The elves and the shoemaker

There was once a shoemaker, who worked very hard and was very honest, but still could not earn enough to live upon. At a time, all he had in the world was gone, except the leather enough to make one pair of shoes.

One night, he cut his leather,  ready to rise early in the morning for his work. His conscience was clear and his heart light amidst all his troubles; so he went peaceably to bed, left all his cares to Heaven, and soon fell asleep.

In the morning, after he had said his prayers and was ready for his work, to his great wonder, there were the shoes already made, upon the table. The good man did not know what to say or think. He looked at shoes and there was no false stitch in the job — all was neat and true. It was quite a masterpiece.

The same day a customer came in, and the shoes suited him so well that he willingly paid a price higher than usual for them. The poor shoemaker, with the money, bought leather enough to make two pairs more.

In the evening, he cut out the work, and went to bed early so that he will get up and begin his work next day. But he was saved all the trouble.  When he got up in the morning, the work was done ready. Soon in came buyers, who paid him handsomely for his goods, so that he bought leather enough for four pairs more.

He cut out the leather again overnight and found it done in the morning, as before. And it went on for some time: what was got ready in the evening was always done by daybreak, and the good man soon became thriving and well again.

One evening, about Christmas time, as he and his wife were sitting over the fire chatting together, he said to her, “I will like to sit and watch tonight, that we may see who it is that comes and does my work for me.”

The wife liked the thought; so they left a light burning and hid at a corner of the room, behind a curtain that was hung up there, and watched what would happen.

As soon as it was midnight, there came in two little naked dwarfs; and they sat themselves upon the shoemaker’s bench, took up all the work that was cut out, and began to ply with their little fingers, stitching and rapping and tapping away a rate that the shoemaker wondered and could not take his eyes off them. And on they went till the job was done, and the shoes stood ready for use upon the table. This was long before daybreak; and then they bustled away as fast as a lightning.

The next day, the wife said to the shoemaker. “These little wights have made us rich, and we ought to be thankful to them, and do them a good turn if we can. I am quite sorry to see them run about as they do; and indeed it is not very decent, for they have nothing upon their backs to keep off the cold. I’ll tell you what, I will make each of them a shirt, and a coat and waistcoat, and a pair of pantaloons into the bargain; and you make each of them a little pair of shoes.”

The thought pleased the good cobbler very much. One evening, when all the things were ready, they laid them on the table, instead of the work that they used to cut out, and then went and hid themselves, to watch what the little elves would do.

About midnight, they came, dancing and skipping, hopped round the room, and then went to sit down to their work as usual; but when they saw the clothes lying for them, they laughed and chuckled, and seemed mightily delighted.

Then they dressed themselves in the twinkling of an eye, and danced and capered and sprang about, as merry as could be, till at last, they danced out of the door, and away over the greens.

The good couple saw them no more; but everything went well with them from that time onwards, as long as they lived.

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