The stepmother had a stepdaughter and her own daughter, no matter what her own daughter did, they patted her on the head for everything and said: “Good girl!” And no matter how much the stepdaughter pleases, she will not please, everything is wrong, everything is bad, but I must tell the truth, the girl was golden, in good hands she would have bathed like cheese in butter, and at her stepmother’s she washed her face with tears every day. What to do? Even if the wind makes a noise, it dies down, but the old woman disperses - she won’t calm down soon, she will invent everything and scratch her teeth. And the stepmother came up with the idea to drive her stepdaughter out of the yard:
- Take her, take her, old man, wherever you want, so that my eyes don’t see her, so that my ears don’t hear about her, and don’t take her to your family in a warm hut, but to an open field in the cold!
The old man grieved and cried, but he put his daughter on the sleigh and wanted to cover her with a blanket, but he was afraid, so he took the homeless woman into an open field, dumped her on a snowdrift, crossed her, and then quickly went home so that his eyes would not see his daughter’s death.
She remained, poor thing, shaking and quietly saying a prayer. Frost comes, jumps, jumps, glances at the red maiden:
- Maiden, and maiden, I am Frost with a red nose! - Welcome, Frost! God brought you for my sinful soul. Frost wanted to hit her and freeze her, but he fell in love with her clever speeches, it was a pity! He threw her a fur coat. She dressed in a fur coat, tucked her legs, and sat.
Again the red-nosed Frost came, jumping and jumping, looking at the red maiden: “Maiden, and maiden, I am the red-nosed Frost!” “Welcome, Frost!” I know that God brought you for my sinful soul.
The frost was not at all to his liking; he brought the red maiden a tall and heavy chest, full of all kinds of dowry. She sat down in her fur coat on the chest, so cheerful, so pretty! Again Frost came with a red nose, jumping and jumping, looking at the red girl. She greeted him, and he gave her a dress embroidered in silver and gold. She put it on and became such a beauty! He sits and sings songs.
And her stepmother is celebrating a wake for her and has baked pancakes. “Go, husband, take your daughter to be buried.” The old man went. And the dog under the table: “Yap, yap!” They bring the old man's daughter in gold and silver, but the old woman's suitors don't take her! - Shut up, fool! Damn it, say: the suitors will take the old woman’s daughter, but they’ll bring the old man only bones! The dog ate the pancake and again: “Yelp, yap!” They're taking the old man's daughter in gold and silver, but the suitors won't take the old woman! The old woman gave pancakes and beat her, and the dog has everything of her own: - They're taking the old man's daughter in gold and silver, but the suitors won't take the old woman! The gates creaked, the doors opened, they were carrying a tall, heavy chest, the stepdaughter was coming - panya panya shining! The stepmother looked - and her hands were apart!
- Old man, old man, harness other horses, take my daughter quickly! Plant it in the same field, in the same place. The old man took it to the same field, planted it in the same place. Red Nose Frost came, looked at his guest, jumped and galloped, but didn’t wait for good speeches, got angry, grabbed her and killed her. “Old man, go, bring my daughter, harness the dashing horses, don’t knock down the sleigh, and don’t drop the chest!” And the dog under the table:
- Yip, yap! The grooms will take the old man's daughter, but they will carry the old woman's bones in a bag! - Don't lie! For the pie, say: they are bringing the old woman in gold, in silver! The gates opened, the old woman ran out to meet her daughter, and instead hugged her cold body. She cried and screamed, but it’s too late!
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru