THE SHOEMAKER AND THE ELVES—II
At last the shoemaker said to his wife, "We must find out who makes the shoes."
So one bright moonlight night they hid behind a curtain, where they could watch the bench and not be seen.
Just on the stroke of midnight, two little elves jumped through the window.
They went skipping and dancing up to the bench.
Sitting cross-legged they took up the leather and began to work.
How their needles flew back and forth, back and forth!
How their little hammers beat rap-a-tap-tap, rap-a-tap-tap!
Almost before the shoemaker and his wife could think, the work was all done.
The tiny elves ran about, skipping and dancing, skipping and dancing.
Then, whisk! quick as a wink, they were gone.
The next morning the good shoemaker said to his wife, "What can we do for those dear little elves?"
"I should like very much to make some clothes for them," said his wife. "They were almost naked."
"If you will make their coats, I will make them some shoes," said the shoemaker. "Their little feet were bare."
When the clothes and shoes were ready, they were put upon the bench.
The shoemaker and his wife again hid behind the curtain.
Just as before, when the clock struck twelve, in jumped the tiny elves.
They went skipping and dancing, skipping and dancing, to their work.
They saw the little coats, the tiny stockings, and the neat little shoes.
They clapped their hands for joy.
Then, slipping on their clothes, they skipped, hand in hand, out of the window.
The shoemaker and his wife never saw the little elves again, but after that night, good luck seemed always to be with them.
English Folk Tale
THE SHIP
| laden | move |
I saw a ship a-sailing,
A-sailing on the sea;
And, oh, it was all laden
With pretty things for thee!
There were comfits in the cabin,
And apples in the hold;
The sails were made of silk,
And the masts were made of gold.
The four and twenty sailors
That stood between the decks
Were four and twenty white mice,
With chains about their necks.
The captain was a duck,
With a jacket on his back;
And when the ship began to move,
The captain said, "Quack! quack!"
Old English Rhyme
THE WOLF AND THE SEVEN YOUNG KIDS—I
| quietly | rough | piece | scissors |
| learned | thought | chalk | youngest |
There was once an old goat who had seven little kids.
She loved them all as much as any mother ever loved her children.
One day the old goat wished to go into the woods to get food for her kids.
Before she started she called them all to her and said:
"Dear children, I am going into the woods.
Now do not open the door while I am away.
If the old wolf should get into our hut, he would eat you all up, and not a hair would be left.
You can easily tell him by his rough voice and his black feet."
"Dear mother," cried all the young kids, "we will be very careful not to let the old wolf in.
You need not think of us at all, for we shall be quite safe."
So the old goat went on her way into the dark woods.
She had not been gone long when there came a loud rap at the door, and a voice cried:
"Open the door, my dear children. I have something here for each of you."
But the young kids knew by the rough voice that this was the old wolf.
So one of them said, "We shall not open the door. Our mother's voice is soft and gentle. Your voice is rough. You are a wolf."
The old wolf ran away to a shop, where he ate a piece of white chalk to make his voice soft.
Then he went back to the goat's hut and rapped at the door.
He spoke in a soft voice and said, "Open the door for me, my dear children. I am your mother."
But the oldest little goat thought of what his mother had said.
"If you are our mother, put your foot on the window sill, that we may see it."
When the wolf had done this, all the little goats cried out, "No, you are not our mother. We shall not open the door. Our mother's feet, are white and yours are black. Go away; you are the wolf."
Then the wolf went to the miller's, and said to him, "Mr. Miller, put some flour on my foot, for I have hurt it."
The miller was so afraid of the wolf that he did as he was told.
Then the wicked wolf went to the goat's house again and said, "Open the door, dear children, for I am your mother."
"Show us your foot," said the little kids.
So the wolf put his one white foot on the window sill.
When the little kids saw that it was white, they thought this was really their mother, and they opened the door.
In jumped the ugly old wolf, and all the little kids ran to hide themselves.
The first hid under the table, the second in the bed, the third in the oven, the fourth in the kitchen, the fifth in the cupboard, the sixth under the washtub, and the seventh, who was the smallest of all, in the tall clock.
The wolf quickly found and gobbled up all but the youngest, who was in the clock.
Then the wolf, who felt sleepy, went out and lay down on the green grass.
Soon he was fast asleep.
THE WOLF AND THE SEVEN YOUNG KIDS—II
Not long after this the old goat came home from the woods.
Ah, what did she see! The house door was wide open; the tables and chairs were upset.
The washtub was broken in pieces, and the bed was tipped over.
"Where are my dear children?" cried the poor goat.
At last she heard a little voice crying, "Dear mother, here I am in the tall clock."
The old goat helped the little goat out.
Soon she learned how the wolf had eaten her dear children.
Then she went out of the hut, and there on the grass lay the wolf sound asleep.
As the goat looked at the wicked old wolf, she thought she saw something jumping about inside him.
"Ah," she said, "it may be that my poor children are still alive."
So she sent the little kid into the house for a pair of scissors and a needle and some thread.
She quickly cut a hole in the side of the wicked old wolf.
At the first snip of the scissors, one of the kids stuck out his head.
As the old goat cut, more and more heads popped out.
At last all six of the kids jumped out upon the grass.
They went hopping and skipping about their mother.
Then the old goat said to them, "Go and bring me some large stones from the brook."
The seven little kids ran off to the brook and soon came back with seven large stones.
They put these stones inside the wicked old wolf.
The old goat sewed up the wolf's side so gently and quietly that he did not wake up nor move.
When at last the wicked wolf did wake up, the great stones inside him made him feel very heavy.
He was thirsty, too, so he walked down to the brook to drink.
The stones were so heavy that they tipped him over the edge of the bank into the deep water, and he was drowned.
WILLIAM AND JACOB GRIMM
THEY DIDN'T THINK
| danger | folks | seized |
Once a trap was baited
With a piece of cheese;
It tickled so a little mouse,
It almost made him sneeze.
An old rat said, "There's danger,
Be careful where you go!"
"Nonsense!" said the other,
"I don't think you know!"
So he walked in boldly—
Nobody in sight—
First he took a nibble,
Then he took a bite;
Close the trap together
Snapped as quick as wink,
Catching mousey fast there,
'Cause he didn't think.
Once there was a robin,
Lived outside the door,
Who wanted to go inside
And hop upon the floor.
"No, no," said the mother,
"You must stay with me;
Little birds are safest
Sitting in a tree."
"I don't care," said Robin,
And gave his tail a fling,
"I don't think the old folks
Know quite everything."
Down he flew, and kitty seized him
Before he'd time to blink;
"Oh," he cried, "I'm sorry,
But I didn't think."
PHŒBE CARY
TOM THUMB—I
| thumb | people | suit | reins |
| fought | frightened | brought | thistledown |
In the days of King Arthur, there lived a wise man named Merlin.
He knew all the fairies and where they lived.
Even the fairy queen was a friend of his.
Once, while he was traveling, night overtook him in a deep forest.
He rapped at the door of a small cottage and asked for some food.
Merlin looked so hungry and poor that the farmer and his wife took pity on him.
They not only gave him a bowl of milk with some brown bread, but they said he might stay through the night.
Merlin saw that, in spite of their pleasant cottage, both the farmer and his wife were very sad.
"Why are you sad?" asked Merlin.
"You seem to have a good farm, a pleasant cottage, and many things to make you happy."
"Ah!" said the woman, "we are unhappy because we have no child.
I should be the happiest woman in the world if I had a son.
Why, even if he were no bigger than my husband's thumb, we should love him dearly."
"That would be indeed a very strange kind of child," said Merlin, "but I hope you may have your wish."
Now Merlin was on his way to call on the queen of the fairies.
When he came to her castle the next day, he told the fairy queen the wish of the farmer's wife.
The queen of the fairies said, "The good woman shall have her wish. I will give her a son no larger than her husband's thumb."