Elbow Beard

Once upon a time, there was a humble cottage, and in it lived a humble husband and wife and their only daughter, Hannah. They had no money and no possessions, but they loved one another very much and always helped each other. Their little daughter was growing up to be a beautiful young woman, but she was also a hard worker with a kind heart.

One day, the mother got very ill and died soon after. They buried her, they mourned her, but their lives went on. As time went slowly by, the father found a new love, who brought along her daughter Marfa. Soon after they met, there was a wedding.

Marfa was also very pretty, but her heart wasn’t so pretty. She was lazy and mean, but the stepmother kept praising her and always blamed Hannah for everything.

One day, the two daughters went together to weave colorful carpets. The weaving mill was nearby, but the banging of the weaving looms could be heard far and wide. It wasn’t easy work at all.

Hannah always worked for the both of them, while Marfa laughed at her for being silly and working too hard. She would take naps in the daytime while Hannah weaved and weaved.

At home, Marfa boasted about the work that Hannah had done - as if it was hers! She never admitted that she was only sitting around, eating all of the food from the lunch baskets they’d brought.

One day, when they were weaving carpets, the lazy girl disappeared from the workshop with all the finished carpets on a cart and ran home with them. Then she told her parents proudly how she had made such pretty carpets, all by herself. Hannah had no option but to come home empty-handed.…