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There was once a
shoemaker, who worked very hard and was very honest; but still he
could not earn enough to live upon, and at last all he had in the
world was gone, except just leather enough to make one pair of
shoes. Then he cut them all ready to make up the next day, meaning
to get up early in the morning to work. His conscience was clear,
and his heart light, amidst all his troubles; so he went peacefully
to bed, left all his cares to heaven, and fell asleep.
In the morning, after he had said his prayers, he sat himself down
to his work, when to his great surprise and wonder, there stood the
shoes already made upon the table. The good man knew not what to say
or think of this strange event. He looked at the workmanship; there
was not one false stitch in the whole job, and all was so neat and
true that it was a complete masterpiece. That same day a customer
came in, and the shoes pleased him so well that he willingly paid a
price higher than usual for them, and the poor shoemaker bought
leather enough with the money to make tow pairs more.
In the evening he cut out the work, and went to bed early, that he
might get up and begin betimes next day; but he was saved all the
trouble, for when he got up in the morning, the work was finished
ready to his hand. Presently, in came buyers, who paid him
handsomely for his goods, so that he bought leather for four pairs
more.
He cut out the work again over night, and found it finished in the
morning as before; and so it went on for some time—what was got
ready in the evening was always done by daybreak; and the good man
soon became thriving and prosperous again.
One evening about Christmas time, as he and his good wife were
sitting over the fire chatting together, he said to her: "I should
like to sit up and watch to-night, that we may see who t is that
comes and does my work for me." The wife liked the thought; so they
left the light burning and hid themselves behind a curtain that was
hung up there, and watched what should happen.
As soon as it was night, there came two little naked dwarfs; they
sat themselves upon the shoemaker's bench, took up all the work that
was cut out, and began to ply with their little fingers, stitching,
and rapping, and tapping away at such a rate that the shoemaker was
all amazement, and could not take his eyes off them for a moment.
And on they went busily till the job was finished, and the shoes
stood ready for use upon the table. This was long before daybreak,
and then they bustled away as quick as lightning.
The next day the wife said to the shoemaker, "These little dwarfs
have made us rich, and we ought to be thankful to them, and do
something for them in return. I am quite vexed to see them run about
as they do; they have nothing upon their backs to keep off the cold.
I'll tell you what, I will make each of them a shirt, a coat, a
waist-coat, and a pair of pantaloons into the bargain! You can make
each of them a little pair of shoes."
The thought pleased the good shoemaker very much; and one evening,
when all things were ready, they laid them on the table, instead of
the work that they used to cut our, and hid themselves to watch what
the little elves would do. About midnight they came in, and were
going to sit down to their work as usual, but when they saw the
clothes lying there for them, they laughed and were greatly
delighted. Then they dressed themselves, in the twinkling of an eye,
danced and capered, and sprang about as merry as could be, till at
last they danced out of the door over the green, and the shoemaker
saw them no more; but everything went well with him form that time
forward as long as he lived.
The Elves and the Shoemaker
A Fictional Short Story by
Agnes Taylor Ketchum & Ida M. Jorgensen
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