Little Red Riding Hood

Once upon a time, there lived in a small town, the prettiest girl that ever was seen. This little girl was not only very pretty, she was also kind and good.

Her mother was very fond of her, and her grandmother was even fonder still. This good woman made for her a little red riding-hood, in which she looked so well, that every body called her Little Red Riding-Hood.

One day her mother, having made some cakes, said to her: 'Go, my dear, and see how your grandma does, for I hear she has been very ill. Carry her some cakes and this little pot of butter.' Little Red Riding-Hood set out at once a to go to her grandma, who lived a little way off.

As she was going through the wood, she met with Gaffer Wolf, who had a very great mind to eat her up, bin. he durst not, for fear of some men who were at work hard by.

He asked her where she was going. The poor child, who did not know that there might be harm in stopping to hear a wolf talk, said to him, 'I am going to see my grandma, and carry her some cakes, and a little pot of butter from my mamma.'

'Does she live far off?' said the Wolf. 'Oh! yes,' said Little Red RidingHood; 'it is beyond that mill you see there, at the first house you come to.*

Title: Little Red Riding-Hood: and other stories based on the tales in the "Blue fairy book". Editor: Andrew Lang. Illustrated by: Henry Justice Ford, George Percy Jacomb Hood. Publisher: Longmans, Green, 1920. Original from: the University of Virginia. Digitized" Jul 29, 2008. Length: 104 pages. Subjects: Fairy tales Fiction / Fairy Tales, Folklore & Mythology, Social Science / Folklore & Mythology. This image (or other media file) is in the public domain because its copyright has expired. This applies to the United States, where Works published prior to 1978 were copyright protected for a maximum of 75 years. See Circular 1 "COPYRIGHT BASICS" PDF. Works published before 1923, in this case c18th century, are now in the public domain.

'Well,' said the Wolf, 'and I'll go and see her too. I'll go this way and you go that, and we shall see who will be there soonest.' The Wolf began to run as fast as he could, taking the nearest way, and the little girl went by the longest way.

She played about, getting nuts, running after butterflies, and making little bunches of such flowers as she met with. In this way she lost some time, and gave the Wolf a chance to get there first.

The Wolf was not long before he got to the old woman's house. He knocked at the door—tap, tap.

'Who's there?'

'Your grandchild, Little Red RidingHood,' said the Wolf, speaking as much like her as he could; 'who has brought you some cakes and a little pot of butter, sent you by mamma.'

The good grandmother, who was in bed, because she was not very well, cried out:

'Pull the bobbin, and the latch will go up.'

The Wolf pulled the bobbin, and the door flew open. He sprang into the room, got hold of the good woman, and ate her up in a moment, for it was more than three days since he had touched a bit.

He then shut the door, got into the grandmother's bed, and waited for Little Red Riding-Hood, who came some time after and knocked at the door—tap, tap.

TEXT CREDIT: Little Red Riding-Hood