# πŸ§’ Two Sisters Live Reading Junior Classics Library #kids #books #publicdomain #traditional An episode of [Toddle Poddle](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1710389589), 9 Mar 2026, 11 min. Audio: https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/70522953/englishfairytales_12_steel_128kb.mp3 Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/toddle-poddle--5908781/support. πŸ‘‡πŸΌFREE KINDLE BOOKSπŸ‘‡πŸΌ https://amzn.to/474y2KX As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Apple Podcasts 🦊 🐞 πŸ‘Ά 🌈 πŸ¦‹ πŸ¦† 🐭 🐯 🦧 🍟 Rat Gang Crew Paperback Kids' Kindle Kids' Blog YOU TUBE 🦊 🐞 πŸ‘Ά 🌈 πŸ¦‹ πŸ¦† 🐭 🐯 🦧 🍟 ## Transcript [0:00] Speaker 1: Chapter twelve of English Fairy Tales. This is a LibriVox recording. [0:05] Speaker 1: All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more [0:09] Speaker 1: information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org. Recorded [0:15] Speaker 1: by Elizabeth Parsons. English Fairy Tales by Flora Annie Steele, [0:22] Speaker 1: Chapter twelve, The two Sisters. Once upon a time there [0:27] Speaker 1: were two sisters who were as like each other as [0:30] Speaker 1: two peas in a pot. But one was good and [0:33] Speaker 1: the other was bad tempered. Now their father had no work, [0:37] Speaker 1: so the girls began to think of going to service. [0:41] Speaker 1: I will go first and see what I can make [0:43] Speaker 1: of it, said the younger sister, ever so cheerfully. Then you, sisk, [0:47] Speaker 1: can follow if I have good luck. So she packed [0:51] Speaker 1: up a bundle side good bye, and started to find [0:53] Speaker 1: a place. But no one in the town wanted a girl, [0:57] Speaker 1: and she went farther afield into the country. And as [1:00] Speaker 1: she journeyed, she came upon an oven in which a [1:03] Speaker 1: lot of loaves were baking. Now, as she passed the loaves, [1:07] Speaker 1: cried out with one voice, little girl, little girl, take [1:11] Speaker 1: us out, Please take us out. We have been baking [1:14] Speaker 1: for seven years, and no one has come to take [1:17] Speaker 1: us out. Do take us out, or we shall soon [1:20] Speaker 1: be burnt. Then, being a kind, obliging little girl, she stopped, [1:25] Speaker 1: put down her bundle, took out the bread, and went [1:28] Speaker 1: on her way, saying, you will be more comfortable now. [1:33] Speaker 1: After a time, she came to a cow lowing beside [1:36] Speaker 1: an empty pail, and the cow said to her little girl, [1:40] Speaker 1: little girl, milk me, please milk me. Seven years have [1:44] Speaker 1: I been waiting, but no one has come to milk me. [1:48] Speaker 1: So the kind girl stopped, put down her bundle, milk [1:51] Speaker 1: the cow into the pail, and went on her way, [1:54] Speaker 1: saying now you will be more comfortable. By and by [1:58] Speaker 1: she came to an apple tree so laden with fruit [2:01] Speaker 1: that its branches were nigh to break. And the apple [2:04] Speaker 1: tree called to her little girl, Little girl, please shake [2:08] Speaker 1: my branches. The fruit is so heavy I can't stand straight. [2:13] Speaker 1: Then the kind girl stopped, put down her bundle and [2:15] Speaker 1: shook the branches so that the apples fell off and [2:18] Speaker 1: the tree could stand straight. Then she went on her way, [2:22] Speaker 1: saying you will be more comfortable now. So she journeyed [2:27] Speaker 1: on till she came to a house where an old [2:29] Speaker 1: witch woman lived. Now this witch woman wanted a servant [2:32] Speaker 1: maid and promised good wages. Therefore, the girl agreed to [2:36] Speaker 1: stop with her and try. How she liked service. She [2:40] Speaker 1: had to sweep the floor, keep the house clean and tidy, [2:43] Speaker 1: the fire bright and cheery. But there was one thing [2:46] Speaker 1: the witch woman said she must never do, and that [2:49] Speaker 1: was look up the chimney. If you do, said the [2:53] Speaker 1: witch woman, something will fall down on you and you [2:56] Speaker 1: will come to a bad end. Well, the girl swept [3:00] Speaker 1: and dusted and made up the fire, but nearer a [3:03] Speaker 1: penny of wages did she see. Now the girl wanted [3:07] Speaker 1: to go home, as she did not like witch service, [3:10] Speaker 1: For the witch used to have boiled babies for supper [3:13] Speaker 1: and bury the bones under some stones in the garden. [3:17] Speaker 1: But she did not like to go home penniless, so [3:19] Speaker 1: she stayed on sweeping and dusting and doing her work [3:23] Speaker 1: just as if she was pleased. Then one day, as [3:27] Speaker 1: she was sweeping up the hearth, down tumbled some soot, [3:31] Speaker 1: and without remembering she was forbidden to look up the chimney. [3:35] Speaker 1: She looked up to see where the soot came from, [3:37] Speaker 1: and lo and behold, a big bag of gold fell [3:41] Speaker 1: plump into her lap. Now the witch happened to be [3:44] Speaker 1: out on one of her witch errands. So the girl [3:47] Speaker 1: thought it a fine opportunity to be off home, so [3:51] Speaker 1: she kilted up her petticoats and started to run home. [3:55] Speaker 1: But she had only gone a little way when she [3:58] Speaker 1: heard the witch woman coming after her on her broomstick. [4:01] Speaker 1: Now the apple tree she had helped to stand straight [4:04] Speaker 1: happened to be quite close, so she ran to it [4:07] Speaker 1: and cried, apple tree, apple tree, hide me, so the [4:11] Speaker 1: old witch can't find me, for if she does, she'll [4:15] Speaker 1: pick my bones and bury me under the garden stones. [4:19] Speaker 1: Then the apple tree said, of course I will. You [4:23] Speaker 1: helped me to stand straight, and one good turn deserves another. [4:28] Speaker 1: So the apple tree hid her finely in its green branches. [4:32] Speaker 1: And when the witch flew past, saying tree of mine, O, [4:36] Speaker 1: tree of mine, have you seen my naughty little maid [4:40] Speaker 1: with a willy willy wag and a great big bag. [4:43] Speaker 1: She's stolen my money all I had, the apple tree answered, no, [4:48] Speaker 1: mother dear, not for seven years. So the witch flew [4:53] Speaker 1: on the wrong way, and the girl got down, thanked [4:56] Speaker 1: the tree politely, and started again. But just as she [4:59] Speaker 1: got to where the cow was standing beside the pail, [5:03] Speaker 1: she heard the witch coming again, so she ran to [5:06] Speaker 1: the cow and cried, cow, cow, please hide me so [5:11] Speaker 1: the witch can't find me. If she does, she'll pick [5:14] Speaker 1: my bones and bury me under the garden stones. Certainly [5:19] Speaker 1: I will, answered the cow. Didn't you milk me and [5:23] Speaker 1: make me comfortable? Hide yourself behind me and you'll be [5:27] Speaker 1: quite safe. And when the witch flew by and called [5:30] Speaker 1: to the cow, oh, cow of mine, Cow of mine, [5:35] Speaker 1: have you seen my naughty little maid with a willy [5:38] Speaker 1: willy wag and a great big bag who stole my [5:41] Speaker 1: money all that I had, she just said politely, no, mother, [5:46] Speaker 1: dear not for seven years. Then the old witch went [5:50] Speaker 1: on in the wrong direction, and the girl started afresh [5:54] Speaker 1: on her way home. But just as she got to [5:56] Speaker 1: where the oven stood, she heard that horrid old witch [6:00] Speaker 1: coming behind her again. So she ran as fast as [6:03] Speaker 1: she could to the oven and cried, oh, oven, oven, [6:07] Speaker 1: hide me so as the witch can't find me, for [6:11] Speaker 1: if she does, she'll pick my bones and bury them [6:14] Speaker 1: under the garden stones. Then the oven said, I am [6:19] Speaker 1: afraid there is no room for you, as another batch [6:22] Speaker 1: of bread is baking. But there is the baker, ask him. [6:28] Speaker 1: So she asked the baker, and he said, of course, [6:32] Speaker 1: I will you saved my last batch from being burnt. [6:35] Speaker 1: So run into the bake house. You will be quite [6:38] Speaker 1: safe there, and I will settle the witch for you. [6:43] Speaker 1: So she hid in the bakehouse only just in time, [6:46] Speaker 1: for there was the old witch calling angrily, Oh, man [6:51] Speaker 1: of mine, man of mine, have you seen my naughty [6:54] Speaker 1: little maid with a willy willy wag and a great [6:57] Speaker 1: big bag, who stole my money all I had. Then [7:02] Speaker 1: the baker replied, look in the oven, she may be there. [7:06] Speaker 1: And the witch alighted from her broomstick and peered into [7:09] Speaker 1: the oven, but she could see no one. Creep in [7:13] Speaker 1: and look in the farthest corner, said the baker slyly, [7:17] Speaker 1: And the witch crept in. When bang, he shut the [7:21] Speaker 1: door in her face, And there she was roasting. And [7:25] Speaker 1: when she came out with the bread, she was all [7:28] Speaker 1: crisp and brown, and had to go home as best [7:31] Speaker 1: she could and put cold cream all over her. But [7:35] Speaker 1: the kind, obliging little girl got safe home with her [7:39] Speaker 1: bag of money. Now, the ill tempered elder sister was [7:43] Speaker 1: very jealous of this good luck and determined to get [7:46] Speaker 1: a bag of gold for herself. So she, in turn [7:50] Speaker 1: packed up a bundle and started to seek service by [7:53] Speaker 1: the same road. But when she came to the oven [7:57] Speaker 1: and the loaves begged her to take them out because [8:00] Speaker 1: they had been baking seven years and were night burning, [8:04] Speaker 1: she tossed her head and said a likely story, indeed, [8:08] Speaker 1: that I should burn my fingers to save your crusts. [8:12] Speaker 1: No thank you, and with that she went on till [8:16] Speaker 1: she came across the cow standing waiting to be milked [8:19] Speaker 1: beside the pail. But when the cow said, little girl, [8:24] Speaker 1: little girl, milk me, please, milk me. I've waited seven [8:27] Speaker 1: years to be milked, she only laughed and replied, you [8:32] Speaker 1: may wait another seven years for all I care. I'm [8:35] Speaker 1: not your dairy maid. And with that she went on [8:39] Speaker 1: till she came to the apple tree, all overburdened by [8:43] Speaker 1: its fruit, But when it begged her to shake its branches, [8:47] Speaker 1: she only giggled, and, plucking one right apple, said one [8:51] Speaker 1: is enough for me. You can keep the rest yourself, [8:55] Speaker 1: and with that she went on munching the apple till [8:58] Speaker 1: she came to the witch woman's house house. Now the [9:01] Speaker 1: witch woman, though she had gotten over being crisp and [9:04] Speaker 1: brown from the oven, was dreadfully angry with all little [9:08] Speaker 1: maid servants and made up her mind this one should [9:11] Speaker 1: not trick her. So for a long time she never [9:15] Speaker 1: went out of the house. Thus the ill tempered sister [9:19] Speaker 1: never had a chance of looking up the chimney as [9:22] Speaker 1: she had meant to do at once, and she had [9:25] Speaker 1: to dust and clean and brush and sweep ever so [9:28] Speaker 1: hard until she was quite tired out. But one day, [9:32] Speaker 1: when the witch woman went into the garden to bury [9:35] Speaker 1: her bones, she seized the moment, looked up the chimney, [9:39] Speaker 1: and sure enough a bag of gold fell plump into [9:42] Speaker 1: her lap. Well, she was off with it in a moment, [9:47] Speaker 1: and ran and ran till she came to the apple [9:50] Speaker 1: tree when she heard the witch woman behind her. So [9:53] Speaker 1: she cried, as her sister had done, Apple tree, Apple tree, [9:57] Speaker 1: hide me so the old witch can't find me, for [10:00] Speaker 1: if she does, she'll break my bones or bury me [10:03] Speaker 1: under the garden stones. But the apple tree said, no [10:08] Speaker 1: room here, I've too many apples, So she had to [10:12] Speaker 1: run on, And when the witch woman on her broomstick [10:15] Speaker 1: came flying by and called, O tree of mine, Tree [10:19] Speaker 1: of mine? Have you seen a naughty little maid with [10:22] Speaker 1: a willy willy wag and a great big bag, who's [10:25] Speaker 1: stolen my money all I had? The apple tree replied, yes, [10:30] Speaker 1: mother dear, she's gone down there. Then the witch woman [10:34] Speaker 1: went after her, caught her, gave her a thorough good beating, [10:38] Speaker 1: took the bag of money away from her, and sent [10:41] Speaker 1: her home without a penny payment for all her dusting [10:44] Speaker 1: and sweeping and brushing and cleaning. End of chapter twelve. Shows are listed from Apple Podcasts' charts and directory, and Podcast Index where it is used. 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