THE SHOEMAKER AND THE ELVES
A fairy story to show that help often comes from unexpected directions.
Now this is a story about a poor shoemaker who worked very hard and paid his debts and lived peaceably with his neighbors. He could hardly make enough to live on, and at last had just enough leather to make one pair of shoes. So he cut them out at night and laid them down to be finished in the morning.
He slept well and rose early to begin his labor. He said his prayers and ate his porridge and then went to his bench. Great was his wonder when he saw the shoes already sewed and finished and upon the table.
“Who has done this for me?” he asked. His wife came running up to wonder also, but nobody knew who had finished the shoes. That very day a man came in and bought the shoes because they were so well made, and stitched so carefully. Then he had money enough to buy leather for two pairs of shoes. So that night he cut out two pairs and laid them on the floor and went to bed as before, expecting to finish them in the morning.
But the same thing happened again. The shoes were finished carefully and were set upon the table and ready for customers. The shoemaker and his wife could not tell how it happened. That very day two men customers came by and bought the shoes.
Now the shoemaker bought leather for four pairs of shoes, and again they were finished for him in the morning and customers came by and bought them. And so it went on. No matter how many shoes the shoemaker cut out and laid on the floor, they were all ready for the customer the next day.
The shoemaker now had plenty of money, but he was not proud. One night he said to his wife:
“I think we will watch to see who stitches the shoes.” And so they sat up and looked through a crack in the door. About midnight there came two little elves and began to stitch and sew with magic fingers. They worked with great glee and so fast that shoe after shoe fell from their little hands, all finished, ready to sell the next day. Putting them on the table the elves danced and punched each other in the side and disappeared up the chimney.
The next day his wife said: