Speaker 1: Once upon a time so long ago that everybody has
forgotten the date. In a city in the north of
Europe with such a hard name that nobody can even
remember it, there was a little seven year old boy
named Wolf, whose parents were dead, who lived with a
cross and stingy old aunt, who never thought of kissing
him more than once a year, and who sighed deeply
whenever she gave him a bowl full of soup. But
the poor little fellow had such a sweet nature that,
in spite of everything, he loved the old woman, although
he was terribly afraid of her, and could never look
at her ugly old face without shivering. As this aunt
a little Wolf, was known to have a house of
her own and an old woolen stocking full of gold.
She had not dared to send the boy to a
charity school, but in order to get a reduction in
the price, she had so wrangled with the master of
the school, to which little Wolf finally went. That this
bad man, vexed at having a pupil so poorly dressed
and paying so little, often punished him unjustly, and even
prejudiced his companions against him, so that the three boys,
all sons of rich parents made a drudge and laughing
stock of the little fellow. The poor little one was
thus as wretched as a child could be, and used
to hide himself in corners to weep. Whenever Christmas time came.
It was the schoolmaster's custom to take all his pupils
to the midnight Mass on Christmas Eve, and to bring
them home again afterward. Now, as the winter this year
was very bitter, and his heavy snow had been falling
for several days, all the boys came well, bundled up
in warm clothes, with fur caps pulled over their ears,
padded jackets, gloves and knitted mittens, and strong thick soled boots.
Only little Wolf presented himself, shivering in the poor clothes
he used to wear both weak days and Sundays, and
having on his feet only thin socks in heavy wooden shoes.
His naughty companions, noticing his sad face and awkward appearance,
made many jokes at his expense. But the little fellow
was so busy blowing on his fingers, and was suffering
so much with chilblains, that he took no notice of them.
So the band of youngsters, walking two and two behind
the master, started for the church. It was pleasant in
the church, which was brilliant with lighted candles, and the boys,
excited by the warmth, took advantage of the music of
the choir and the organ to chatter among themselves in
low tones. They bragged about the fun that was awaiting
them at home. The mayor's son had seen just before
starting off an immense goose, ready stuffed and dressed for cooking.
At the alderman's home there was a little pine tree
with branches laden down with orange sweets and toys, and
the lawyer's cook had put on her cap with such
care as she never thought of taking unless she was
expecting something very good. Then they talked too, of all
that the christ child was going to bring them, of
all he was going to put in their shoes, which
you might be sure they would take good care to
leave in the chimney place before going to bed. And
the eyes of these little urchins, as lively as a
cage of mice, were sparkling in advance over the joy
they would have when they awoke in the morning and
saw the pink bag full of sugar plums. The little
lead soldiers ranged in companies in their boxes. The menagerie
smelling of varnished wood, and the magnificent jumping jacks in
purple and tinsel alas little Wolf knew by experience that
his old miser of an aunt would send him to
bed supperless, but with childlike faith and certain of having
been all the as good and industrious as possible, he
hoped that the christ child would not forget him, and
so he too planned to place his wooden shoes in
good time in the fireplace. Midnight mass over, the worshippers departed,
eager for their fun, and the band of pupils always
walking two and two and following the teacher left the church.
Now in the porch, and seated on a stone bench
set in the niche of a painted arch, a child
was sleeping, a child in a white woolen garment, but
with his little feet bare in spite of the cold.
He was not a beggar, for his garment was white
and new, and near him on the floor was a
bundle of carpenter's tools. In the clear light of the stars,
his face, with its closed eyes, shone with an expression
of divine sweetness, and his long curling blond locks seemed
to form a halo about his brow. But his little
child's feet, made blue by the cold of this bitter
December night, were pitiful to see the boys so well
clothed for the winter. Weather passed by, quite indifferent to
the unknown child. Several of them sons of the notables
of the town, however, cast on the vagabond looks, in
which could be read all the scorn of the rich
for the poor, of the well fed, for the hungry.
But little Wolf, coming last out of the church, stopped
deeply touched before the beautiful sleeping child. Oh dear, said
the little fellow to himself, this is frightful. This poor
little one has no shoes and stockings in this bad weather.
And what is still worse, he has not even a
wooden shoe to leave near him to night while he sleeps,
into which the little christ child can put something good
to soothe his misery. And carried away by his loving heart,
Wolf drew the wooden shoe from his right foot, laid
it down before the sleeping child, and, as best he could,
sometimes hopping, sometimes limping, with his sock wet by the snow,
he went home to his aunt. Look at the good
for nothing, cried the old woman full of wrath at
the sight of the shoeless boy. What have you done
with your shoe, you little villain? Little wolf did not
know how to lie, so, although trembling with terror, when
he saw the range of the old shrew, he tried
to relate his adventure. But the miserly old creature only
burst into a frightful fit of laughter. Aha, So my
young gentleman strips himself for the beggars. Aha, my young
gentleman breaks his pair of shoes for a bare foot.
Here is something new forsooth very well, since it is
this way, I shall put the only shoe that is
left into the chimney place, and I'll answer for it
that the christ child will put in something to night
to beat you with in the morning, and you will
have all only a crust of bread and water tomorrow.
And we shall see if the next time you will
be giving your shoes to the first vagabond that happens along.
And the wicked woman, having boxed the ears of the
poor little fellow, made him climb up into the loft
where he had his wretched cubbyhole. Desolate, the child went
to bed in the dark and soon fell asleep but
his pillow was wet with tears. But behold the next morning,
when the old woman, awakened early by the cold, went downstairs, Oh,
wonder of wonders, she saw the big chimney filled with
shining toys, bags of magnificent bonbonds, and riches of every sort.
And standing out in front of all this treasure was
the right wooden shoe which the boy had given to
the little vagabond. Yes, and beside it the one which
she had placed in the chimney to hold the bunch
of switches. As little wolf, attracted by the cries of
his aunt, stood in an ecstasy of childish delight before
the splendid Christmas gifts. Shouts of laughter were heard outside.
The woman and child ran out to see what all
this meant, and behold, all the gossips of the town
were standing around the public fountain. What could have happened, Oh,
a most ridiculous and extraordinary thing. The children of the
richest men in the town, whom their parents had planned
to surprise with the most beautiful presence, had found only
switches in their shoes. Then the old woman and the child,
thinking of all the riches in their chimney, were filled
with fear. But suddenly they saw the priest appear, his
countenance full of astonishment, just above the bench placed near
the door of the church, in the very spot where
the night before, a child in a white garment and
with bare feet, in spite of the cold, had rested
his lovely head. The priest had found a circlet of
gold embedded in the old stones. Then they all crossed
themselves devoutly, perceiving that this beautiful sleeping child with the
carpenter's tools had been Jesus of Nazareth himself, who had
come back for one hour, just as he had been
when he used to work in the home of his parents.
And reverently they bowed before this miracle which the Good
God had done to reward the faith and the love
of a little child and of little wolf's wooden shoes,