d seven little kids, and
she loved them with all the love of a mother for her children. One day
she wanted to go into the forest and fetch some food. So she called
all seven to her and said, "Dear children, I have to go into the
forest; be on your guard against the wolf; if he comes in, he will
devour you all--skin, hair, and everything. The wretch often disguises
himself, but you will know him at once by his rough voice and his
black feet." The kids said, "Dear mother, we will take good care of
ourselves; you may go away without any anxiety." Then the old one
bleated and went on her way with an easy mind.

It was not long before some one knocked at the house door, and cried,
"Open the door, dear children; your mother is here, and has brought
something back with her for each of you." But the little kids knew
that it was the wolf, by the rough voice. "We will not open the door,"
cried they; "thou art not our mother. She has a soft, pleasant voice,
but thy voice is rough; thou art the wolf!" Then the wolf went away to
a shopkeeper and bought himself a great lump of chalk, ate this, and
made his voice soft with it. Then he came back, knocked at the door
of the house, and cried, "Open the door, dear children; your mother is
here and has brought something back with her for each of you." But the
wolf had laid his black paws against the window, and the children saw
them and cried, "We will not open the door; our mother has not black
feet like thee; thou art the wolf!" Then the wolf ran to a baker and
said, "I have hurt my feet, rub some dough over them for me." And when
the baker had rubbed his feet over, he ran to the miller and said,
"Strew some white meal over my feet for me." The miller thought to
himself, "The wolf wants to deceive some one," and refused; but the
wolf said, "If thou wilt not do it, I will devour thee." Then the
miller was afraid, and made his paws white for him. Truly men are like
that.

So now the wretch went for the third time to the house door, knocked
at it, and said, "Open the door for me, children; your dear little
mother has come home, and has brought every one of you something back
from the forest with her." The little kids cried, "First show us thy
paws that we may know if thou art our dear little mother." Then he put
his paws in through the window, and when the kids saw that they were
white, they believed that all he said was true, and opened the door.
But who should come in but the wolf! They