The Elves and The Shoemaker

Dear Friends,
I hope your week was good. Mine was good. But my youngest daughters was not. On Friday her husband her and their little girl (Granddaughter) were going down the highway when they hit a deer. The son-in-law got a very soar thumb. The daughter got a very sore ear and a bruise on her shoulder. Mostly from the air bags and the seat belt. Granddaughter is fine. But she keeps saying deer, and car broken.The car, is not so good. It's going to a task for them to figure out what to do next with the car.
I don't know about you, but this has been a very challenging year for us.

Anyway, here is the next story from Riverside Literature Series:

THE ELVES AND THE SHOEMAKER

There was once a Shoemaker who worked very
hard and was honest. Still, he could not earn
enough to live on, and at last all he had in
the world was gone except just leather enough
to make one pair of shoes. He cut these out at
night, and meant to rise early the next morning
to make them up.
His heart was light amid all his troubles, for
his conscience was clear. So he went quietly to
bed, left all his cares to God, and fell asleep.
In the morning he said his prayers and sat down
to work, when, to his great wonder, there stood
the shoes, already made, upon the table.
The good man knew not what to say or think.
He looked at the work; there was not one false
stitch in the whole job; all was neat and true.
That same day a customer came in, and the
shoes pleased him so well that he readily paid a
price higher than usual for them. The Shoe-

maker took the money and bought leather
enough to make two pairs more. He cut out
the work in the evening and went to bed early.
He wished to be up with the sun and get to
work.
He was saved all trouble, for when he got up
in the morning, the work was done, ready to his
hand. Pretty soon buyers came in, who paid
him well for his goods. So he bought leather
enough for four pairs more.
He cut out the work again over night, and
found it finished in the morning as before. So
it went on for some time. What was got ready
at night was always done by daybreak, and the
good man soon was well to do.
One evening, at Christmas time, he and his
wife sat over the fire, chatting, and he said:--
"I should like to sit up and watch to-night,
that we may see who it is that comes and does
my work for me." His wife liked the thought.
So they left the light burning, and hid them-
selves behind a curtain to see what would
happen.
As soon as it was midnight there came two
little Elves. They sat upon the Shoemaker's
bench, took up all the work that was cut out,
and began to ply their little fingers. They
stitched and rapped and tapped at such a rate
that the Shoemaker was all amazement, and could
not take his eyes off them for a moment.

On they went busily till the job was quite
done, and the shoes stood, ready for use upon
the table. This was long before daybreak.
Then they bustled away as quick as lightning.
The next day the wife said to the Shoemaker:--
"These little Elves have made us rich, and we
ought to be thankful to them and do them some
good in return. I am quite vexed to see them
run about as they do. They have nothing upon
their backs to keep off the cold. I'll tell you
what we must do; I will make each of them a
shirt, and a coat and waistcoat, and a pair of
pantaloons into the bargain. Do you make each
of them a little pair of shoes."
The good Shoemaker liked the thought very
well. One evening, he and his wife had the
clothes ready, and laid them on the table instead
of the work, they used to cut out. Then they
went and hid behind the curtain to watch what
the little Elves would do.
At midnight the Elves came in and were going
to sit down at their work as usual; but
when they saw the clothes lying there for them,
they laughed and were in high glee. 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 over the green.
The Shoemaker saw them no more, but every-

went well with him from that time forward
as long as he lived.

I like this story. A good man getting help from the unknown in return helps them. It's something I believe in. Paying it forward in a way.

Here is one more short story:

THE ASS IN THE LION'S SKIN

The Ass once dressed himself in the Lion's
skin, and went about scaring all the little beasts.
He met the Fox, and tried to scare him too, but
the Fox stopped, and said:--
"Well, to be sure, I should have been scared
like the others, if I had not heard you bray and
seen your ears stick out."

I guess the lesson here is you can't fool everyone into believing you are a mighty Lion when you are really an Ass.

Here are three more things from Morning Star, Okinawa February 21, 1963:

Well that's all I have to share with you today.
I hope you will come back soon for more Fading History.
Till then.
Your friend,
Sandy