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Once upon a time there lived a peasant. His wife died and left him three daughters. The old man wanted to hire a servant-girl to help about the house, but his youngest daughter Maryushka said: "Don't hire a servant, Father, I shall keep house alone." And so his daughter Maryushka began keeping house, and a fine housekeeper2 she made. There was nothing she could not do, and all she did she did splendidly. Her father loved Maryushka dearly and was glad to have such a clever and hard-working daughter. And how lovely she was! But her two sisters were ugly creatures, full of envy and greed, always paint-ed and powdered and dressed in their best. They spent all day putting on new gowns and trying to look better than they really were. But nothing ever pleased them long -- neither gowns, nor shawls, nor high-heeled boots. Now, one day the old man set out to market and he asked his daughters: "What shall I buy you, dear daughters, what shall I please you with?" "Buy us each a kerchief," said the two elder daughters. "And mind it has big flowers on it done in gold." But his youngest daughter Maryushka stood silent, so the father asked her: "And what would you like, Maryushka?" "Dear Father, buy me a feather of Fenist the Bright Falcon." By and by the father came back with the kerchiefs, but the feather he had not found. | 
