The little tree said:
"All the other trees in the woods have beautiful leaves, but I have only needles. I do not like needles. I wish I could have leaves. But I should like to be more beautiful than the other trees. I should not like green leaves. I should like gold leaves."
The little tree went to sleep.
A fairy happened to be passing and said to herself:
"This little pine tree would like gold leaves. It shall have them."
Next morning the tree woke up and found that it was covered with leaves of shining gold.
"How beautiful!" said the tree. "No other tree has gold leaves!"
Soon a man came by with a bag.
He saw the gold leaves.
He ran to the little pine tree and began to pull them off and to put them into his bag.