Elf Studios
                            design on a shoestring

There was once an honest shoemaker, who worked very hard but still could not earn enough to live on. At last, everything he had was gone, except for just enough leather to make one last pair of shoes. He cut his leather out, meaning to rise early in the morning to do his work. His conscience was clear and his heart light amidst all his troubles; so he went peaceably to bed, and soon fell asleep. In the morning after he had said his prayers, he sat himself down to his work; when, to his great surprise, there stood the shoes, already made, upon the table. The good man didn’t know what to say or think at such an odd thing happening. He looked at the workmanship; there was not one false stitch in the whole job. 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; and the poor shoemaker, with the money, bought leather enough to make two more pairs. In the evening he cut out the work, and went to bed early, that he might get up and begin the next day; but he was saved all the trouble, for when he got up in the morning the work was again done for him. Soon, in came buyers who paid him handsomely for his goods, so that he bought leather enough for four pair more. He cut out the work again overnight and found it done in the morning, as before; and so it went on for some time: the man soon became thriving and well off again.

One evening, as he and his wife were sitting over the fire chatting together, he said to her, “I would like to sit up and watch tonight, to see who is doing my work for me.” The wife agreed; so they left a light burning, and hid themselves behind a curtain and watched to see what would happen.

At midnight came two little elves, their clothes in tatters. 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 at such a rate, that the shoemaker was all wonder, and could not take his eyes off them. And on they went, till the job was quite done, and the shoes stood ready upon the table. They bustled away as quick as lightning.

The next day the wife said to the shoemaker. “These little lads have made us rich, and we ought to do them a good turn if we can. I am quite sorry to see them run about in such tatters, for they have nothing upon their backs to keep off the cold. I will make each of them a shirt, a coat and a pair of britches to sweeten the bargain; and you make each of them a little pair of shoes.”

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, and then went to sit down to their work as usual; but when they saw the clothes 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 the door, and away over the green.

The clever little elves were always there if they needed them, but everything went well with them from that time forward, as long as they lived.