1
00:00:00,320 --> 00:00:07,519
Little Gretchen and the Wooden Shoe by
Elizabeth Harrison. Once upon a time,

2
00:00:08,199 --> 00:00:14,599
a long time ago, far away
across the Great Ocean, in a country

3
00:00:14,759 --> 00:00:20,559
called Germany, there could be seen
a small log hut on the edge of

4
00:00:20,600 --> 00:00:27,079
a great forest, whose fir trees
extended for miles and miles to the north.

5
00:00:27,679 --> 00:00:33,280
This little house, made of heavy
hewn logs, had but one room

6
00:00:33,359 --> 00:00:38,600
in it. A rough pine door
gave entrance to this room, and a

7
00:00:38,679 --> 00:00:45,600
small square window admitted the light.
At the back of the house was built

8
00:00:45,640 --> 00:00:51,799
an old fashioned stone chimney, out
of which in winter curled a thin blue

9
00:00:51,840 --> 00:00:59,759
smoke, showing that there was not
very much fire within. Small as the

10
00:01:00,000 --> 00:01:04,480
house was, it was large enough
for two people who lived in it.

11
00:01:04,959 --> 00:01:11,159
I want to tell you a story
to day about these two people. One

12
00:01:11,799 --> 00:01:18,040
was an old, gray haired woman, so old that the little children of

13
00:01:18,079 --> 00:01:23,159
the village nearly half a mile away
often wondered whether she had come into the

14
00:01:23,200 --> 00:01:30,959
world with the huge mountains and the
giant fir trees which stood like giants back

15
00:01:30,200 --> 00:01:38,280
of her small hut. Her face
was wrinkled all over with deep lines,

16
00:01:38,840 --> 00:01:45,680
which, if the children could only
have read aright, would have told them

17
00:01:45,680 --> 00:01:55,239
of many years of cheerful happy self
sacrifice, of loving anxious watching beside sick

18
00:01:55,359 --> 00:02:01,120
beds, of quiet, endurance of
pain, of many a day of hunger

19
00:02:01,319 --> 00:02:07,879
and cold, and of a thousand
deeds of unselfish love for other people.

20
00:02:08,560 --> 00:02:15,159
But of course they could not read
this strange handwriting. They only knew that

21
00:02:15,319 --> 00:02:22,639
she was old and wrinkled, and
that she stooped as she walked. None

22
00:02:22,719 --> 00:02:27,960
of them seemed to fear her,
for her smile was always cheerful, and

23
00:02:28,159 --> 00:02:32,120
she had a kindly word for each
of them if they chanced to meet her

24
00:02:32,520 --> 00:02:38,599
on her way to and from the
village. With this old old woman lived

25
00:02:38,800 --> 00:02:45,960
a very little girl. So bright
and happy was she that the travelers who

26
00:02:46,039 --> 00:02:51,400
passed by the lonesome little house on
the edge of the forest often thought of

27
00:02:51,560 --> 00:02:57,960
as Sunbeam as they saw her.
These two people were known in the village

28
00:02:58,479 --> 00:03:06,240
as Granny Goodyear and little Gretchen.
The winter had come and the frost had

29
00:03:06,280 --> 00:03:10,000
snapped off many of the smaller branches
of the pine trees in the forest.

30
00:03:12,039 --> 00:03:17,479
Gretchen and her Grannie were up by
daybreak. Each morning. After their simple

31
00:03:17,560 --> 00:03:23,919
breakfast of oatmeal, Gretchen would run
to the little closet and fetch Grannie's old

32
00:03:24,039 --> 00:03:31,639
woolen shawl, which seemed almost as
old as Grannie herself. Gretchen always claimed

33
00:03:31,759 --> 00:03:37,639
the right to put the shawl over
Grannie's head, even though she had to

34
00:03:37,800 --> 00:03:43,960
climb onto the wooden bench to do
it. After carefully pinning it under Grannie's

35
00:03:44,039 --> 00:03:49,400
chin, she gave her a good
bye kiss, and Grannie started out for

36
00:03:49,520 --> 00:03:55,520
her morning's work in the forest.
This work was nothing more nor less than

37
00:03:55,719 --> 00:04:01,759
the gathering up of the twigs and
branches which the autumn winds and winter frosts

38
00:04:01,800 --> 00:04:09,080
had thrown upon the ground. These
were carefully gathered into a large bundle,

39
00:04:09,520 --> 00:04:15,959
which Grannie tied together with a strong
linen band. She then managed to lift

40
00:04:16,000 --> 00:04:21,720
the bundle to her shoulder and trudged
off to the village with it. Here

41
00:04:21,839 --> 00:04:28,160
she sold the faggots for kindling wood
to the people of the village. Sometimes

42
00:04:28,519 --> 00:04:32,839
she would get only a few pence
each day, and sometimes a dozen or

43
00:04:32,920 --> 00:04:39,879
more. But on this money little
Gretchen and she managed to live. They

44
00:04:39,920 --> 00:04:45,360
had their home, and the forest
kindly furnished the wood for the fire,

45
00:04:45,920 --> 00:04:51,480
which kept them warm in winter.
In the summer time, Grannie had a

46
00:04:51,519 --> 00:04:58,199
little garden at the back of the
house, where she raised with little Gretchen's

47
00:04:58,319 --> 00:05:04,040
help. If you potato and turnips
and onions. These she carefully stored away

48
00:05:04,279 --> 00:05:11,079
for winter use. To this meager
supply, the pennies gained by selling the

49
00:05:11,120 --> 00:05:16,839
twigs from the forest added the oatmeal
for Gretchen and a little black coffee for

50
00:05:17,000 --> 00:05:24,560
Grannie. Meat was a thing they
never thought of having. It cost too

51
00:05:24,759 --> 00:05:30,720
much money. Still, Grannie and
Gretchen were very happy because they loved each

52
00:05:30,800 --> 00:05:38,439
other dearly. Sometimes Gretchen would be
left alone all day long in the hut

53
00:05:38,879 --> 00:05:44,680
because Grannie would have some work to
do in the village after selling her bundle

54
00:05:44,720 --> 00:05:50,360
of sticks and twigs. It was
during these long days that little Gretchen had

55
00:05:50,480 --> 00:05:57,959
taught herself to sing the song which
the wind sang to the pine branches in

56
00:05:58,000 --> 00:06:02,360
the summer time. She learned the
chirp and twitter of the birds, until

57
00:06:02,439 --> 00:06:10,240
her voice might almost be mistaken for
a bird's voice. She learned to dance

58
00:06:10,560 --> 00:06:16,160
as the swaying shadows did, and
even to talk to the stars which shone

59
00:06:16,360 --> 00:06:24,040
through the little square window when Grannie
came home late or too tired to talk.

60
00:06:24,879 --> 00:06:30,879
Sometimes when the weather was fine or
her. Grannie had an extra bundle

61
00:06:30,959 --> 00:06:35,600
of knitted stockings to take to the
village, she would let Little Gretchen go

62
00:06:35,759 --> 00:06:42,839
along with her. It chanced that
one of these trips to the town came

63
00:06:43,240 --> 00:06:49,000
just the week before Christmas, and
Gretchen's eyes were delighted by the sight of

64
00:06:49,120 --> 00:06:57,279
the lovely Christmas trees which stood in
the window of the village store. It

65
00:06:57,399 --> 00:07:02,560
seemed to her that she would never
tire of looking at the knit dolls,

66
00:07:03,079 --> 00:07:10,279
the wooly lambs, the little wooden
shops with their queer painted men and women

67
00:07:10,360 --> 00:07:15,360
in them, and all the other
fine things. She had never owned a

68
00:07:15,480 --> 00:07:20,680
plaything in her whole life. Therefore, toys which you and I would not

69
00:07:20,959 --> 00:07:28,720
think much of, seemed to her
very beautiful. That night, after their

70
00:07:28,759 --> 00:07:33,680
supper of baggag potatoes was over,
and little Gretchen had cleared away the dishes

71
00:07:33,720 --> 00:07:40,000
and swept up the heart, because
Granadeer was so tired, she brought her

72
00:07:40,040 --> 00:07:46,279
own little wooden stool and placed it
very near Grannie's feet and sat down upon

73
00:07:46,319 --> 00:07:51,360
it, folding her hands in her
lap. Grannie knew that this meant she

74
00:07:51,560 --> 00:07:58,600
wanted to be told about something,
so she smilingly laid away the large Bible

75
00:07:58,720 --> 00:08:03,279
which she had been reading, and
took up her knitting, which was as

76
00:08:03,360 --> 00:08:07,759
much as to say, well,
Gretchen, dear Grannie is ready to listen,

77
00:08:09,639 --> 00:08:13,879
Grannie, said Gretchen slowly. It's
almost Christmas time, isn't it.

78
00:08:15,839 --> 00:08:20,120
Yes, dearie, said Grannie.
Only five days more now, And then

79
00:08:20,240 --> 00:08:26,120
she sighed. But little Gretchen was
so happy that she did not notice Grannie's

80
00:08:26,160 --> 00:08:31,120
sigh. What do you think,
Grannie, I'll get this Christmas, said

81
00:08:31,159 --> 00:08:37,320
she, looking up eagerly into Grannie's
face. Ah, child child, said

82
00:08:37,360 --> 00:08:43,440
Grannie, shaking her head. You'll
have no Christmas this year. We are

83
00:08:43,519 --> 00:08:48,600
too poor for that. Oh,
but Grannie interrupted little Gretchen. Think of

84
00:08:48,679 --> 00:08:54,519
all the beautiful toys we saw in
the village to day. Surely Santa Claus

85
00:08:54,600 --> 00:09:01,919
has sent enough for every little child. Ah, dear, those toys are

86
00:09:01,960 --> 00:09:07,159
for people who can pay for them, and we have no money to spend

87
00:09:07,200 --> 00:09:11,759
for Christmas toys. Well, Grannie, said Gretchen. Perhaps some of the

88
00:09:11,840 --> 00:09:16,840
little children who live in the great
House on the hill at the other end

89
00:09:16,879 --> 00:09:20,559
of the village will be willing to
share some of their toys with me.

90
00:09:22,240 --> 00:09:24,840
They will be glad to give some
to a little girl who has none,

91
00:09:26,799 --> 00:09:33,120
dear child, Dear child, said
Grannie, leaning forward and stroking the soft

92
00:09:33,320 --> 00:09:37,440
shiny hair of the little girl.
Your heart is full of love. You

93
00:09:37,799 --> 00:09:43,039
would be glad to bring a Christmas
to every child, But their heads are

94
00:09:43,200 --> 00:09:50,360
so full of what they are going
to get that they forget all about anybody

95
00:09:50,360 --> 00:09:56,759
else but themselves. Then she sighed
and shook her head. Well, Grannie,

96
00:09:56,799 --> 00:10:01,879
said Gretchen, her bright happy of
voice growing a little less joyous.

97
00:10:03,600 --> 00:10:09,159
Perhaps the dear Santa Claus will show
some of the village children how to make

98
00:10:09,279 --> 00:10:15,639
presents that do not cost money,
and some of them may surprise me Christmas

99
00:10:15,679 --> 00:10:20,799
morning with the present. And Grannie
dear added she, springing up from her

100
00:10:20,799 --> 00:10:26,679
low stool. Can't I gather some
of the pine branches and take them to

101
00:10:26,759 --> 00:10:31,080
the old sick man who lives in
the house by the mill, so that

102
00:10:31,200 --> 00:10:35,720
he can have the sweet smell of
our forests in his room on Christmas Day?

103
00:10:37,639 --> 00:10:41,639
Yes, dearie, said Grannie.
You may do what you can to

104
00:10:41,679 --> 00:10:48,279
make the Christmas bright and happy,
but you must not expect any present yourself.

105
00:10:48,559 --> 00:10:54,000
Oh but, Grannie, said little
Gretchen, her face brightening, you

106
00:10:54,200 --> 00:10:58,960
forgot all about the shining Christmas angels
who came down to earth and sang them

107
00:11:00,039 --> 00:11:05,080
their wonderful song the night the beautiful
christ Child was born. They are so

108
00:11:05,320 --> 00:11:13,240
loving and good that they will not
forget any little child. I shall ask

109
00:11:13,399 --> 00:11:18,360
my dear stars to night to tell
them of us, you know, she

110
00:11:18,559 --> 00:11:22,200
added, with a look of relief. The stars are so very high that

111
00:11:22,360 --> 00:11:28,559
they must know the angels quite well
as they come and go with their messages

112
00:11:28,799 --> 00:11:35,559
from the loving God. Grannie sighed
as she half whispered, poor child,

113
00:11:35,000 --> 00:11:41,559
poor child. But Gretchen threw her
arm around Grannie's neck and gave her a

114
00:11:41,720 --> 00:11:46,879
hearty kiss, saying as she did
so, Oh Grannie, Grannie, you

115
00:11:46,960 --> 00:11:52,039
don't talk to the stars often enough, as you would not be said at

116
00:11:52,159 --> 00:11:58,360
Christmas time. Then she danced all
around the room, whirling her little skirts

117
00:11:58,399 --> 00:12:05,360
about her to show Grannie how the
wind had made the snow dance that day.

118
00:12:05,039 --> 00:12:11,279
She looked so droll and funny that
Grannie forgot her cares and worries and

119
00:12:11,480 --> 00:12:16,799
loved with little Gretchen over her new
snow dance. The days passed on,

120
00:12:16,320 --> 00:12:22,240
and the morning before Christmas Eve came
Gretchen, having tied it up the little

121
00:12:22,320 --> 00:12:30,000
room for Grannie had taught her to
be a careful little housewife, was off

122
00:12:30,039 --> 00:12:35,840
to the forest, singing a birdlike
song, almost as happy and free as

123
00:12:35,120 --> 00:12:43,240
the birds themselves. She was very
busy that day preparing a surprise for Grannie.

124
00:12:43,000 --> 00:12:48,360
First, however, she gathered the
most beautiful of the fir branches within

125
00:12:48,440 --> 00:12:54,360
her reach to take the next morning
to the old sick man who lived by

126
00:12:54,399 --> 00:13:00,639
the mill. The day was all
too short for the happily little girl.

127
00:13:01,320 --> 00:13:07,600
When Grannie came trudging wearily home that
night, she found the frame of the

128
00:13:07,679 --> 00:13:13,279
doorway covered with green pine branches.
It is to welcome you, Grannie,

129
00:13:13,600 --> 00:13:18,600
It is to welcome you, cried
Gretchen, our dear old home wanted to

130
00:13:18,679 --> 00:13:24,240
give you a Christmas welcome. Don't
you see the branches of the evergreen naked,

131
00:13:24,480 --> 00:13:28,000
look as if it were smiling all
over, And it is trying to

132
00:13:28,120 --> 00:13:35,759
say a happy Christmas to you,
Grannie. Grannie laughed and kissed the little

133
00:13:35,799 --> 00:13:41,120
girl as they opened the door and
went in together. Here was a new

134
00:13:41,240 --> 00:13:46,960
surprise for Grannie. The four posts
of the wooden bed which stood in one

135
00:13:48,000 --> 00:13:54,840
corner of the room had been trimmed
by the busy little fingers with smaller and

136
00:13:54,039 --> 00:14:01,080
more flexible branches of the pine trees. A small bouquet of red mountain ash

137
00:14:01,200 --> 00:14:07,120
berries stood at each side of the
fireplace, and these, together with the

138
00:14:07,200 --> 00:14:13,000
trimmed posts of the bed, gave
the plain old room quite a festive look.

139
00:14:13,480 --> 00:14:20,600
Gretchen laughed and clapped her hands and
danced about until the house seemed full

140
00:14:20,639 --> 00:14:26,000
of music to poor tired Grannie,
whose heart had been sad as she turned

141
00:14:26,000 --> 00:14:33,559
toward their home that night, thinking
of the disappointment that must come to loving

142
00:14:33,720 --> 00:14:39,919
little Gretchen. The next morning,
after supper was over, little Gretchen drew

143
00:14:39,960 --> 00:14:46,120
her stool up to Grannie's side,
and, laying her soft little hands on

144
00:14:46,200 --> 00:14:52,639
Grannie's knee, asked to be told
once again the story of the coming of

145
00:14:52,720 --> 00:14:56,919
the Christ Child, how the night
that he was born, the beautiful angels

146
00:14:58,200 --> 00:15:03,399
had sung their wonderful song, and
how the whole sky had become bright with

147
00:15:03,519 --> 00:15:11,360
a strange and glorious light never seen
by the people of earth before. Gretchen

148
00:15:11,519 --> 00:15:18,320
had heard the story many many times
before, but she never grew tired of

149
00:15:18,399 --> 00:15:24,679
it, and now that Christmas Eve
had come again, the happy little child

150
00:15:24,720 --> 00:15:31,480
wanted to hear it once more.
When Grannie had finished telling it. The

151
00:15:31,600 --> 00:15:37,080
two sat quiet and silent for a
little while thinking it over. Then Grannie

152
00:15:37,200 --> 00:15:43,960
rose and said that it was time
for her to go to bed. She

153
00:15:43,039 --> 00:15:48,720
slowly took off her heavy wooden shoes, such as are worn in that country,

154
00:15:50,200 --> 00:15:54,639
and placed them beside the hearth.
Gretchy looked thoughtfully at them for a

155
00:15:54,679 --> 00:16:00,799
minute or two, and then she
said, Grannie, don't you think that

156
00:16:02,320 --> 00:16:07,960
somebody in all this wild world will
think of us to night? Nay,

157
00:16:08,120 --> 00:16:15,279
Gretchen, I do not think any
one will. Well, then, Grannie

158
00:16:15,320 --> 00:16:21,000
said, Gretchen, the Christmas angels
will, I know. So I am

159
00:16:21,039 --> 00:16:26,320
going to take one of your wooden
shoes and put it on the window sill

160
00:16:26,480 --> 00:16:32,080
outside, so that they may see
it as they pass by. I am

161
00:16:32,240 --> 00:16:37,679
sure the stars will tell the Christmas
angels where the shoe is. Ah,

162
00:16:38,080 --> 00:16:44,879
you foolish, foolish child, said
Grannie. You are only getting ready for

163
00:16:44,960 --> 00:16:49,840
a disappointment to morrow morning. There
will be nothing whatever in the shoe.

164
00:16:51,519 --> 00:16:56,559
I can tell you that now.
But little Gretchen would not listen. She

165
00:16:56,679 --> 00:17:03,559
only shook her head and cried,
ah, Grannie, you do not talk

166
00:17:03,720 --> 00:17:08,319
enough to the stars. With this, she seized the shoe, and opening

167
00:17:08,359 --> 00:17:14,319
the door, hurried out to place
it on the window sill. It was

168
00:17:14,640 --> 00:17:21,319
very dark without, and something soft
and cold seemed to gently kiss her hair

169
00:17:21,440 --> 00:17:26,599
and face. Gretchy knew by this
that it was snowing, and she looked

170
00:17:26,680 --> 00:17:30,440
up to the sky, anxious to
see if the stars were inside. But

171
00:17:30,559 --> 00:17:37,720
a strong wind was tumbling the dark, heavy snow clouds about and had shut

172
00:17:37,759 --> 00:17:44,839
away all else. Never mind,
said Gretchen softly to herself. The stars

173
00:17:44,839 --> 00:17:48,720
are up there, even if I
can't see them, and the Christmas Angels

174
00:17:48,920 --> 00:17:56,400
do not mind snow storms. Just
then a rough wind went sweeping by the

175
00:17:56,480 --> 00:18:03,920
little girl, whispering something to her
which she could not understand. And then

176
00:18:03,079 --> 00:18:08,599
it made a sudden rush up to
the snow clouds and parted them so that

177
00:18:08,720 --> 00:18:15,160
the deep, mysterious sky appeared beyond, and shining down out of the midst

178
00:18:15,240 --> 00:18:22,240
of it was Gretchen's favorite star.
Ah, a little star, little star,

179
00:18:22,759 --> 00:18:26,319
said the child, laughing anout.
I knew you were there, though

180
00:18:26,400 --> 00:18:32,920
I could not see you. Will
you whisper to the Christmas Angels as they

181
00:18:33,039 --> 00:18:38,480
come by that little Gretchen wants so
very much to have a Christmas gift tomorrow

182
00:18:38,599 --> 00:18:44,599
morning if they have one to spare, and that she has put one of

183
00:18:44,759 --> 00:18:49,960
Grannie's shoes upon the window sill for
it. A moment more, and the

184
00:18:51,039 --> 00:18:56,240
little girl, standing on tiptoe,
had reached the window sill and placed the

185
00:18:56,319 --> 00:19:03,079
shoe upon it, and was back
again the house beside Grannie and the warm

186
00:19:03,200 --> 00:19:08,240
fire. The two went quietly to
bed, and that night, as little

187
00:19:08,319 --> 00:19:15,960
Gretchen knelt to pray to the heavenly
Father, she thanked him for having sent

188
00:19:15,200 --> 00:19:22,319
the christ Child into the world to
teach all mankind to be loving and unselfish,

189
00:19:22,640 --> 00:19:29,279
And in a few minutes she was
sleeping, dreaming of the Christmas Angels.

190
00:19:29,839 --> 00:19:34,079
The next morning, very early,
even before the sun was up,

191
00:19:34,599 --> 00:19:41,880
Little Gretchen was awakened by the sound
of sweet music coming from the village.

192
00:19:42,240 --> 00:19:48,960
She listened for a moment, and
then she knew that the choir boys were

193
00:19:48,079 --> 00:19:55,519
singing the Christmas carols in the open
air of the village street. She sprang

194
00:19:55,720 --> 00:20:00,599
up out of bed and began to
dress herself as quickly as possible, singing

195
00:20:00,759 --> 00:20:07,039
as she dressed, while Grannie was
slowly putting on her clothes. Little Gretchen,

196
00:20:07,400 --> 00:20:14,240
having finished dressing herself, unfastened the
door and hurried out to see what

197
00:20:14,359 --> 00:20:21,119
the Christmas angels had left in the
old wooden shoe. The white snow covered

198
00:20:21,240 --> 00:20:27,839
everything, trees, stumps, roads
and pastures, until the whole world looked

199
00:20:29,359 --> 00:20:36,519
like a fairy land. Gretchen climbed
up on a large stone which was beneath

200
00:20:36,599 --> 00:20:41,839
the window, and carefully lifted down
the wooden shoe. The snow tumbled off

201
00:20:41,880 --> 00:20:47,880
of it in a shower over the
little girl's hands, but she did not

202
00:20:48,039 --> 00:20:52,880
heed that. She ran hurriedly back
into the house, putting her hand into

203
00:20:52,960 --> 00:20:57,440
the toe of the shoe as she
ran. Oh, Grannie, Grannie,

204
00:20:57,480 --> 00:21:03,200
she exclaimed, She did not believe
the Christmas angels would think about us,

205
00:21:03,599 --> 00:21:11,119
But see they have they have.
Here is a dear little bird nestled down

206
00:21:11,279 --> 00:21:17,839
in the toe of your shoe.
Oh isn't he beautiful? Grannie came forward

207
00:21:18,319 --> 00:21:23,920
and looked at what the child was
holding lovingly in her hand. There she

208
00:21:25,039 --> 00:21:32,160
saw a tiny chickadee, whose wing
was evidently broken by the rough and boisterous

209
00:21:32,240 --> 00:21:37,519
winds of the night before, and
who had taken shelter in the safe,

210
00:21:37,960 --> 00:21:44,200
dry toe of the old wooden shoe. She gently took the little bird out

211
00:21:44,240 --> 00:21:49,839
of Gretchen's hands and skillfully bound his
broken wing to his side so that he

212
00:21:49,960 --> 00:21:56,960
need not hurt himself trying to fly
with it. Then she showed Gretchen how

213
00:21:56,000 --> 00:22:02,559
to make a nice warm nest for
the little stranger close beside the fire,

214
00:22:03,039 --> 00:22:07,920
and when their breakfast was ready,
she let Gretchen feed the little bird with

215
00:22:08,000 --> 00:22:14,599
a few moist crumbs. Later in
the day, Gretchen carried the fresh green

216
00:22:14,720 --> 00:22:18,519
boughs to the old sick man by
the mill, and on her way home,

217
00:22:18,960 --> 00:22:25,160
stopped to enjoy the Christmas toys of
some other children that she knew,

218
00:22:25,759 --> 00:22:32,160
never once wishing they were hers.
When she reached home, she found that

219
00:22:32,279 --> 00:22:37,400
the little bird had gone to sleep. Soon, however, he opened his

220
00:22:37,559 --> 00:22:41,880
eyes and stretched his head up,
saying, just as plain as the bird

221
00:22:41,960 --> 00:22:47,759
can say, Now, my new
friends, if you want to give me

222
00:22:47,920 --> 00:22:55,119
something more to eat, Gretchen gladly
fed him again, and then holding him

223
00:22:55,240 --> 00:23:00,240
in her lap, she softly and
gently stroked his gray feathers until the little

224
00:23:00,279 --> 00:23:07,799
creature seemed to lose all fear of
her. That evening, Grannie taught her

225
00:23:07,880 --> 00:23:15,039
at Christmas hymn and told her another
beautiful Christmas story. Then Gretchen made up

226
00:23:15,039 --> 00:23:19,839
a funny little story to tell the
Birdye, he winked his eyes and turned

227
00:23:19,880 --> 00:23:26,119
his head from side to side in
such a droll fashion that Gretchen laughed until

228
00:23:26,200 --> 00:23:32,519
the tears came. As Grannie and
she got ready for bed that night,

229
00:23:33,079 --> 00:23:41,240
Gretchen put her arms softly around Grannie's
neck and whispered, what a beautiful Christmas

230
00:23:41,279 --> 00:23:45,920
we have had to day, Grannie? Is there anything more lovely in all

231
00:23:47,039 --> 00:23:52,559
the world than Christmas? Nay,
child, Nay, said Grannie, not

232
00:23:53,000 --> 00:24:02,480
to such loving hearts as yours,
and off Litle Gretchen and the Wooden Shoe

233
00:24:03,039 --> 00:24:04,000
by Elizabeth Harrison