Speaker 1: A shoemaker, by no fault of his own, had become
Speaker 1: so poor that at last he had nothing left but
Speaker 1: leather for one pair of shoes. So in the evening
Speaker 1: he cut out the shoes which he wished to make
Speaker 1: the next morning, and as he had a good conscience,
Speaker 1: he lay down quietly in his bed, commended himself to God,
Speaker 1: and fell asleep. In the morning, after he had said
Speaker 1: his prayers and was just going to sit down to work,
Speaker 1: lo both shoes stood all finished on his table. He
Speaker 1: was astounded and did not know what to say. He
Speaker 1: took the shoes in his hands to examine them closer,
Speaker 1: and they were so neatly made that there was no
Speaker 1: one bed stitch in them, just as if they were
Speaker 1: meant for a masterpiece. Soon after, a buyer came in,
Speaker 1: and as the shoes pleased him well, he paid more
Speaker 1: for them than was customary, and with the money the
Speaker 1: shoemaker was able to purchase leather for two pairs of shoes.
Speaker 1: He cut them out at night, and next morning was
Speaker 1: about to set to work with fresh courage, but he
Speaker 1: had no need to do so, for when he got
Speaker 1: up they were already made, and buyers also were not
Speaker 1: wanting who gave him money enough to buy leather for
Speaker 1: four pairs of shoes. The following morning, too, he found
Speaker 1: the four pairs made, and so it went on constantly.
Speaker 1: What he cut out in the evening was finished by morning,
Speaker 1: and so that he soon had his honest living again,
Speaker 1: and at last became a wealthy man. Now it befell
Speaker 1: that one evening, not long before Christmas, when the man
Speaker 1: had been cutting out, he said to his wife, before
Speaker 1: going to bed, what think you if we were to
Speaker 1: stay up tonight to see who it is that lends
Speaker 1: us this helping hand. The woman liked the idea and
Speaker 1: lit a candle, and then they hid themselves in a
Speaker 1: corner of the room behind some clothes which were hanging there,
Speaker 1: and watched. When it was midnight, two pretty tiny, naked
Speaker 1: little men came, sat down by the shoemaker's table, took
Speaker 1: all the work which was cut out before them, and
Speaker 1: began to stitch, sew, and hammer so skillfully and so
Speaker 1: quickly with their little fingers that the shoemaker could not
Speaker 1: turn away his eyes for astonishment. They did not stop
Speaker 1: until all was done, and stood finished on the table,
Speaker 1: and then they ran quickly away. Next morning, the woman said,
Speaker 1: the little men have made us rich, and we really
Speaker 1: must show that we are grateful for it. They run
Speaker 1: about so much and have nothing on and must be cold.
Speaker 1: I'll tell you what I'll do. I will make them
Speaker 1: little shirts, coats, vests, and trousers, and knit them both
Speaker 1: a pair of stockings. Do you make them two little
Speaker 1: pairs of shoes? The man said, I shall be very
Speaker 1: glad to do it. And one night, when everything was ready,
Speaker 1: they laid their presence. Instead of cut out work all
Speaker 1: together on the table, they concealed themselves to see how
Speaker 1: the little men would behave. At midnight, they came bounding
Speaker 1: in and wanted to get to work at once. But
Speaker 1: as they did not find any leather cutout, only the
Speaker 1: pretty little articles of clothing, they were at first astonished,
Speaker 1: And then they showed intense delight. They dressed themselves with
Speaker 1: the greatest rapidity, putting the pretty clothes on, and singing,
Speaker 1: now we are both so fine to see, why should
Speaker 1: we longer cobblers be? Then they danced and skipped and
Speaker 1: leapt over chairs and benches. At last they danced out
Speaker 1: the doors. From that time forward they came no more,
Speaker 1: but as long as the Shoemaker lived, All went well
Speaker 1: with him, and all his undertakings prospered. End of the
Speaker 1: Elves and the Shoemaker by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm