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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