Once there was a widower who had a son and a daughter by his first marriage. Both were good children and loved each other dearly. Some time later, the man married a widow who had a daughter by her first husband. This girl was both ugly and bad, like her mother. From the day the new wife arrived, there was no peace for her stepchildren. Eventually, the boy decided to go out into the world to earn his own bread.
After wandering for a while, he came to a king's palace and got a job under the coachman. He was quick and willing, and the horses he cared for became so sleek and clean that their coats shone.
Meanwhile, his sister at home was treated worse than ever. Her stepmother and stepsister constantly scolded and snarled at her, no matter what she did. The poor girl had no peace. She was forced to do all the hard work, received little food, and was met with nothing but harsh words.
One day, they sent her to the stream to fetch water. Suddenly, an ugly head popped out of the pool and said, "Wash me, you lassie."
"Yes, with all my heart, I'll wash you," said the lassie, though she found the task unpleasant.
As soon as she finished, a second, even uglier head appeared. "Brush me, you lassie," it said.
"Yes, with all my heart, I'll brush you," she replied, tackling the matted locks.
Then, a third head, more loathsome than the others combined, emerged. "Kiss me, you lassie!"
"Yes, I'll kiss you," said the lassie, doing so despite her disgust.
The heads then chattered together, deciding on rewards for the kind girl. The first said she would become the prettiest lassie in the world, fair as the bright day. The second said gold would drop from her hair every time she brushed it. The third said gold would fall from her mouth every time she spoke.
When the lassie returned home, radiantly beautiful, her stepmother and stepsister grew furious, especially when they saw golden guineas fall from her mouth. In a rage, the stepmother chased the girl into the pigsty, declaring it the right place for her.
Soon after, the stepmother sent her own daughter to the stream. When the first head asked to be washed, the girl rudely refused. She similarly refused the second head's request to be brushed and the third's request for a kiss, insulting it.
The heads then conferred and cursed the spiteful girl: she would have a nose four ells long, a snout three ells long, a pine-bush in the middle of her forehead, and ashes would fall from her mouth whenever she spoke.
When the daughter returned home deformed, her mother was horrified, but the curse could not be undone.
The brother, working at the palace, had a sketch of his sister. Every morning and evening, he knelt before it to pray for her. Other grooms saw this through the keyhole and spread rumors that he was praying to an idol. They eventually convinced the king to look.
The king peered through the keyhole and saw the boy praying before the picture. He called out, and when the boy finally opened the door, the king saw the portrait. He was mesmerized by the girl's beauty.
"So lovely a woman there isn't in all the wide world," said the king.
The boy explained it was his sister. The king, enamored, declared, "Well, if she's so lovely, I'll have her for my queen," and ordered the boy to fetch her immediately.
The brother returned home for his sister. The stepmother and stepsister insisted on coming too. The good lassie brought a casket of gold and her little dog, Little Flo—her only inheritances from her mother.
They set off on a boat across a lake. During the journey, the stepmother deceitfully translated the brother's directions. First, she told the lassie her brother said to throw the casket overboard, which the obedient girl did. Then, she said he ordered her to throw Little Flo overboard. Heartbroken, the lassie complied. Finally, the stepmother claimed the brother said she must throw herself overboard. Believing she must obey, the lassie leapt into the lake.
When the group arrived at the palace, the king was terrified by the monstrous Bushy Bride (the stepsister). However, with the wedding prepared and guests waiting, he was forced to marry her. Enraged, he had the brother thrown into a pit full of snakes.
On the first Thursday night after the wedding, a lovely lady entered the kitchen at midnight. She borrowed a brush from the kitchen-maid, and as she brushed her hair, gold dropped from it. Her little dog, Little Flo, was by her side. She sent the dog out three times to check for dawn, each time saying, "Run out, Little Flo, and see if it will soon be day." As she left at dawn, she sang a sad song about the Bushy Bride lying warm by the king while she slept on sand and gravel, and her brother among adders. She said she would come twice more, then never again.
The kitchen-maid reported this to the king. The next Thursday, the king tried to stay awake in the kitchen to see for himself, but the Bushy Bride's chanting lulled him to sleep. The lovely lady came again, repeated her actions, and left, saying she would come once more.
On the third Thursday, the king had two men hold him up to stay awake and two others watch the Bushy Bride. As night wore on, the Bushy Bride's singing made the king drowsy. The lovely lady appeared once more. Just as she was about to leave forever, the king's attendants managed to make him prick her little finger with a knife, drawing blood.
This broke the spell. The true bride was restored, and the king awoke. She told him the whole story of the deception. The king immediately rescued her brother from the snake pit—unharmed—and threw the stepmother and stepsister into it instead.
The king was overjoyed to be rid of the Bushy Bride and to have his true, radiant queen. A grand wedding was held, celebrated across seven kingdoms. The king and queen drove in their coach to get the best wafers, with Little Flo by their side, and lived happily ever after.