If they brought the child anywhere near the fire , it screamed loudly till they put it back into some cool place . The little maid throve wonderfully , and in a few months she could run about and speak . But she was not altogether easy to bring up , and gave her parents much trouble and anxiety , for all summer she insisted on spending in the cellar , and in the winter she would sleep outside in the snow , and the colder it was the happier she seemed to be . Her father and mother called her simply ` Our Snow-daughter , ' and this name stuck to her all her life . One day her parents sat by the fire , talking over the extraordinary behaviour of their daughter , who was disporting herself in the snowstorm that raged outside . The woman sighed deeply and said , ' I wish I had given birth to a Fire-son ! ' As she said these words , a spark from the big wood fire flew into the woman 's lap , and she said with a laugh , ` Now perhaps I shall give birth to a Fire-son ! ' The man laughed at his wife 's words , and thought it was a good joke . But he ceased to think it a joke when his wife shortly afterwards gave birth to a boy , who screamed lustily till he was put quite close to the fire , and who nearly yelled himself into a fit if the Snow-daughter came anywhere near him . The Snow-daughter herself avoided him as much as she could , and always crept into a corner as far away from him as possible . The parents called the boy simply ` Our Fire-son , ' a name which stuck to him all his life . They had a great deal of trouble and worry with him too ; but he throve and grew very quickly , and before he was a year old he could run about and talk . He was as red as fire , and as hot to touch , and he always sat on the hearth quite close to the fire , and complained of the cold ; if his sister were in the room he almost crept into the flames , while the girl on her part always complained of the great heat if her brother were anywhere near . In summer the boy always lay out in the sun , while the girl hid herself in the cellar : so it happened that the brother and sister came very little into contact with each other -- in fact , they carefully avoided it . Just as the girl grew up into a beautiful woman , her father and mother both died one after the other . Then the Fire-son , who had grown up in the meantime into a fine , strong young man , said to his sister , ' I am going out into the world , for what is the use of remaining on here ? ' ' I shall go with you , ' she answered , ` for , except you , I have no one in the world , and I have a feeling that if we set out together we shall be lucky . ' The Fire-son said , ' I love you with all my heart , but at the same time I always freeze if you are near me , and you nearly die of heat if I approach you ! How shall we travel about together without being odious the one to the other ? ' ` Do n't worry about that , ' replied the girl , ` for I 've thought it all over , and have settled on a plan which will make us each able to bear with the other !
See , I have had a fur cloak made for each XXXXX us , and if we put them on I shall not feel the heat so much nor you the cold . '
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