Little Mattie and the King

Little Mattie was a shepherdess. Every morning she would take her sheep out to pasture. Sometimes she wandered with them through fields and hills, but most of all, she loved to graze them near the road.

In those days, the country was ruled by a handsome young king, and one day this king decided to set out on a journey to find a bride. She had to be beautiful, of noble birth, and, above all, the royal bride had to be modest, hardworking, and sincere. The king would settle for nothing less. So he made up his mind, mounted his horse one morning, and set off on his journey.

He rode and rode, and the road led him to the place where Little Mattie was grazing her sheep. Seeing the little shepherdess, the king politely greeted her and said:

"May the Lord bless you, Little Mattie. How are you?"

"I'm well, thank you," replied Little Mattie, "though I'm dressed in rags. But when I marry the king, I shall dress only in pure gold!"

"That will never happen," said the king.

"Oh, yes, it will," retorted Little Mattie.

And the king rode on. He rode and rode until he reached a foreign kingdom, where he fell in love with a foreign princess. She was very beautiful, and everyone spoke of her modesty. The king asked for her hand in marriage, and after receiving her consent, he invited his bride to visit his kingdom before the wedding. Then, overjoyed, he set off for home.

Not long after, the princess from the foreign kingdom set out with a grand entourage to visit her fiancé's kingdom. She traveled and traveled until the road led her to the very place where Little Mattie was grazing her sheep. Seeing the little shepherdess, the princess haughtily greeted her and said:

"Good day, Little Mattie. How is the king?"

"He is well," replied Little Mattie, "but there is a stone at the threshold of his palace, and this stone determines the character of anyone who steps on it."

The princess continued on her way and soon arrived at the royal palace. As soon as she stepped on the stone at the threshold, a voice rang out:

"Sir, do not be deceived by her face and attire!
Beware, her modesty is but a facade!
Look closely, my lord,
Trust in modesty, not in words!"

Hearing what the stone said, the king wanted nothing more to do with the princess. His bride must truly be modest! And so the princess left, having gained nothing from her journey.

After some time, the king decided to set out once more in search of a bride. Early in the morning, he mounted his horse and rode out of the palace gates.

Again he rode and rode until the road led him to the place where Little Mattie was grazing her sheep. Seeing the little shepherdess, he politely greeted her and said:

"May the Lord bless you, Little Mattie. How are you?"

"I'm well, thank you," replied Little Mattie, "though I'm dressed in rags. But when I marry the king, I shall dress only in pure gold!"

"That will never happen," said the king.

"Oh, yes, it will," said Little Mattie.

And the king rode on. He rode and rode until he finally arrived at another foreign kingdom, where he fell in love with another foreign princess. She was even more beautiful than the first, and tales of her diligence spread far and wide. The king asked for her hand in marriage, and after receiving her father's consent, he invited his bride to visit his kingdom before the wedding. Then, overjoyed, he set off for home.

Soon after, the princess from the foreign kingdom set out with a haughty entourage to visit her fiancé. She traveled and traveled until the road led her to the place where Little Mattie was grazing her sheep. Seeing the little shepherdess, the princess proudly greeted her and said:

"Good day, Little Mattie. How is the king?"

"He is well," replied Little Mattie, "but there is a stone at the threshold of his palace, and this stone determines the character of anyone who steps on it."

The princess continued on her way and soon arrived at the royal palace. As soon as she stepped on the stone at the threshold, a voice rang out:

"Sir, do not be deceived by her face and attire!
Beware, her diligence is but a facade!
Look closely, my lord,
Trust in diligence, not in words!"

Hearing what the stone said, the king refused to listen to his bride any longer. For his wife must truly be hardworking! And so the princess, burning with shame, had to return home. Thus, this wedding also fell through.

After some time, the king set out on his journey once more in search of a bride. Early one morning, he mounted his horse and set off.

Again he rode and rode until he met Mattie, who was grazing her sheep. Seeing the little shepherdess, he politely greeted her and said:

"May the Lord bless you, Little Mattie. How are you?"

"I'm well, thank you," replied Little Mattie, "though I'm dressed in rags. But when I marry the king, I shall dress only in pure gold!"

"That will never happen," said the king.

"Oh, yes, it will," said Little Mattie.

And the king rode on. He rode and rode until he arrived in a third foreign kingdom, where he fell in love with yet another foreign princess. She was even more beautiful than the others, and people throughout the land spoke of her sincerity. The king asked for her hand in marriage, and after receiving her consent, he invited his bride to visit his kingdom before the wedding. Then, overjoyed, he set off for home.

Soon after, the foreign princess set out with a magnificent entourage to visit his kingdom. She traveled and traveled until the road led her to the very place where Little Mattie was grazing her sheep. Seeing the little shepherdess, the princess haughtily greeted her and said:

"Good day, Little Mattie. How is the king?"

"He is well," replied Little Mattie, "but there is a stone at the threshold of his palace, and this stone determines the character of anyone who steps on it."

The foreign princess did not believe her and continued on her way. But as soon as she reached the royal palace and stepped on the stone at the threshold, a voice rang out:

"Sir, do not be deceived by her face and attire!
Beware, her sincerity is but a facade!
Look closely, my lord,
Trust in sincerity, not in words!"

And once again, the wedding was called off. For the king's bride must truly be sincere! And so the foreign princess, burning with shame, had to return home without marrying.

The king then set out one last time in search of a bride. Early in the morning, he mounted his horse and rode off.

Again he rode and rode until he met Little Mattie, who was grazing her sheep. Seeing the little shepherdess, he courteously greeted her and said:

"May the Lord bless you, Little Mattie. How are you?"

"I'm well, thank you," replied Little Mattie, "though I'm dressed in rags. But when I marry the king, I shall dress only in pure gold!"

"That will never happen," said the king.

And the king rode on until he reached a very distant kingdom, where he fell in love with yet another foreign princess. She was more beautiful than all the others, and rumors of her modesty, diligence, and sincerity spread far and wide. The king asked for her hand in marriage, received her father's consent, and then invited his bride to honor him with a visit to his kingdom before the wedding. Then, happy and content, he set off for home.

Some time later, the foreign princess set out with a magnificent entourage to visit her fiancé. The road led her to the pasture where Little Mattie was grazing her sheep. Seeing the little shepherdess, the princess haughtily greeted her and said:

"Good day, Little Mattie. How is the king?"

"He is well," replied Little Mattie, "but there is a stone at the threshold of his palace, and this stone determines the character of anyone who steps on it."

Hearing this, the foreign princess paused to think, and then asked Little Mattie if she would go to the royal palace in her place. Little Mattie happily agreed. She quickly shed her rags and, dressed in the princess's silks and velvets, rode to the royal palace. When she stepped on the stone at the threshold, a voice rang out:

"Be attentive, my lord, she is different!
She is sincere, modest, and hardworking!
She is the embodiment of your ideal,
And you will never find a better bride!"

"Then I shall marry her and no one else," said the king upon hearing these words. And to ensure he would not mistake her for anyone else, he placed a golden circlet on her head. Then he sent his bride home, promising to come for her very soon. When Little Mattie returned to the meadow where her sheep grazed, she returned the beautiful clothes to the foreign princess and dressed once more in her old rags. The happy princess then rode home to await her groom.

And the groom did not keep her waiting long. One fine morning, he mounted his horse and rode off to fetch his bride. As before, the road led him to the meadow where Little Mattie was grazing her sheep. Seeing the beautiful little shepherdess, the king courteously greeted her and said:

"May the Lord bless you, Little Mattie. How are you?"

"I'm well, thank you," replied Little Mattie, "though I'm dressed in rags. But when I marry the king, I shall dress only in pure gold!"

"That will never happen," said the king.

"Oh, yes, it will," said Little Mattie.

And as she spoke, she tilted her head, and something glimmered in her hair.

The king stepped closer, and what did he see? On Little Mattie's head was the very circlet he had placed on his bride's head. The king understood everything at once. And seeing that he could never find a more beautiful girl, he lifted Little Mattie onto his horse and took her to his royal palace. And so it happened that Little Mattie became queen and from that day forward dressed only in pure gold.

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Little Mattie and the King

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