“We must make some clothes for the poor little elves. They seemed quite ragged to me,” and she made two funny little suits and hung them on the bench. That night the elves saw them and put them on, but they were so funny that they both began to laugh until their sides ached so that they could hardly work. But they finished the shoes about daybreak and danced off up the chimney in their new clothes—but they never came back! Perhaps they felt that it was not necessary any longer now that the shoemaker was prosperous.
THE LITTLE RED HEN
The lazy do not deserve to be fed by the industrious. Every one should contribute his share.
Once there lived a frog, a cat and a little red hen in a tiny house. The frog was so lazy that he would not even jump to catch a fly; the cat was too lazy to catch a mouse that ran across her tail. The little red hen had to do all the work.
One morning the little red hen said: “Who will build the fire?” “Not I,” said the frog. “Not I,” said the cat. “Then I will,” said the little red hen, and she built the fire.
“Who will make the bread?” said the little red hen. “Not I,” said the frog. “Not I,” said the cat. “Then I will,” said the little red hen, and she made the bread.
“Who will lay the table?” said the little red hen. “Not I,” said the frog. “Not I,” said the cat. “Then I will,” said the little red hen, and she laid the table.
Then the frog and cat got up on their chairs, took up their knives and forks, and made ready to eat breakfast. “Who will eat this bread?” said the little red hen. “I will,” said the frog. “I will,” said the cat. “No, you will not,” said the little red hen. “I will eat it myself.” And the little red hen grabbed the bread and flew down the road until she came to a pasture.
She sat down and began to eat. An old fox was hungry that morning and had not provided for his family. He came down the road looking for a rabbit. “I smell fresh bread,” said he, and began to sniff. “I smell a little red hen,” and he sniffed once more.