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Speaker 1: Hello, and welcome back to Sleepy Stories. I'm your host, Lucy,

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and my friends and I will be reading you a

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sleepy bedtime story every week to relax you and to

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help you to drift off into a RESTful sleep. From

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time to time, we will also read you a relaxing,

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peaceful meditation that will take you somewhere beautiful and calming.

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Once we have read the stories, we will then read

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them a second time, but this time they will be

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ready even slower. This will help you to relax even more.

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Before we begin, I would like you to close your

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eyes and breathe in and out nice and deeply. Take

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a few seconds to inhale, and then hold your breath

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for a few seconds more, and then release and breathe out.

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Do this a few times if you need to. While

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you listen to the music and you listen to my voice,

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give yourself time to let your body relax and your

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mind settle. It's important that we allow time for us

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to feel safe, cozy, and completely at ease. And now

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it's time for this week's story.

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Speaker 2: The elves and their Antics. The elves are the little

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white creatures that live between heaven and Earth. They are

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not in the clouds nor down in the caves and mines.

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Like the caboters, they are bright and fair, dwelling in

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the air and in the world of light. The direct

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heat of the sun is usually too much for them,

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so they are not often seen during the day, except

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towards sunset. They love the silvery moonlight. There used to

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be many folks who thought they had seen the beautiful creatures,

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full of fun and joy, dancing hand in hand in

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a circle. In these old days, long since gone by,

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there were more people than there are now who were

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sure they had many times enjoyed the sight of the elves.

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Some places in Holland show by their names where this

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kind of fairies used to live. These little creatures that

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looked as thin as gauze were very lively and mischievous,

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though they often helped honest and hard working people in

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their tasks, as we shall see. But first and most

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of all, they were fond of fun. They loved to

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vex cross people and to please those who were bonnie

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and blithe. They hated misers, but they loved the kind

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and generous. These little folks usually took their pleasure in

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the grassy meadows, among the flowers and butterflies. On bright

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nights they played among the moonbeams. There were certain times

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when the elves were busy in such a way as

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to make men and girls think about them. Then their

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tricks were generally in the stable or in the field

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among the cows. Sometimes in the kitchen or dairy, among

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the dishes or milk pants. They made an awful mess

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for the maids to clean up. They tumbled over the churns,

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upset the milk jugs, and played hoops with the round cheeses.

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In a bedroom, they made things look as if the

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pigs had run over them. When a farmer found his

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horse's mane twisted into knots, or two cows with their

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tails tied together, he said at once, that's the work

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of elves. If the mares did not feel well or

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looked untidy, their owners were sure the elves had taken

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the animals out and had been riding them all night.

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If a cow was sick or fell down on the grass,

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it was believed that the elves had shot an arrow

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into its body. The inquest held on many a dead

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calf or its mother was that it died from an

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elf shot. They were so sure of this that even

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When a stone arrow head such as are far off

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ancestors used in hunting when they were cave men, was

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picked up off the ground, it was called an elf

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bolt or elf arrow. Near a certain village named Elf

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Bird or Elf Hill because there were so many of

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the little people in that neighborhood, there was one very

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old elf named Stiff, which means stiff, because though so old,

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he stood up straight as a lance, even more than

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the young elves. He was famous for his pranks. Sometimes

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he was nicknamed han a Com or cockscomb. He got

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this name because he loved to mock the roosters when

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they crowed early in the morning. With his red cap on,

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he did look like a rooster. Sometimes he fooled the

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hens that heard him crowing. Old Stiff loved nothing better

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than to go to a house where was a part indoors.

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All the wooden shoes of the twenty or thirty people within,

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men and women, girls and boys would be left outside

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the door. All good Dutch folks step out of their

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heavy timber shoes or clomps before they enter a house.

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It is always a curious sight at a country church

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or gathering of people at a party to see the

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clomps big and little, belonging to baby boys and girls,

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and to the big men who wear a number thirteen

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shoe of wood. One wonders how each one of the

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owners knows his own, but he does. Each pair is

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put in its own place. But Old Stiff would come

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and mix them all up together and then leave them

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in a pile. So when the people came out to

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go home, they had a terrible time in finding and

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sorting out their shoes. Often they scolded each other, or

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some innocent boy was blamed for the mischief. Some did

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not find out till the next day that they had

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on one foot their own and on another foot their

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neighbor's shoe. It usually took a week to get the

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clumps sorted out, exchanged, and the proper feet into the

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right shoes. In this way, which was a special trick

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with him, This naughty elf Stiff spoiled the temper of

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many people. Beside the meadow elves, there were other kinds

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in elfinland, some living in the woods, some in the

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sand dunes. But those called stall cars or elves of

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the stall, were Old Stuff's particular friends. These lived in

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stables and among the cows, the mossmaidens that could do

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anything with leaves, even turning them into money, helped Stiff,

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for they too liked mischief. They teased men folks and

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enjoyed nothing better than misleading the stupid fellows that fuddled

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their brains with too much liquor stuff's. A specially famous

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trick was played on misers. Yes it was this. When

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he heard of any old fellow who wanted to save

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the cost of candles, he would get a carbooter to

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lead him off in the swamps where the sooty elves

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come out on dark nights to dance, hoping to catch

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these lights and use them for candles. The mean fellow

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would find himself in a swamp full of water and

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chilled to the marrow. Then the caboters would laugh loudly.

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Old Stiff had the most fun with another stingy fellow

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who always scolded children when he found them spending a penny.

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If he saw a girl buying flowers or a boy

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giving a copper coin for a waffle, he talked roughly

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to them for wasting money. Meeting this miser one day,

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as he was walking along the brick road leading from

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the village, Stiff offered to pay the old man a

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thousand gilders in exchange for four striped tulips that grew

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in his garden. The miser, thinking it real silver, eagerly

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took the money and put it away in his iron

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strong box. The next night, when he went, as he

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did three times a week, to count and feel and

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rub and gloat over his cash, there was nothing but

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leaves in a round form. These, at his touch crumbled

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two pieces. The moss made laughed uproariously when the mean

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old fellow was mad about it. But let no one

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suppose that the elves, because they were smarter than stupid

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human beings, were always in mischief. No, no, they did

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indeed have far more intelligence than dull grown folks, lazy boys,

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or careless girls. But many good things they did. They

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sewed shoes for poor cobblers when they were sick, and

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made clothes for children when the mother was tired. When

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they were around, the butter came quick in the churn.

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When the blue flower of the flax bloomed in Holland,

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the earth in springtime seemed like the sky. Old stiff

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then saw his opportunity to do a good thing. Men

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thought it a great affair to have even coarse linen

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tow for clothes. No longer need they hunt the wolf

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and deer in the forest for their garments. By degrees

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they learned to make finer stuff, both linen for clothes

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and sails for ships. And this fabric they spread out

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on the grass until the cloth was well bleached. When

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taken up it was white as the summer clouds that

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sailed in the blue sky. All the world admired the product,

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and soon the word Holland was less the name of

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a country than of a dainty fabric, so snow white

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that it was fit to robe a queen. The world

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wanted more and more of it, and the Dutch linen

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weaver grew rich. Yet still there was more to come.

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Speaker 1: Now.

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Speaker 2: On one moonlight night in summer, the lady elves, beautiful

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creatures dressed in gauze and film, with wings to fly

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and with feet that made no sound, came down into

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the meadows for their fairy dances. But when instead of

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green grass they saw a white landscape, they wondered, was

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it winter? Surely not, for the air was warm, No

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one shivered or was cold. Yet there were whole acres

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as white as snow, while all the old fairy rings,

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grass and flowers were hidden. They found that the meadows

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had become bleaching grounds, so that the cows had to

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go elsewhere to get their dinner, and that this white

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area was all linen. However, they quickly got over their surprise,

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for elves are very quick to notice things. But now

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that men had stolen a march on them, they asked whether,

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after all these human beings had more intelligence than elves.

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Not one of these fairies but believed that men and

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women were the inferiors of elves. So then and there

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began a battle of wits. They have spoiled our dancing

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floor with their new invention, so we shall have to

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find another, said the elfin queen, who led the party.

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They are very proud of their linen, these men are,

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but without the spider to teach them, what could they

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have done? Even a wild boar can instruct these human beings.

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Let us show them that we also can do even more.

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I'll get old Styf to put on his thinking cap.

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He'll add something new that will make them prouder yet,

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but we shall get the glory of it. The elves

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shouted in chorus, Then they left off talking and began

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their dances, floating in the air until they looked from

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a distance like a wreath of stars. The next day,

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a procession of lovely elf maidens and mothers waited on

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Stiff and asked him to devise something that would excel

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the invention of linen, which, after all men had learned

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from the spider. Yes, and they would not have any

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grain fields if they had not learned from the wild boar,

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added the elf queen. Old Stiff answered yes at once

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to their request, and put on his red thinking cap.

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Then some of the girl elves giggled, for they saw

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that he did really look like a cock's comb. No

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wonder they called him han a Kham, said one elf

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girl to the other. Now Old Stiff enjoyed fooling just

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for the fun of it, and he taught all the

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younger elves that those who did the most work with

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their hands and head would have the most fun when

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they were old. First of all, he went at once

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to see fro the spirit of the golden sunshine and

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the warm summer showers, who owned two of the most

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wonderful things in the world. One was his sword, which

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as soon as it was drawn out of its sheath

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against wicked enemies, fought of its own accord, and won

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every battle. Fro's chief enemies were the frost giants, who

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wilted the flowers and blasted the plants useful to man.

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Fro was absent when Stiff came, but his wife promised

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he would come next day, which he did. He was

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happy to meet all the elves and fairies, and they

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in turn joyfully did whatever he told them. Fro knew

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all the secrets of the grain fields, for he could

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see what was in every kernel of both the stalks

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and the ripe ears. He arrived in a golden chariot

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drawn by his wild boar, which served him instead of

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a horse. Both chariot and boar drove over the tops

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of the ears of wheat and faster than the wind.

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The boar was named gullen or golden bristles because of

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its sunshiny color and splendor. In this chariot, Fro had

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specimens of all the grains, fruits, and vegetables known to man,

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from which Stiff could choose. For these he was accustomed

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to scatter over the earth. When Stiffe told him just

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what he wanted to do. Fro picked out a sheaf

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of wheat and whispered a secret in his ear. Then

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he drove away in a burst of golden glory, which

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dazzled even the elves that loved the bright sunshine. These

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elves were always glad to see the golden chariot coming

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or passing by. Stef also summoned to his aid the kobooters,

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and from these ugly little fellows got some useful hints,

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for they dwelling in the dark caverns, no many secrets

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which men used to name alchemy, and which they now

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call chemistry. Then Stiff fenced himself off from all intruders

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on the top of a bright sunny hilltop with his

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thinking cap on, and made experiments for seven days. No

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elves except his servants were allowed to see him. At

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the end of a week, still keeping his secret, and

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having instructed a dozen or so of the elf girls

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00:23:06,119 --> 00:23:10,039
in his new art, he invited all the elves in

240
00:23:10,079 --> 00:23:14,880
the low countries to come to a great exhibition which

241
00:23:14,960 --> 00:23:21,559
he intended to give. What a funny show it was

242
00:23:23,119 --> 00:23:27,359
on one long bench where half a dozen washtubs, and

243
00:23:27,480 --> 00:23:32,200
on a table nearby were a dozen more washtubs, and

244
00:23:32,359 --> 00:23:36,799
on a longer table not far away were six ironing

245
00:23:36,880 --> 00:23:44,680
boards with smoothing irons. A stove made hot with a

246
00:23:44,720 --> 00:23:49,680
peat fire was to heat the irons. Behind the tubs

247
00:23:49,759 --> 00:23:55,640
and tables stood the twelve elf maidens, all arrayed in

248
00:23:55,880 --> 00:24:04,920
shining white garments and caps as spotlights as snow. One

249
00:24:05,000 --> 00:24:07,960
might almost think they were white elves of the meadow

250
00:24:08,319 --> 00:24:13,799
and not kabooters of the mines. The wonder was that

251
00:24:13,839 --> 00:24:17,839
their linen clothes were not only as dainty as stars,

252
00:24:18,599 --> 00:24:21,640
but that they glistened as if they had laid on

253
00:24:21,680 --> 00:24:28,839
the ground during a hoar frost. Yet it was still

254
00:24:29,000 --> 00:24:36,759
warm summer, nothing had frozen or melted, and the rosy

255
00:24:36,920 --> 00:24:41,799
faced elf maidens were as dry as an ivory fan.

256
00:24:43,680 --> 00:24:47,880
Yet they resembled the lilies of the garden when pearly

257
00:24:48,359 --> 00:24:56,759
with dewdrops. When all were gathered together, Old Stiff called

258
00:24:56,799 --> 00:24:59,720
for some of the company who had come from Afar

259
00:25:00,200 --> 00:25:04,400
to take off their dusty and travel stained linen garments

260
00:25:04,680 --> 00:25:10,079
and give them to him. These were passed over to

261
00:25:10,240 --> 00:25:15,039
the trained girls waiting to receive them. In a jiffy.

262
00:25:15,480 --> 00:25:22,279
They were washed, wrung out, rinsed, and dried. It was

263
00:25:22,440 --> 00:25:26,160
noticed that those elf maidens, who were standing at the

264
00:25:26,240 --> 00:25:31,119
last hub, were intently expecting to do something great. While

265
00:25:31,160 --> 00:25:34,359
those five elf maids at the table took off the

266
00:25:34,359 --> 00:25:41,240
hot irons from the stove, they touched the bottom of

267
00:25:41,319 --> 00:25:45,000
the flat irons with a drop of water to see

268
00:25:45,039 --> 00:25:50,839
if it rolled off. Hissing, They kept their eyes fixed

269
00:25:50,880 --> 00:25:55,079
on Stiff, who now came forward before all and said

270
00:25:55,319 --> 00:26:03,160
in a loud voice, Elves and fairies, mossmaidens and stall sprites,

271
00:26:03,839 --> 00:26:08,640
one and all, behold our invention, which our great friend

272
00:26:08,759 --> 00:26:13,559
Fro and our no less helpful friends, the Kabooters, have

273
00:26:13,720 --> 00:26:22,359
helped me to produce. Now watch me prove its virtues. Forthwith,

274
00:26:22,720 --> 00:26:27,880
he produced before all a glistening substance, partly in powder

275
00:26:28,240 --> 00:26:33,480
and partly in square lumps as white as chalk. He

276
00:26:33,680 --> 00:26:37,759
easily broke up a handful under his fingers and flung

277
00:26:37,839 --> 00:26:41,240
it into the fifth tub, which had hot water in it.

278
00:26:43,720 --> 00:26:47,720
After dipping the washed garments in the white gummy mass,

279
00:26:48,079 --> 00:26:51,759
he took them up, wrung them out, dried them with

280
00:26:51,880 --> 00:26:56,119
his breath, and then handed them to the elf ironers.

281
00:27:00,279 --> 00:27:04,160
Moments these held up before the company, what a few

282
00:27:04,240 --> 00:27:10,160
minutes before had been only dusty and stained close now

283
00:27:10,440 --> 00:27:15,880
They were white and resplendent. No fuller's earth could have

284
00:27:15,960 --> 00:27:23,960
bleached them thus, nor added so glistening a surface. It

285
00:27:24,119 --> 00:27:30,519
was starch, a new thing for clothes. The fairies one

286
00:27:30,720 --> 00:27:38,519
and all clapped their hands in delight. What shall we

287
00:27:38,640 --> 00:27:44,440
name it, modestly asked Stiff of the oldest known present.

288
00:27:48,119 --> 00:27:56,920
Hereafter we shall call you stiff sterk stiff starch. They

289
00:27:57,400 --> 00:28:06,039
all laughed. Very quickly. Did the Dutch folks, men and women,

290
00:28:06,440 --> 00:28:10,880
hear and make use of the elves invention? Their linen

291
00:28:10,960 --> 00:28:18,240
closets now looked like piles of snow. All over the

292
00:28:18,319 --> 00:28:26,200
low countries, women made caps in new fashions of lace

293
00:28:26,720 --> 00:28:35,359
or plain linen, with horns and wings, flaps and crimps,

294
00:28:35,440 --> 00:28:44,599
with quilling, and with whirligigs. In every town one could

295
00:28:44,640 --> 00:28:50,160
read the sign, here mangled men, here we do ironing.

296
00:28:53,680 --> 00:28:59,319
In time, kings, queens and nobles made huge ruffs, often

297
00:28:59,440 --> 00:29:03,160
so big that their necks were invisible and their heads

298
00:29:03,200 --> 00:29:07,279
nearly lost from sight, in rings of quilled linen or

299
00:29:07,319 --> 00:29:12,839
of lace that stuck out a foot or so. Worldly

300
00:29:12,960 --> 00:29:17,359
people dyed their starch yellow. Zealous folk made it blue,

301
00:29:18,240 --> 00:29:25,920
but moderate people kept it snowy. White. Starch added money

302
00:29:26,200 --> 00:29:32,480
and riches to the nation. King's treasuries became fat with

303
00:29:32,720 --> 00:29:37,559
money gained by taxes laid on ruffs and on the

304
00:29:37,640 --> 00:29:42,680
cargoes of starch, which was now imported by the shipload

305
00:29:43,200 --> 00:29:51,079
or made on the spot in many countries. So out

306
00:29:51,160 --> 00:29:55,720
of the ancient grain came a new spirit that worked

307
00:29:55,759 --> 00:30:01,839
for sweetness and beauty, cleanliness and health. From a useful

308
00:30:01,960 --> 00:30:06,759
substance as old as Egypt was born a fine art

309
00:30:07,319 --> 00:30:11,319
that added to the sum of the world's wealth and pleasure.

310
00:30:17,039 --> 00:30:24,279
The elves and their antics. The elves are the little

311
00:30:24,319 --> 00:30:30,319
white creatures that live between heaven and Earth. They are

312
00:30:30,359 --> 00:30:35,240
not in the clouds, nor down in the caves and

313
00:30:35,519 --> 00:30:44,599
mines like the cabouders. They are bright and fair, dwelling

314
00:30:44,680 --> 00:30:50,000
in the air and in the world of light. The

315
00:30:50,119 --> 00:30:54,119
direct heat of the sun is usually too much for them,

316
00:30:54,359 --> 00:30:58,319
so they are not often seen during the day, except

317
00:30:58,440 --> 00:31:07,400
towards sunset. They love the silvery moonlight. There used to

318
00:31:07,440 --> 00:31:12,039
be many folks who thought they had seen the beautiful creatures,

319
00:31:12,599 --> 00:31:17,599
full of fun and joy, dancing hand in hand in

320
00:31:17,680 --> 00:31:25,799
a circle. In these old days long since gone by.

321
00:31:26,920 --> 00:31:30,440
There were more people than there are now who were

322
00:31:30,559 --> 00:31:35,000
sure they had many times enjoyed the sight of the elves.

323
00:31:38,480 --> 00:31:42,319
Some places in Holland show by their names where this

324
00:31:42,640 --> 00:31:47,279
kind of fairies used to live. These little creatures that

325
00:31:47,440 --> 00:31:52,440
looked as thin as gauze were very lively and mischievous.

326
00:31:52,920 --> 00:31:57,000
Though they often helped honest and hard working people in

327
00:31:57,079 --> 00:32:04,480
their tasks, as we shall see. But first and most

328
00:32:04,519 --> 00:32:08,599
of all, they were fond of fun. They loved to

329
00:32:08,759 --> 00:32:13,319
vex cross people and to please those who were bonnie

330
00:32:13,359 --> 00:32:18,680
and blithe. They hated misers, but they loved the kind

331
00:32:18,839 --> 00:32:26,640
and generous. These little folks usually took their pleasure in

332
00:32:26,720 --> 00:32:33,599
the grassy meadows, among the flowers and butterflies. On bright

333
00:32:33,720 --> 00:32:41,680
nights they played among the moonbeams. There were certain times

334
00:32:41,839 --> 00:32:45,279
when the elves were busy in such a way as

335
00:32:45,319 --> 00:32:51,720
to make men and girls think about them. Then their

336
00:32:51,759 --> 00:32:56,000
tricks were generally in the stable or in the field

337
00:32:56,359 --> 00:33:02,319
among the cows. Sometimes in the kitchen or dairy, among

338
00:33:02,400 --> 00:33:07,319
the dishes or milk pans. They made an awful mess

339
00:33:07,559 --> 00:33:13,839
for the maids to clean up. They tumbled over the churns,

340
00:33:14,279 --> 00:33:19,000
upset the milk jugs, and played hoops with the round cheeses.

341
00:33:20,799 --> 00:33:23,880
In a bedroom, they made things look as if the

342
00:33:24,000 --> 00:33:30,240
pigs had run over them. When a farmer found his

343
00:33:30,400 --> 00:33:35,200
horse's mane twisted into knots, or two cows with their

344
00:33:35,279 --> 00:33:40,799
tails tied together, he said at once, that's the work

345
00:33:40,839 --> 00:33:48,400
of elves. If the mares did not feel well or

346
00:33:48,440 --> 00:33:53,200
looked untidy, their owners were sure the elves had taken

347
00:33:53,240 --> 00:33:57,039
the animals out and had been riding them all night.

348
00:34:00,720 --> 00:34:04,680
If a cow was sick or fell down on the grass,

349
00:34:05,319 --> 00:34:09,440
it was believed that the elves had shot an arrow

350
00:34:09,760 --> 00:34:16,960
into its body. The inquest held on many a dead

351
00:34:17,079 --> 00:34:20,599
calf or its mother was that it died from an

352
00:34:20,679 --> 00:34:25,880
elf shot. They were so sure of this that even

353
00:34:25,920 --> 00:34:29,000
when a stone arrow head such as are far off

354
00:34:29,039 --> 00:34:33,280
ancestors used in hunting when they were cavemen, was picked

355
00:34:33,360 --> 00:34:36,679
up off the ground, it was called an elf bolt

356
00:34:37,159 --> 00:34:45,360
or elf arrow. Near a certain village named Elfberg or

357
00:34:45,519 --> 00:34:49,239
elf Hill, because there were so many of the little

358
00:34:49,320 --> 00:34:53,760
people in that neighborhood, there was one very old elf

359
00:34:54,280 --> 00:34:59,800
named Stiff, which means stiff because though so old, he's

360
00:35:00,000 --> 00:35:07,119
stood up straight as a lance even more than the

361
00:35:07,159 --> 00:35:14,079
young elves. He was famous for his pranks. Sometimes he

362
00:35:14,280 --> 00:35:20,760
was nicknamed han a Calm or Coxcomb He got this

363
00:35:21,039 --> 00:35:25,559
name because he loved to mock the roosters when they

364
00:35:25,679 --> 00:35:32,599
crowed early in the morning. With his red cap on,

365
00:35:33,000 --> 00:35:36,800
he did look like a rooster. Sometimes he fooled the

366
00:35:36,880 --> 00:35:42,079
hens that heard him crowing. Old Stiff loved nothing better

367
00:35:42,320 --> 00:35:49,039
than to go to a house where was a party indoors,

368
00:35:49,119 --> 00:35:54,039
All the wooden shoes of the twenty or thirty people within,

369
00:35:54,679 --> 00:35:59,840
men and women, girls and boys would be left outside

370
00:35:59,880 --> 00:36:05,400
the door. All good Dutch folks step out of their

371
00:36:05,480 --> 00:36:11,320
heavy timber shoes or clomps before they enter a house.

372
00:36:14,880 --> 00:36:18,599
It is always a curious sight at a country church

373
00:36:19,280 --> 00:36:23,559
or gathering of people at a party to see the clomps,

374
00:36:23,880 --> 00:36:28,800
big and little, belonging to baby boys and girls, and

375
00:36:28,880 --> 00:36:33,039
to the big men who wear a number thirteen shoe

376
00:36:33,079 --> 00:36:39,559
of wood. One wonders how each one of the owners

377
00:36:39,760 --> 00:36:44,039
knows his own, but he does. Each pair is put

378
00:36:44,239 --> 00:36:47,960
in its own place. But Old Stiff would come and

379
00:36:48,079 --> 00:36:50,920
mix them all up together and then leave them in

380
00:36:50,960 --> 00:36:57,280
a pile. So when the people came out to go home,

381
00:36:57,599 --> 00:37:01,320
they had a terrible time in fine and sorting out

382
00:37:01,400 --> 00:37:06,159
their shoes. Often they scolded each other, or some innocent

383
00:37:06,280 --> 00:37:13,360
boy was blamed for the mischief. Some did not find

384
00:37:13,400 --> 00:37:16,400
out till the next day that they had on one

385
00:37:16,440 --> 00:37:21,480
foot their own and on another foot their neighbour's shoe.

386
00:37:21,920 --> 00:37:26,400
It usually took a week to get the clumps sorted out, exchanged,

387
00:37:26,760 --> 00:37:33,760
and the proper feet into the right shoes. In this way,

388
00:37:34,360 --> 00:37:38,119
which was a special trick with him. This naughty elf

389
00:37:38,639 --> 00:37:47,639
Steef spoiled the temper of many people. Beside the meadow elves,

390
00:37:48,119 --> 00:37:53,239
there were other kinds in Elfinland, some living in the woods,

391
00:37:53,840 --> 00:37:58,800
some in the sand dunes. But those called stall cars

392
00:37:59,599 --> 00:38:04,679
or el elves of the stall were Old Stuff's particular friends.

393
00:38:07,320 --> 00:38:13,400
These lived in stables and among the cows. The mossmaidens

394
00:38:14,159 --> 00:38:19,920
that could do anything with leaves, even turning them into money,

395
00:38:20,480 --> 00:38:29,000
helped Stiff, for they too liked mischief. They teased men folks,

396
00:38:29,400 --> 00:38:33,960
and enjoyed nothing better than misleading the stupid fellows that

397
00:38:34,079 --> 00:38:42,239
fuddled their brains with too much liquor. Stuff's especially famous

398
00:38:42,280 --> 00:38:47,519
trick was played on misers. It was this, when he

399
00:38:47,639 --> 00:38:51,440
heard of any old fellow who wanted to save the

400
00:38:51,519 --> 00:38:55,639
cost of candles, he would get a carbooter to lead

401
00:38:55,760 --> 00:38:59,639
him off in the swamps where the sooty elves come

402
00:38:59,679 --> 00:39:06,880
out on dark nights to dance, hoping to catch these

403
00:39:07,039 --> 00:39:11,639
lights and use them for candles. The mean fellow would

404
00:39:11,679 --> 00:39:16,480
find himself in a swamp full of water and chilled

405
00:39:16,599 --> 00:39:24,679
to the marrow. Then the caboters would laugh loudly. Old

406
00:39:24,840 --> 00:39:29,280
Stiff had the most fun with another stingy fellow, who

407
00:39:29,400 --> 00:39:33,559
always scolded children when he found them spending a penny.

408
00:39:36,239 --> 00:39:40,320
If he saw a girl buying flowers or a boy

409
00:39:40,880 --> 00:39:45,199
giving a copper coin for a waffle, he talked roughly

410
00:39:45,320 --> 00:39:51,639
to them for wasting money. Meeting this miser one day,

411
00:39:52,119 --> 00:39:55,960
as he was walking along the brick road leading from

412
00:39:55,960 --> 00:40:00,239
the village, Stiff offered to pay the old man a

413
00:40:00,440 --> 00:40:07,400
thousand gilders in exchange for four striped tulips that grew

414
00:40:07,559 --> 00:40:14,960
in his garden. The miser, thinking it real silver, eagerly

415
00:40:15,000 --> 00:40:18,239
took the money and put it away in his iron

416
00:40:18,360 --> 00:40:23,719
strong box. The next night, when he went, as he

417
00:40:23,760 --> 00:40:27,920
did three times a week, to count and feel and

418
00:40:28,199 --> 00:40:32,639
rub and gloat over his cash, there was nothing but

419
00:40:32,800 --> 00:40:41,079
leaves in a round form. These, at his touch crumbled

420
00:40:41,280 --> 00:40:50,119
two pieces. The mossmaidens laughed uproariously. When the mean old

421
00:40:50,280 --> 00:40:56,719
fellow was mad about it. But let no one suppose

422
00:40:57,559 --> 00:41:02,159
that the elves, because they they were smarter than stupid

423
00:41:02,239 --> 00:41:12,559
human beings, were always in mischief. No, no, they did

424
00:41:12,679 --> 00:41:19,199
indeed have far more intelligence than dull grown folks, lazy boys,

425
00:41:19,719 --> 00:41:27,119
or careless girls. But many good things they did. They

426
00:41:27,239 --> 00:41:31,840
sewed shoes for poor cobblers when they were sick, and

427
00:41:32,039 --> 00:41:37,239
made clothes for children when the mother was tired. When

428
00:41:37,320 --> 00:41:40,719
they were around, the butter came quick in the churn.

429
00:41:44,239 --> 00:41:48,480
When the blue flower of the flax bloomed in Holland,

430
00:41:48,920 --> 00:41:55,000
the earth in springtime seemed like the sky. Old stiff

431
00:41:55,320 --> 00:42:03,360
then saw his opportunity to do a good thing. Men

432
00:42:03,480 --> 00:42:06,960
thought it a great affair to have even coarse linen

433
00:42:07,079 --> 00:42:11,400
tow for clothes. No longer need they hunt the wolf

434
00:42:11,480 --> 00:42:18,239
and deer in the forest for their garments. By degrees

435
00:42:18,840 --> 00:42:23,519
they learned to make finer stuff, both linen for clothes

436
00:42:24,079 --> 00:42:30,039
and sails for ships. And this fabric they spread out

437
00:42:30,079 --> 00:42:37,960
on the grass until the cloth was well bleached. When

438
00:42:38,039 --> 00:42:41,960
taken up it was white as the summer clouds that

439
00:42:42,199 --> 00:42:47,360
sailed in the blue sky. All the world admired the product,

440
00:42:47,920 --> 00:42:52,679
and soon the word Holland was less the name of

441
00:42:52,800 --> 00:42:57,800
a country than of a dainty fabric, so snow white

442
00:42:58,239 --> 00:43:04,079
that it was fit to rope a queen. The world

443
00:43:04,280 --> 00:43:08,199
wanted more and more of it, and the Dutch linen

444
00:43:08,280 --> 00:43:17,599
weaver grew rich. Yet still there was more to come. Now.

445
00:43:18,000 --> 00:43:23,440
On one moonlight night in summer, the lady elves, beautiful

446
00:43:23,559 --> 00:43:29,039
creatures dressed in gauze and film, with wings to fly

447
00:43:29,559 --> 00:43:33,639
and with feet that made no sound, came down into

448
00:43:33,679 --> 00:43:41,920
the meadows for their fairy dances. But when instead of

449
00:43:42,079 --> 00:43:47,840
green grass they saw a white landscape, they wondered, was

450
00:43:47,880 --> 00:43:54,840
it winter? Surely not, for the air was warm, no

451
00:43:54,920 --> 00:43:59,920
one shivered or was cold, yet there were whole acres

452
00:44:00,440 --> 00:44:05,159
as white as snow, while all the old fairy rings,

453
00:44:05,719 --> 00:44:13,119
grass and flowers were hidden. They found that the meadows

454
00:44:13,280 --> 00:44:17,239
had become bleaching grounds, so that the cows had to

455
00:44:17,280 --> 00:44:20,920
go elsewhere to get their dinner, and that this white

456
00:44:21,039 --> 00:44:28,039
area was all linen. However, they quickly got over their surprise,

457
00:44:28,639 --> 00:44:32,800
for elves are very quick to notice things. But now

458
00:44:32,880 --> 00:44:36,400
that men had stolen a march on them, they asked whether,

459
00:44:36,639 --> 00:44:41,400
after all, these human beings had more intelligence than elves.

460
00:44:44,159 --> 00:44:48,400
Not one of these fairies but believed that men and

461
00:44:48,519 --> 00:44:55,239
women were the inferiors of elves. So then and there

462
00:44:55,639 --> 00:45:02,440
began a battle of wits boiled our dancing floor with

463
00:45:02,519 --> 00:45:07,119
their new invention. So we shall have to find another,

464
00:45:07,719 --> 00:45:13,800
said the elfin queen, who led the party. They are

465
00:45:14,079 --> 00:45:17,679
very proud of their linen, these men are, but without

466
00:45:17,760 --> 00:45:21,639
the spider to teach them, what could they have done.

467
00:45:21,679 --> 00:45:28,400
Even a wild boar can instruct these human beings. Let

468
00:45:28,480 --> 00:45:32,400
us show them that we also can do even more.

469
00:45:33,840 --> 00:45:37,119
I'll get old Styf to put on his thinking cap.

470
00:45:37,719 --> 00:45:42,920
He'll add something new that will make them prouder yet,

471
00:45:44,039 --> 00:45:48,039
but we shall get the glory of it. The elves

472
00:45:48,119 --> 00:45:52,920
shouted in chorus. Then they left off talking and began

473
00:45:53,039 --> 00:45:58,159
their dances, floating in the air until they looked from

474
00:45:58,199 --> 00:46:05,000
a distance like a wreath of stars. The next day,

475
00:46:05,480 --> 00:46:10,760
a procession of lovely elf maidens and mothers waited on

476
00:46:10,920 --> 00:46:15,719
Stiff and asked him to devise something that would excel

477
00:46:15,920 --> 00:46:20,760
the invention of linen, which, after all, men had learned

478
00:46:20,800 --> 00:46:28,440
from the spider. Yes, and they would not have any

479
00:46:28,480 --> 00:46:32,960
grain fields if they had not learned from the wild boar,

480
00:46:33,440 --> 00:46:39,480
added the elf queen. Old Stiff answered yes at once

481
00:46:39,800 --> 00:46:43,920
to their request, and put on his red thinking cap.

482
00:46:45,599 --> 00:46:49,000
Then some of the girl elves giggled, for they saw

483
00:46:49,079 --> 00:46:54,599
that he did really look like a cox comb. No

484
00:46:54,719 --> 00:46:58,920
wonder they called him han a Kham, said one elf

485
00:46:59,000 --> 00:47:06,480
girl to the other. Now, old Stiff enjoyed fooling just

486
00:47:06,599 --> 00:47:09,280
for the fun of it, and he taught all the

487
00:47:09,400 --> 00:47:12,840
younger elves that those who did the most work with

488
00:47:12,960 --> 00:47:16,360
their hands and head would have the most fun when

489
00:47:16,400 --> 00:47:23,119
they were old. First of all, he went at once

490
00:47:23,239 --> 00:47:27,679
to see Fro, the spirit of the golden sunshine and

491
00:47:27,760 --> 00:47:32,079
the warm summer showers, who owned two of the most

492
00:47:32,320 --> 00:47:40,440
wonderful things in the world. One was his sword, which,

493
00:47:40,840 --> 00:47:43,280
as soon as it was drawn out of its sheath

494
00:47:43,719 --> 00:47:48,400
against wicked enemies, fought of its own accord and won

495
00:47:48,679 --> 00:47:54,320
every battle. Fro's chief enemies were the frost giants, who

496
00:47:54,400 --> 00:47:59,519
wilted the flowers and blasted the plants useful to man.

497
00:48:02,519 --> 00:48:07,239
Fro was absent when Stiff came, but his wife promised

498
00:48:07,440 --> 00:48:10,960
he would come next day, which he did. He was

499
00:48:11,039 --> 00:48:15,440
happy to meet all the elves and fairies, and they

500
00:48:15,800 --> 00:48:22,920
in turn joyfully did whatever he told them. Fro knew

501
00:48:23,440 --> 00:48:27,559
all the secrets of the grain fields, for he could

502
00:48:27,599 --> 00:48:32,280
see what was in every kernel of both the stalks

503
00:48:32,440 --> 00:48:37,639
and the ripe ears. He arrived in a golden chariot

504
00:48:38,320 --> 00:48:43,239
drawn by his wild boar, which served him instead of

505
00:48:43,280 --> 00:48:51,159
a horse. Both chariot and boar drove over the tops

506
00:48:51,199 --> 00:48:54,880
of the ears of wheat and faster than the wind.

507
00:48:57,400 --> 00:49:02,320
The boar was named gullen or golden bristles because of

508
00:49:02,360 --> 00:49:07,440
its sunshiny color and splendor. In this chariot, Fro had

509
00:49:07,519 --> 00:49:13,599
specimens of all the grains, fruits, and vegetables known to man,

510
00:49:14,000 --> 00:49:18,800
from which Stiff could choose. For these he was accustomed

511
00:49:18,880 --> 00:49:25,960
to scatter over the earth. When Stiff told him just

512
00:49:26,079 --> 00:49:29,119
what he wanted to do, Fro picked out a sheaf

513
00:49:29,199 --> 00:49:34,880
of wheat and whispered a secret in his ear. Then

514
00:49:35,159 --> 00:49:40,280
he drove away in a burst of golden glory, which

515
00:49:40,480 --> 00:49:46,039
dazzled even the elves that loved the bright sunshine. These

516
00:49:46,199 --> 00:49:50,760
elves were always glad to see the golden chariot coming

517
00:49:50,960 --> 00:50:00,000
or passing by. Stiff also summoned to his aid the kobooters,

518
00:50:00,039 --> 00:50:04,719
and from these ugly little fellows got some useful hints,

519
00:50:05,320 --> 00:50:10,199
for they, dwelling in the dark caverns, know many secrets

520
00:50:10,719 --> 00:50:14,920
which men used to name alchemy and which they now

521
00:50:15,000 --> 00:50:24,159
call chemistry. Then Stiff fenced himself off from all intruders

522
00:50:24,599 --> 00:50:28,679
on the top of a bright, sunny hilltop with his

523
00:50:28,880 --> 00:50:34,039
thinking cap on, and made experiments For seven days. No

524
00:50:34,360 --> 00:50:42,280
elves except his servants were allowed to see him. At

525
00:50:42,280 --> 00:50:46,440
the end of a week, still keeping his secret, and

526
00:50:46,639 --> 00:50:50,880
having instructed a dozen or so of the elf girls

527
00:50:50,880 --> 00:50:54,800
in his new art, he invited all the elves in

528
00:50:54,840 --> 00:50:59,639
the Low countries to come to a great exhibition, which

529
00:50:59,639 --> 00:51:06,039
he in tended to give. What a funny show. It

530
00:51:06,199 --> 00:51:11,519
was on one long bench where half a dozen washtubs,

531
00:51:12,000 --> 00:51:16,360
and on a table nearby were a dozen more washtubs.

532
00:51:16,840 --> 00:51:20,840
And on a longer table not far away, were six

533
00:51:21,079 --> 00:51:29,239
ironing boards with smoothing irons. A stove made hot with

534
00:51:29,320 --> 00:51:33,880
a peat fire, was to heat the irons. Behind the

535
00:51:34,000 --> 00:51:39,920
tubs and tables stood the twelve elf maidens, all arrayed

536
00:51:40,320 --> 00:51:46,000
in shining white garments and caps. As spotless as snow.

537
00:51:49,440 --> 00:51:52,320
One might almost think they were white elves of the

538
00:51:52,360 --> 00:51:58,360
meadow and not kabooters of the mines. The wonder was

539
00:51:58,440 --> 00:52:02,599
that their linen clothes were not only as dainty as stars,

540
00:52:03,360 --> 00:52:06,400
but that they glistened as if they had laid on

541
00:52:06,440 --> 00:52:13,599
the ground during a hoar frost. Yet it was still

542
00:52:13,760 --> 00:52:21,519
warm summer. Nothing had frozen or melted, and the rosy

543
00:52:21,679 --> 00:52:26,559
faced elf maidens were as dry as an ivory fan.

544
00:52:28,440 --> 00:52:32,639
Yet they resembled the lilies of the garden when pearly

545
00:52:33,119 --> 00:52:41,519
with dewdrops. When all were gathered together, Old Stiff called

546
00:52:41,559 --> 00:52:44,519
for some of the company who had come from Afar

547
00:52:44,960 --> 00:52:49,159
to take off their dusty and travel stained linen garments

548
00:52:49,440 --> 00:52:54,880
and give them to him. These were passed over to

549
00:52:55,000 --> 00:52:59,840
the trained girls waiting to receive them. In a jiffy.

550
00:53:00,239 --> 00:53:07,039
They were washed, wrung out, rinsed, and dried. It was

551
00:53:07,199 --> 00:53:10,920
noticed that those elf maidens who were standing at the

552
00:53:11,000 --> 00:53:15,880
last hub were intently expecting to do something great. While

553
00:53:15,920 --> 00:53:19,079
those five elf maids at the table took off the

554
00:53:19,119 --> 00:53:26,000
hot irons from the stove, they touched the bottom of

555
00:53:26,079 --> 00:53:29,760
the flat irons with a drop of water to see

556
00:53:29,760 --> 00:53:35,599
if it rolled off, hissing. They kept their eyes fixed

557
00:53:35,639 --> 00:53:39,840
on Stiff, who now came forward before all and said

558
00:53:40,079 --> 00:53:47,920
in a loud voice, elves and fairies, mossmaidens and stall sprites,

559
00:53:48,599 --> 00:53:53,400
one and all, behold our invention, which our great friend

560
00:53:53,519 --> 00:53:58,320
fro and our no less helpful friends, the kabooters have

561
00:53:58,480 --> 00:54:07,119
helped me to produce. Now watch me prove its virtues. Forthwith,

562
00:54:07,480 --> 00:54:12,679
he produced before all a glistening substance, partly in powder

563
00:54:13,000 --> 00:54:18,239
and partly in square lumps as white as chalk. He

564
00:54:18,440 --> 00:54:22,559
easily broke up a handful under his fingers and flung

565
00:54:22,599 --> 00:54:25,960
it into the fifth tub, which had hot water in it.

566
00:54:28,480 --> 00:54:32,480
After dipping the washed garments in the white gummy mass,

567
00:54:32,840 --> 00:54:36,519
he took them up, wrung them out, dried them with

568
00:54:36,599 --> 00:54:41,320
his breath, and then handed them to the elf ironers.

569
00:54:44,360 --> 00:54:48,119
In a few moments, these held up before the company

570
00:54:48,360 --> 00:54:51,800
what a few minutes before had been only dusty and

571
00:54:51,960 --> 00:54:59,760
stained clothes. Now they were white and resplendent. No fuller's

572
00:54:59,800 --> 00:55:04,480
earth could have bleached them thus, nor added so glistening

573
00:55:04,519 --> 00:55:12,599
a surface. It was starch, a new thing for clothes.

574
00:55:13,599 --> 00:55:18,920
The fairies one and all clapped their hands in delight.

575
00:55:22,599 --> 00:55:27,480
What shall we name it, modestly asked Stiff, of the

576
00:55:27,679 --> 00:55:37,519
oldest gnome present hereafter, we shall call you stiff sterk

577
00:55:38,440 --> 00:55:49,280
stiff starch. They all laughed. Very quickly. Did the Dutch folks,

578
00:55:49,760 --> 00:55:53,559
men and women hear and make use of the elves

579
00:55:53,559 --> 00:56:02,079
invention Their linen closets now looked like piles of snow.

580
00:56:02,199 --> 00:56:08,159
All over the low countries, women made caps in new

581
00:56:08,320 --> 00:56:15,760
fashions of lace or plain linen, with horns and wings,

582
00:56:16,800 --> 00:56:27,320
flaps and crimps, with quilling, and with whirly gigs. In

583
00:56:27,440 --> 00:56:32,440
every town one could read the sign, here mangled men,

584
00:56:33,159 --> 00:56:41,960
here we do ironing. In time, kings, queens and nobles

585
00:56:42,000 --> 00:56:46,000
made huge ruffs, often so big that their necks were

586
00:56:46,000 --> 00:56:50,559
invisible and their heads nearly lost from sight. In rings

587
00:56:50,599 --> 00:56:53,920
of quilled linen or of lace that stuck out a

588
00:56:53,960 --> 00:57:00,800
foot or so. Worldly people dyed their starch yellow. Zealous

589
00:57:00,840 --> 00:57:05,480
folk made it blue, but moderate people kept it snowy.

590
00:57:05,519 --> 00:57:14,039
White starch added money and riches to the nation. King's

591
00:57:14,239 --> 00:57:20,559
treasuries became fat with money gained by taxes laid on

592
00:57:20,800 --> 00:57:25,400
ruffs and on the cargoes of starch, which was now

593
00:57:25,440 --> 00:57:29,960
imported by the shipload or made on the spot in

594
00:57:30,119 --> 00:57:38,159
many countries. So out of the ancient grain came a

595
00:57:38,280 --> 00:57:44,840
new spirit that worked for sweetness and beauty, cleanliness, and health.

596
00:57:45,639 --> 00:57:50,280
From a useful substance as old as Egypt was born

597
00:57:50,480 --> 00:57:54,119
a fine art that added to the sum of the

598
00:57:54,159 --> 00:57:56,079
world's wealth and pleasure.

599
00:58:21,440 --> 01:00:00,119
Speaker 1: At the

600
01:01:22,519 --> 01:02:09,039
Speaker 2: Sid