Once upon a time, there was a man whose wife died, leaving him with a daughter who was as good and beautiful as her mother had been. After a year had passed, the man married another woman who also had a daughter, but this girl was as ugly and wicked as her mother.

The stepmother and her daughter immediately began to hate the man’s daughter because she made them look even worse by comparison. They gave her the hardest work to do and made her life as miserable as they could.

One winter morning, when the snow lay thick and white upon the ground, the stepmother made a dress of paper and called the girl to her.

“Put on this dress,” she commanded, “and go into the forest to fetch me a basket of strawberries.”

“But mother,” the girl protested gently, “strawberries do not grow in winter, and the ground is covered with snow. Besides, this paper dress will not keep me warm.”

“How dare you argue with me!” snapped the stepmother. “Go at once, and do not come back without a basket full of strawberries. Here is a small piece of hard bread—that must last you the whole day.”

The poor girl put on the paper dress and went out into the cold with the little basket and the crust of bread. The snow stretched endlessly in all directions, and there was not a green blade of grass to be seen anywhere.

When she reached the forest, she saw a small cottage with three little men peeping out of the window. She wished them good morning and knocked politely on the door.

“Come in!” they called, and she entered the warm little room.

The three little men were sitting by the fire, each no taller than her hand, with long white beards and kind eyes that twinkled like stars. They wore little caps and coats, all neat and clean.

“Warm yourself by our fire,” said the first little man. “You must be frozen in that thin dress.”

“Thank you,” said the girl gratefully, sitting down by the hearth. “I am looking for strawberries, though I know it is winter.”

“Why are you searching for strawberries in the snow?” asked the second little man.

The girl told them her sad story—how her stepmother had sent her out in the paper dress to find strawberries, threatening not to let her return without them.

The three little men felt sorry for her. “Since you have spoken so politely and shared your trouble with us,” said the third little man, “will you share your bread with us as well?”

Though she was very hungry, the kind girl immediately broke her small crust of bread into four pieces and gave three to the little men, keeping only the smallest piece for herself.

The first little man whispered something to his companions, then said, “We have a gift for you. Behind our cottage, you will find strawberries growing under the snow.”

“But that’s impossible!” the girl exclaimed.

“Many things are possible when kindness is rewarded,” smiled the second little man. “Take this small broom and sweep away the snow. You will find what you seek.”

The girl thanked them warmly and went behind the cottage. To her amazement, when she brushed away the snow with the little broom, she found the ground covered with ripe, red strawberries, as beautiful as any that grow in summer. She quickly filled her basket and returned to thank the little men, but they had disappeared.

As she walked home, the three little men, invisible now, followed her and spoke among themselves.

“What shall we give her for being so polite and kind?” asked the first.

“I grant that she shall become more beautiful each day,” said the second.

“I grant that gold pieces shall fall from her mouth whenever she speaks,” said the third.

“And I grant that a king shall come and make her his wife,” added the first.

When the girl reached home, her stepmother scolded her for being gone so long. But when the girl opened her mouth to explain, golden coins fell out with every word.

“What is this?” cried the stepmother, her eyes gleaming with greed.

The girl told her story, and with each word, more gold pieces scattered on the floor. The stepmother quickly gathered them up, her heart filled with avarice.

“My own daughter must have the same good fortune,” she declared. The next morning, she dressed her own daughter in a fine fur coat and gave her buttered bread and cake.

“Go to the forest,” she commanded, “find those three little men, and be sure to get the same gifts as your stepsister.”

The stepmother’s daughter went grudgingly into the forest. When she found the little cottage, she rudely pushed open the door without knocking and sat down by the fire without greeting the little men.

“What do you want?” she demanded.

“We are pleased to see you,” said the first little man politely. “Will you share your fine food with us?”

“Share?” she scoffed. “I have barely enough for myself. Get your own food.”

When she had eaten every crumb of her bread and cake, the little men asked, “Will you sweep the snow from behind our house?”

“I will not!” she replied haughtily. “I am not your servant. Do it yourselves.”

Without another word, she stomped out of the cottage and searched behind it for strawberries. But there was nothing there except snow and frozen ground. Finding nothing, she returned home in a rage.

The three little men watched her go and spoke among themselves.

“What shall we give her for being so rude and selfish?” asked the first.

“I grant that she shall become uglier each day,” said the second.

“I grant that toads shall hop from her mouth whenever she speaks,” said the third.

“And I grant that she shall die a miserable death,” added the first.

When the rude daughter returned home and opened her mouth to complain, large, slimy toads hopped out instead of words. The family was horrified.

Meanwhile, the kind stepdaughter grew more beautiful each day, and whenever she spoke, gold pieces fell from her lips. Her beauty became renowned throughout the land.

One day, a young king was riding through the village when he saw her drawing water from the well. He was immediately struck by her beauty and grace, and when she spoke to him politely, golden coins fell from her mouth.

“Good maiden,” said the king, “will you come to my palace and be my queen?”

The kind girl, seeing that he was good and noble, agreed. They were married with great joy, and she lived happily as queen, beloved by all for her gentle nature and generous heart.

The stepmother, consumed with jealousy, decided to get rid of her stepdaughter forever. She and her ugly daughter followed the queen to a river where she often walked. When the queen was alone, they seized her and threw her into the rushing water.

Then the stepmother put her own daughter in the queen’s place, covering her head with a cloth so her ugliness would not be seen immediately.

When the king returned and saw the figure in his wife’s clothes, he was puzzled by the change but said nothing. That night, when the false queen opened her mouth, toads hopped out onto the royal bed. The king was horrified but still did not understand what had happened.

Meanwhile, the true queen, protected by the magic of the three little men, did not drown but was transformed into a white duck. Each night, she would swim to the palace kitchen and speak to the kitchen boy:

“Kitchen boy, what does my husband the king do? Does he sleep or does he wake? And what of my baby’s sake?”

The kitchen boy would answer that the king was asleep and the baby (for the queen had borne a son) was safe. Then the duck would transform briefly into the beautiful queen, nurse her child, and disappear again.

This happened for three nights. On the fourth night, the queen said to the kitchen boy, “Tell the king to take his sword and swing it three times over me on the threshold.”

The kitchen boy told the king, who came himself the next night. When the white duck appeared, he swung his sword three times over her as she crossed the threshold. Instantly, his true wife stood before him, more beautiful than ever.

The king’s joy knew no bounds. He had the wicked stepmother and her daughter arrested and tried for their crimes. The stepmother was banished forever, and her daughter, whose ugliness had grown so great that no one could bear to look at her, was sent away to live alone in the forest.

The three little men’s magic had ensured that goodness was rewarded and evil punished. The king and queen lived happily ever after with their children, ruling with kindness and justice, and they never forgot to help others as the three little men had once helped them.

And they lived happily ever after.