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The Elves and The
Shoemaker
by The Brothers Grimm
A shoemaker, by no fault of his own, had become so poor that at last he
had nothing left but leather for one pair of shoes. So in the evening,
he cut out the shoes which he wished to begin to make the next morning,
and as he had a good conscience, he lay down quietly in his bed,
commended himself to God, and fell asleep. In the morning, after he had
said his prayers, and was just going to sit down to work, the two shoes
stood quite finished on his table. He was astounded, and knew not what
to say to it. He took the shoes in his hands to observe them closer,
and they were so neatly made that there was not one bad stitch in them,
just as if they were intended as a masterpiece. Soon after, a buyer
came in, and as the shoes pleased him so well, he paid more for them
than was customary, and, with the money, the shoemaker was able to
purchase leather for two pairs of shoes. He cut them out at night, and
next morning was about to set to work with fresh courage; but he had no
need to do so, for, when he got up, they were already made, and buyers
also were not wanting, who gave him money enough to buy leather for
four pairs of shoes. The following morning, too, he found the four
pairs made; and so it went on constantly, what he cut out in the
evening was finished by the morning, so that he soon had his honest
independence again, and at last became a wealthy man. Now it befell
that one evening not long before Christmas, when the man had been
cutting out, he said to his wife, before going to bed, "What think you
if we were to stay up to-night to see who it is that lends us this
helping hand?" The woman liked the idea, and lighted a candle, and then
they hid themselves in a corner of the room, behind some clothes which
were hanging up there, and watched. When it was midnight, two pretty
little naked men came, sat down by the shoemaker's table, took all the
work which was cut out before them and began to stitch, and sew, and
hammer so skilfully and so quickly with their little fingers that the
shoemaker could not turn away his eyes for astonishment. They did not
stop until all was done, and stood finished on the table, and they ran
quickly away.
Next morning the woman said, "The little men have made us rich, and we
really must show that we are grateful for it. They run about so, and
have nothing on, and must be cold. I'll tell thee what I'll do: I will
make them little shirts, and coats, and vests, and trousers, and knit
both of them a pair of stockings, and do thou, too, make them two
little pairs of shoes." The man said, "I shall be very glad to do it;"
and one night, when everything was ready, they laid their presents all
together on the table instead of the cut-out work, and then concealed
themselves to see how the little men would behave. At midnight they
came bounding in, and wanted to get to work at once, but as they did
not find any leather cut out, but only the pretty little articles of
clothing, they were at first astonished, and then they showed intense
delight. They dressed themselves with the greatest rapidity, putting
the pretty clothes on, and singing,
"Now we are boys so fine to see, Why should we longer cobblers be?"
Then they danced and skipped and leapt over chairs and benches. At last
they danced out of doors. From that time forth they came no more, but
as long as the shoemaker lived all went well with him, and all his
undertakings prospered.
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