A pious and kind-hearted milkmaid served on a farm that belonged to a mean and stingy man. When the milkmaid went to the stable to milk and tend the cows, she always did it with robust care. The cowshed was the home of a white snake too. From its hole in a wall column it watched the milkmaid as she milked and cared for the cows and kept the shed in order. Sometimes the little snake crept out from its hole in the wall column, looked at her with wise eyes as if was expecting something from her. The milkmaid then used to let a little udder-warm cow's milk in a little saucer, and the snake drank the milk with pleasure. While it was drinking it turned and twisted its little head. At such times the milkmaid saw a tiny crown on its head. The crown glittered like a diamond in the rather dark stable.
The kind-natured milkmaid was glad to have the white snake in the cowshed, for she had heard that such snakes brought good luck. At any rate her cows were thriving and gave much more milk than other cows, and they were always healthy and got shapely little calves without a lot of trouble. The milkmaid was happy too.
Once the stingy farmer came into the stable when the white snake licked up its few droplets of milk that the girl just had put in the saucer. He flew into a rage at the sight, as if she had been giving away bucketfuls of milk.
"You miserable loafer," he shouted crassly. "So this is how you handle what is mine! Letting my cows have a poisonous snake around them in the stable so that it can suck their udders at night! It is outrageous!" He swore a lot and called her bad names. He was really unpleasant.
The poor milkmaid started weeping when she was so severely reproached for a little kindness, but the farmer did not mind that she wept. Instead he worked up a great fury, shouting and arguing vehemently and forgetting all the faithful and diligent work she had done. At last he cried: "Get off my farm right now! I need no snake to live here and steal milk! Pack your bundle at once! Get away from the village and never show up again, or I might report you to the police!"
Still weeping, the severely scolded milkmaid hurried out of the stable, went up to her chamber, packed her dresses in a sheet and made a bundle of it, knit the bundle tightly so that she could carry it with her when she walked away from the farm. Then she went out of the farmhouse and stepped into the yard. The farmer had left the stable. When she heard her pet cow lowing, she could not restrain herself, but went one more time into the stable to take leave of her dear cattle. She walked around and took leave of them, patting and stroking every cow and weeping. Her pet cow came up to her and licked her hand again - and there the little snake came crawling too.
"Farewell, little snake. There will be no one to feed you on this farm from now on."
The little snake raised its head as if it wanted to put it in the milkmaid's hand. Then suddenly its little crown dropped into the hand. It was as if the snake wanted the maid to have the crown. In the next moment the snake slid out of the barn door.
Now the young woman went away from there too. She was not aware that the snake crown she had got would bring her riches, for she had not heard everything about the while snakes and their crowns yet - that whoever owned such a crown and carried it with her, would have joy, luck and good renown and be widely liked too.
Just outside the village the girl met the son of the rich mayor who had died not long ago. The son was a fine young man. He fell in love with the girl at once from the moment he saw her. He greeted her and asked where she was going, and why she would leave the farm like this. She told him what had happened. At once he asked her to go to his mother and say he had sent her.
The girl walked to the former mayor's house and told the widow what her son had asked her to say. The old woman liked her at once, and asked her to stay in the house. When the men and maidservants came for supper, the guest had to say grace, and everyone was deeply moved. When supper was over and she had said grace again, the servants left the room. Then the rich young man took the milkmaid's hand, led her to his mother and said,
"Mother, I want to marry her or not marry at all. Give us your kind blessing, please."
"We all love her," said his old mother. I think she is as pious as she is pretty, and meek as well. I bless you both, and take her as gladly as if she were my own daugther."
The maid very soon became a happy bride and a very rich woman. But the foul farmer who got so cross and mean because she had given some drops of milk to a hungry animal that he drove her out of his house, soon came to grief. After the maid and the snake left, his luck abandoned him. Soon he had to sell his animals, then his fields - and everything was bought by the rich son of the former mayor.
Soon the happy wife could hang green garlands around the necks of the cows she was so fond of. She led them into their cowshed, stroked them, let them lick her hands, and milked and fed them as before.
One day when she was feeding the cows in the shed, she saw the white snake again. At once she took out the little crown she was carrying, "How good of you to come to me," she said to the white snake. "You shall have as much fresh milk as you like, every day. Here is your crown back, with many thanks that you have helped me so so greatly. I do not need the crown now, for I am rich and happy."
The white snake took its crown back and stayed in the stable of the young woman, and a great blessing rested on her and her husband and everything they owned.
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