Twelve is a wonderful number. You will lwarn a lor about the number twelve later on. The first thing we learn about 12 is that a year has 12 months: January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December. The name of the month we have now is ( ).

Ths story I am going to tell you is about the 12 months of the year. Once upon a time there was a little girl called Mary. And she was a very unhappy girl because she lived alone with a nasty stepmother. The stepmother did not like Mary at all. The poor girl had to work hard: scrubbing floors, cooking, washing clothes, sewing, working in the garden and all the time her stepmother was after her, scolding her, nagging her, telling her that she was lazy and clumsy and was not working enough. Mary was never given enough to eat, she had to sleep on the floor in a corner of the kitchen and the wicked stepmother often beat her with a stick. It was a terrible life for poor Mary.

Now there came a day, deep in winter, when the month was called January; and you know people call January the ice-month, because it often brings ice and snow. And that January was especially cold. All the rivers and lochs were frozen over with ice and the roads were so deep under snow that you could not even see them. And a cold wind was blowing too. And just when there was this terrible cold weather the wicked stepmother said, "Mary, I want some violets; go out into the forest and get some for me." Well, you know as well as I do that violets are little blue flowers that gro only in spring when it is warmer, and so Mary said, "How can I find violets at this time of year, in Janary? There aren't any now." But the stepmother shouted, "You horrible child, you do as you are told! Out you go and don't come back until you have found some violets, or I will beat you with my stick!" And the stepmother took Mary by the arm and pushed her out of the door and closed and locked the door after her. So there was Mary, in a thin dress, without a coat, and she shivered in the cold. But there was nothing she oculd do, she had to go, knee deep through the snow and into the wood.

Mary walked and walked, she was nearly frozen with cold, she was so tired she could hardly lift her feet; she was hungru and she had, of course, not seen any flowers ar all and certainly no violets. And in her unhappiness she prayed to God to help her. And when she had prayed she saw far away a light. As she walked towards the light she saw it came from the top of a mountain. When she had walked to the top of the mountain, she saw that there was a great fire. And around that fire were 12 stones and on those 12 stones sat 12 men. Three men were old, with white, long beards. Three men were younger, they had brown beards; and three men were still younger and they were without beards. And then there were another three and they were so young, they were really just big boys. These 12 men were the months of the year. And the man who sat on the highest stone was called January, the ice month, and of course he was one of the old men with a long white beard. In his hand he held a long rod.

Mary was, at first, afraid of these 12 men; she did not know who they were and she dared not go nearer. But the fire seemed so warm, and remember she was feeling so terribly cold, that she took courage, went up to the 12 men and said, "Please can I sit down by the fire, I am shivering all over with cold." And January, the very old man, nodded and then he said, "What are you doing here, little girl? Are you looking for something?" And Mary answered, "Yes, I am loking for violets." And January said, "When I am ruling the world, when ice and snow cover the earth, that is no time to look for violets!"

"Oh, I know," said Mary sadly, "but my stepmother has told me that unless I came back with violets from the forest, she will take a stick and beat me! Please, can you help me and tell me where to find violets?"

And January, the ice-month, got up and went to a younger brother, saying, "Brother March, take my rod and sit on the highest stone." March went and sat down on the highest stone and started to move his rod over the fire. And right away the flames burnt higher and the snow around it started to melt. And the trees around grew little buds, the grass began to shoot and among the grass there appeared some flowers. And Mary discovered under a bush some violets, so many as if she had spread out a blue handkerchief.

And March said to her, "Quickly, go and pick as many violets as you want." Mary picked a big bunch, then she thanked the 12 months and hurried home to his stepmother. The wicked stepmother had thought Mary would die of cold out there in the snow, so she was very surprised when Mary came home with a big bunch of violets. "Where did you find them?" asked the stepmother. "Oh, on top of the mountain; there were plenty," answered Mary.

Well, the wicked stepmother did not show her surprise, but took the violets and put them into a little vase. The smell was lovely! But she soon thought of something else to drive Mary out into the snow and cold.

Mary had brought the wicked stepmother violets in deep winter when there was ice and snow. But the next day the stepmother thought of something else. She said to Mary, "Go out into the forest and find some strawberries for me." "Goodness," said Mary, "how can there be strawberries when all is covered with snow?" But the mother shouted, "You naught girl, always talking back! Out you go, and don't you dare come back without strawberries! And she pushed Mary outside and locked the door behind her. Mary cried and cried; how could she find strawberries in Januarty, the ice-month? But sje walked into the forest knee-deep in snow. She looked and looked and she walked and walked and she shivered with cold and was terribly hungry. And then she saw again the fire on the mountain and she hurried towards it.

And there, round the fire, sat again the 12 men, 3 handosme young boys, 3 young men, 3 with brown beards and three with white beards. And on the highest stone sat again the oldest one, January, the ice-month. Mary said, "Please may I warm myself by your fire, I am shivering with cold." And January said, "Yes, of course, but why have you come here again—are you looking for something?" And Mary answered, "Yes, I am looking for strawberries." "This is no time to look for strawberries, when I rule the world with snow and ice," said January. And Mary said, "I know, but my stepmother told me to bring strawberries and if I come back without them, she will beat me. Please tell me where can I find strawberroes?" And January got up and went over to a younger brother who sat just opposite him and said, "Brother June, sit o the highest stone and take my rod." And the beautiful month of June sat on the highest stone and moved the rod back and forth over the fire. And the flames of the fire rose up, higher and higher, the snow all around melted. Grass came up and grew high, the trees were full of leaves, birds sang and twittered and everywhere beautiful flowers grew—it was summer! And there were flowers that looked like little whit stars—but then white stars soon changed into strawberries. First they were green and slowly they became red and ripe.

And the beautiful month of June said, "Quick, Mary, pick your strawberries." And Mary picked and picked strawberries intil her apron was do full that it could not hold any more! Then she said, "Thank you very much" and hurried home.

The wicked stepmother had hoped that Mary would die of cold in the forest and she was very surprised when she saw her with an apron full of strawberries. She only said in an infriendly voice, "Where did you get these?" And Mary answered, as before, "Oh, on top of the mountain; there were more than I could gather!" Then the stepmother took all the strawberries, put sugar and cream on them and ate them all up by herself. And the next day she wanted Mary to get her some rosy apples from the forest. But Mary said, "This is no time to find apples on trees! The branches are bare; there aren't even any leaves! The stepmother said again, "You naughty child, don't answer back when I tell you to do something! Out you fo and don't come back without apples or I'll beat you with my stick! And again she pushed Mary outside and locked the door behind her.

Mary walked knee deep through the snow, shivering, hungry and she cried. Again she saw the fire on top of the mountain and she hurried towards it. At the fire she saw again the 12 months of the year, each one sitting on their own particular stone. Mary begged again, "Please let me sit by your fire, I am so terribly cold!" January said, "Why are you here again? What are you looking for this time?" And Mary had to say, "Apples." "You know very well, that when I rule the world with ice and snow there can't possibly be apples growing on trees at the same time," said January. And Mary said, "I know, but my stepmother wants apples and if I come home without any, she will beat me."

Then January stoof up and went to another brother who had a short brown beard and he said to him, "Brother Spetember, take the rod and sit on the highest stone. So September sat down on the highest stome and moved the rod over the fire and this time the fire did not rise up, but it glowed red, and the snow around melted. The trees were dropping their leaves and the wind carried them through the air. There were all kinds of flowers growing. Mary looked around and there she saw an apple tree laden with rosy apples. September said to her, "Quick, Mary, shake the tree." Mary shook the tree and one red apple fell down; she shook again and another one fell. Then September said, "Quick, take those two apples and go home, little Mary." So Mary took the two little red apples and hurried home.

You have heard that Mary came home with two lovely red apples and gave them to her stepmother. The stepmother said in a surprised way, "Where did you find these?" "Upon the mountain," said Mary, "there were plenty more on the tree." And the stepmother said, "Then why have you only brought back two? Perhaps you have eaten all the others, you naughty girl!" "Oh, no," said Mary, "I haven't eaten any! I shook the tree two times and each time only one apple fell down. I was not allowed to shake the tree any more than two times. And so the stepmother took the two apples and ate them and they tasted so lovely that she thought she has never eaten apples as good as these. Then she said, "I am going up the mountain myself to get more of these wonderful apples. And I will take as many as I like and shake the tree as often as I like, whether I get permission or not!" So the wicked stepmother put on a thick fur-coat and walked out while they stayed at home.

The stepmother walked and walked in the deep snow but nowhere could she see an apple tree with apples on it! At long last she saw a light in the distance and she moved towards it. She saw it came from a fire on a mountain and, as she walked up to the top, she said to herself, "Ah! now I have found the mountain where Mary found violets and strawberries and apples in deep winter."

And so she came to the top of the mountain and there she saw the great fire, the 12 stones and the 12 men sitting on the stones. Still the oldest man, January, was sitting on the highest stone. The stepmother went to the fire to warm herself without saying a word to the 12 men. And when January asked her, "What are you doing here and what do you want?" she answered, "That's none of your business, you old fool; I go where I like and I do what I like." And when she had said this she turned around and started to look for the tree with the lovely red apples. But January looked and was very cross because she was so rude to him; he took his rod and moved it over the fire and as soon as he did this the flames went down, an ice-cold wind began to blow, the sky became black with clouds and snow began to fall, thicker and thicker. There were so many snowflakes falling that the stepmother could no longer see where she was going. She walked and walked; she could no longer see the fire even. On she went and on, and the snowflakes kept falling and falling. She walked and walked and now she could no longer find her way out of the forest! She became very tired and cold and in the end she fell down in the snow and she could not get up again—and so she froze to death in the snow.

In the meantime Mary was at home and cooked the dinner and swept the house clean and waited for the stepmother to come home again; but, as you know, she could not come back! When night came, Mary looked out of the window and saaw the glittering stars in the sky and the earth was white with freshly fallen snow. Mary wondered why her stepmother had not come back and what had happened to her. The next morning she still was not back and Mary thought she must have died in the snow and she said a prayer for her.

And now Mary owned the house and its garden and one day a handsome young man came and married her and they lived happily ever after.