sweep the floor, keep the house clean and tidy, the fire bright and cheery.  But there was one thing the witch-woman said she must never do; and that was look up the chimney!