The elves and the shoemaker story with pictures pdf
The girl stood as godmother, and then wanted to go home again, but the little elves urgently entreated her to stay three days with them. The baby's mother lay in a bed of black ebony ornamented with pearls, the coverlids were embroidered with gold, the cradle was of ivory, the bath of gold. Everything there was small, but more elegant and beautiful than can be described. Then three elves came and conducted her to a hollow mountain, where the little folks lived. The girl did not know what to do, but at length, after much persuasion, and as they told her that it was not right to refuse an invitation of this kind, she consented. One morning when she was just going back to her work, she found a letter on this heap, and as she could not read, she put her broom in the corner, and took the letter to her master and mistress, and behold it was an invitation from the elves, who asked the girl to hold a child for them at its christening. There was once a poor servant-girl, who was industrious and cleanly, and swept the house every day, and emptied her sweepings on the great heap in front of the door.
From that time forth they came no more, but as long as the shoemaker lived all went well with him, and all his undertakings prospered. Then they danced and skipped and leapt over chairs and benches. "Now we are boys so fine to see, Why should we longer cobblers be?" They dressed themselves with the greatest rapidity, putting the pretty clothes on, and singing, At midnight they came bounding in, and wanted to get to work at once, but as they did not find any leather cut out, but only the pretty little articles of clothing, they were at first astonished, and then they showed intense delight. I'll tell thee what I'll do: I will make them little shirts, and coats, and vests, and trousers, and knit both of them a pair of stockings, and do thou, too, make them two little pairs of shoes." The man said, "I shall be very glad to do it " and one night, when everything was ready, they laid their presents all together on the table instead of the cut-out work, and then concealed themselves to see how the little men would behave. They run about so, and have nothing on, and must be cold. Next morning the woman said, "The little men have made us rich, and we really must show that we are grateful for it. They did not stop until all was done, and stood finished on the table, and they ran quickly away. When it was midnight, two pretty little naked men came, sat down by the shoemaker's table, took all the work which was cut out before them and began to stitch, and sew, and hammer so skilfully and so quickly with their little fingers that the shoemaker could not turn away his eyes for astonishment. Now it befell that one evening not long before Christmas, when the man had been cutting out, he said to his wife, before going to bed, "What think you if we were to stay up to-night to see who it is that lends us this helping hand?" The woman liked the idea, and lighted a candle, and then they hid themselves in a corner of the room, behind some clothes which were hanging up there, and watched. The following morning, too, he found the four pairs made and so it went on constantly, what he cut out in the evening was finished by the morning, so that he soon had his honest independence again, and at last became a wealthy man. He cut them out at night, and next morning was about to set to work with fresh courage but he had no need to do so, for, when he got up, they were already made, and buyers also were not wanting, who gave him money enough to buy leather for four pairs of shoes. Soon after, a buyer came in, and as the shoes pleased him so well, he paid more for them than was customary, and, with the money, the shoemaker was able to purchase leather for two pairs of shoes. He took the shoes in his hands to observe them closer, and they were so neatly made that there was not one bad stitch in them, just as if they were intended as a masterpiece. He was astounded, and knew not what to say to it.
In the morning, after he had said his prayers, and was just going to sit down to work, the two shoes stood quite finished on his table. So in the evening, he cut out the shoes which he wished to begin to make the next morning, and as he had a good conscience, he lay down quietly in his bed, commended himself to God, and fell asleep. Uncle Tom's Cabin - Harriet Beecher StoweĪ shoemaker, by no fault of his own, had become so poor that at last he had nothing left but leather for one pair of shoes.The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett.
The Red Badge of Courage - Stephen Crane.The Scarlet Letter - Nathaniel Hawthorne.