There was once an old man and an old woman. The old woman had a daughter by the old man's master, and the old man had a daughter by the old man's wife.
But the old woman was angry with her husband's daughter. She didn't like him at all. They got to the point where he drove her away to go and serve. The old man said:
- Well, if you don't like my daughter, then bake her a cake baked in ashes, and let her go where she pleases.
Off she went, and went and went for a while. Once she reached a pear tree. The pear tree said to her:
- Where are you going, little girl?
- I'm going to serve.
- Little girl, come and clean me from the dry branches. If you cleanse me, you'll get good for your good deed.
The little girl went there, cleaned the pear tree and went on her way. She reached a bush of grapes. The vine also said to her:
- Where are you going, little girl?
- I'm going on duty.
Then the vine also told him:
- Come, cleanse me from the dry sticks, cut me down, and hoe me, and when you turn back, you shall see that you shall receive good for your good deed.
The little girl cut it up, got it and went on her way.
He walked and walked until he reached a furnace. That furnace was all crumbled up, it was so bad.
He told her:
- Come here, little girl, scrub me, and see that when you turn back, you will be rewarded for your good deed.
Then the little girl scrubbed the ground, scrubbed it and went on her way. She reached a spring, a well, a little well. But that well was untidy, neglected. The well, the well says to him:
- Where are you going, little girl?
- I'm going on a long journey of service.
- Come here, clean me up, and see that when you return home, you'll get something for your good deed.
Then the girl cleaned it up, washed the stale water out of it, and went on her way. She went, she went, and as she went she met a puppy. The dog said to her:
- Where are you going, little girl?
- I'm going to serve.
- Come, save me, and kill me, and when thou turnest again, thou shalt receive for thy good deed.
Then the little girl trimmed it, saved it up. The dog thanked him, and the little girl went on her way. She walked and walked, and at last she came to a nice house. There were fairies living in it. They asked her what was in the way. She told them she was going to look for a servant. One of them says to her:
- Stay here with us. Here are seven rooms. Take six, but don't go in the seventh.
The little girl stayed and served there for a year. She listened to the old woman and did everything she was told. When the year was over, she said to the old woman:
- Now I want to go home to show my father and mother what I have served.
Then the old woman says:
- Now come with me, you've listened to me and now you're going to get what's coming to you.
Then the old woman went into the seventh room. There was a pile of silver coins and a pile of gold coins. The old woman says to the girl:
- Now roll in this silver coin, what sticks to you is yours.
When the little girl stood up, she said again:
- Now, roll me in the gold.
Then the little girl rolled her eyes, and stood up and said goodbye. She came back down the road, and reached the dog. The dog was dancing so beautifully, so happy when he came to her, and said:
- Now, little girl, come to me, and take from me what you like and love. For your good deed I'll return it now!
The dog was full of pearls, and the little girl took as many as she needed and put them on herself.
He went on. When he got to the well, it was so beautiful, it was full of beauty, cups and jugs of water to drink with. And the little girl took a dip, had a drink, and was at rest. And then she rose and went home. When she came to the oven, there were buns and cakes baking. Says the furnace:
- Come here, eat as much as you like, because you'll get a return for your good deed.
He ate and he brought. And as he was coming home, he came to the vineyard.
Well, there were such beautiful grapes, wine in glasses, you could eat all you wanted. It was just right for the béles.
He continued on his way home, and came to the pear tree. It was very hot when he got there, and the pear tree said to him:
- Come here, little girl, I've been waiting for you for a long time. Pears are worth it. Take and eat as much as you like, and take home as much as you need.
Even as he was approaching home, the rooster saw him coming. He stood on top of the gate and spoke:
- Kukuriku-gangu, here comes my auntie with silver and gold in a run.
When he came nearer, the girl heard him, and began to run to please her father. The cock crowed again:
- Kukuriku-gangu, here comes my auntie running with gold and silver.
But the old woman shouted:
- Shut up, you!
The rooster cried again:
- Kukuriku-gangu, here comes my auntie running with gold and silver.
When the little girl went through the gate, the old woman said:
- You have had enough, but now my daughter is going, and she will bring much more than you have brought!
Then the woman baked him a cake in ashes, put it in her bag, and his daughter went away. In a moment she came to the pear tree. The pear tree says:
- Come here, little girl, clean me from the dry twigs, I'll give you something for your good deed!
Then the girl says to him:
- I'll not lace my trinket feet and my dinner-cloth hands, come what may! - And he went on.
He reached the vineyard. The vine bush also told her to go and chop it, for she would get good for doing good; but the girl told her that she would not prick the feet of her trinket, or the hands of her dinner-cloth, if anything should happen.
Then he went on, and reached the furnace. The furnace said to him:
- Come hither, little maid, till the earth, and scrub me, for thou shalt get good for thy good deed.
But the girl said that she would not dip her trinket's little feet, her dinner-cloth hands in the mud, if anything should happen.
Then he went on, reached the well, and the well said:
- Come here, my little girl, dip this stale water, for you will get a good return for your good deed.
But the girl said to him:
- I don't get my trinket feet, my dinner hands dirty, whatever happens.
Then he went on. He reached the dog. The dog tells him:
- Come here, little girl, cut me down!
But the girl told him:
- I won't put my dinner-cloth hands, my trinket-cloth feet on you, I won't get it dirty, whatever it is.
Then he went on, and he too reached the great castle, and went in to sleep there. They asked him where he was going. The girl said she was going on a long journey, on duty. Then the old woman before her told her to stay with them, for there was already a Maiden there, and she was very well-behaved, and very well-off.
He stayed there, and the old woman said to him:
- Here are these six rooms, sweep them out, but don't go into the seventh.
The girl went through the six rooms, and did not go into the seventh for a while, but once she did go in. The year was not half over when she entered. Then she saw what was in there: snakes and frogs, and they had bruised her so that she was all bloody. And when he came out, he went to the mistress, and said that she would serve him no longer. He was not paid, for he would not obey, and went on his way home.
As he came, he met the dog on the way. He went up to him to ask for the beads, but the dog said:
- You didn't want to clean up, now you're stuck with your trinket feet and your dinner-cloth hands! You can go on your way!
He came with great sadness, and came to the well. He was very thirsty and wanted to take a jug to drink. But the pitcher moved away from him, and the well said:
- Go away from here, because your hands and your feet were sorry. You'll get nothing!
Then he reached the furnace. There the béles and scones were already baking.
When he reached to the mouth of the furnace to buy, his hands were baking, he couldn't buy. Says the furnace:
- Go away from here, you don't deserve to eat good food, because you were sorry to get your trinket feet and your dinner-cloth hands dirty.
Then he went on. He reached the vineyard, there were grapes, there was wine, all he had to do was eat and drink. He went to tear a clove and buy a glass of wine. Then the bush pushed his hand away and said to him:
- Go away, because you didn't want to cut me, and you didn't want to get me. Now you don't deserve it.
He got to the pear tree, but even there he couldn't tear a pear. As he approached home, the rooster climbed to the top of the gate and started to crow:
- Kukuriku-gangu, here comes my auntie running in blood!
Then the mad woman went up and said:
- Not true, it comes with gold!
But the rooster started again:
- Kukuriku-gangu, here comes my auntie running in blood!
But again the old woman said:
- Not true, because it comes with gold!
For the third time the rooster said:
- Kukuriku-gangu, here comes my auntie running in blood!
When he told her, she entered the gate, and then her mother saw her.
- "No, it's not true, it's not true!" he shouted, but the old man said:
- You see, my daughter has served better than yours! - And then they quarreled, and the old woman and her daughter left the house. The old man and his daughter, if they are not dead, are still alive.
(Ágnes Kovács: Folk tales for kindergarten children)
