COBBLERS’ ELVES

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 212, 26 November 1927, Page 29 (Supplement)

COBBLERS’ ELVES

Hans Stumpie was a cobbler who lived with his wife In larfe forest where all the countryfolk wore wooden shoes. As Hans made only leather shoes h* had a hard task to get a living. Things went from bad to worse, and at last he had nothing left in the house but a bit of leather scarcely enough to make one pair of shoes. Hans cut the leather out very carefully, and went to bed. When he came down in the morning—Oh! Wonder of wonders! there, on the board, were the shoos already made. And a customer came in and bought them at a good price, and with the money Hans got sonic food and also purchased a larger piece of leather. He cut this out into the stuff for two pairs of shoes, and in the morning he found the two pairs made, and he sold them in the course of the day. Then he purchased leather enough for four pairs of shoes, and iut them out, and in the morning there were four pairs made. So It went on. No matter how many pairs he cut. they were all made for him the novt day. And the end of it was that he became a very prosperous man. Just before Christmas Hans and lus wife sat up to see who it was who made the shoes, and at midnight in jumped two wee men. They at once squatted down on the board and took up the pieces of leather, and sewed away so quickly that Hans and his wife could not follow the movements of their hands. When all the work was done the two wee men went quietly away. The next morning Han’s wife said: “Now that the two wee men have made us rich we must do something for them. I have it! I will make them some clothes, and you must make them some shoes.’’ So the next night Hans and his wife put the clothes and shoes on the board for the little creatures, and watched to see what they would do. The two we© men were at first astonished to find no leather had been cut fo_* them to work on. Then they saw the clothes and shoes, and put them on. and danced merrily about the room, singing: “Neat and natty boys are we: Cobbler’s elves no more we’ll be.” They hopped all over the chairs, they hopped over the tables, and at Inst they hopped out of the window, and they never came back. Hut Hans always prospered in his work, and he and his wife lived in ease and happiness all the rest of their lives.