A Tale by Grimm Brothers
[1]
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.
[2]
So in the evening, he cut out the shoes which he wished to begin to make the next morning,
[3]
and as he had a good conscience, he lay down quietly in his bed, commended himself to God, and fell asleep.
[4]
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.
[5]
He was astounded, and knew not what to say to it.
[6]
He took the shoes in his hands to observe them closer, and they were so neatly made
[7]
that there was not one bad stitch in them, just as if they were intended as a masterpiece.
[8]
Soon after, a buyer came in, and as the shoes pleased him so well, he paid more for them than was customary,
[9]
and, with the money, the shoemaker was able to purchase leather for two pairs of shoes.
[10]
He cut them out at night, and next morning was about to set to work with fresh courage;
[11]
but he had no need to do so, for, when he got up, they were already made, and buyers also were not wanting,
[12]
who gave him money enough to buy leather for four pairs of shoes.
[13]
The following morning, too, he found the four pairs made;
[14]
and so it went on constantly, what he cut out in the evening was finished by the morning,
[15]
so that he soon had his honest independence again, and at last became a wealthy man.
[16]
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,
[17]
“What do you think if we were to stay up tonight to see who it is that lends us this helping hand?”
[18]
The woman liked the idea, and lighted a candle, and then they hid themselves in a corner of the room,
[19]
behind some clothes which were hanging up there, and watched.
[20]
When it was midnight, two pretty little naked men came,
[21]
sat down by the shoemaker’s table, took all the work which was cut out before them
[22]
and began to stitch, and sew, and hammer so skilfully and so quickly with their little fingers
[23]
that the shoemaker could not turn away his eyes for astonishment.
[24]
They did not stop until all was done, and stood finished on the table, and they ran quickly away.
[25]
Next morning the woman said,
[26]
“The little men have made us rich, and we really must show that we are grateful for it.
[27]
“They run about so, and have nothing on, and must be cold.
[28]
“I’ll tell you what I’ll do: I will make them little shirts, and coats, and vests, and trousers,
[29]
and knit both of them a pair of stockings, and do you, too, make them two little pairs of shoes.”
[30]
The man said,
[31]
“I shall be very glad to do it.”
[32]
And one night, when everything was ready, they laid their presents all together on the table instead of the cut-out work,
[33]
and then concealed themselves to see how the little men would behave.
[34]
At midnight they came bounding in, and wanted to get to work at once, but as they did not find any leather cut out,
[35]
but only the pretty little articles of clothing, they were at first astonished, and then they showed intense delight.
[36]
They dressed themselves with the greatest rapidity, putting the pretty clothes on, and singing,
[37]
“Now we are boys so fine to see,
Why should we longer cobblers be?”
[38]
Then they danced and skipped and leapt over chairs and benches.
[39]
At last they danced out of doors.
[40]
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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