“Deary me, how slowly we sew ’cause the thread snarls so!” exclaimed Margaret.
“You must have a lazy man’s thread,” replied Sir Bodkin laughing.
“What kind is that?” asked Margaret looking up in surprise.
“One that’s too long. Longer than arm’s length. You might think it easier to use one, and that you could sew faster. But you can’t. It takes longer to pull it through every time and it’s sure to get snarled and knotted. A short thread is better,” said Sir Bodkin. “Did you ever hear the story of the tailor’s daughter?”
“No,” said Margaret, “tell it to me.”
“Well,” began the King, seating himself on a spool of thread as they worked, “it was this way: Once upon a time there was an old tailor who had a very beautiful daughter. He also had in his shop two young tailors working for him. Now both these young tailors loved the daughter and wanted to marry her. So each one asked the father for her hand. They were both good and the old tailor couldn’t choose between them. So he said: ‘The one who can make a suit of clothes first shall have her.’
“Each at once set to work on a suit of clothes and the beautiful daughter threaded their needles for them. Now one of the two young tailors was the daughter’s favorite. Of course she wanted him to get through first. So she threaded the other one’s needles with great long threads which made him sew very slowly. But she threaded with short threads the needles of the one she loved, and he sewed so fast that he got through first. So he won the beautiful daughter’s hand in marriage and they lived happily ever afterward.”
“Oh, I’m so glad!” cried Margaret who dearly loved a story. “That is a lovely story, Sir Bodkin.”