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quantity, he said to his wife before going to bed, "What say you to
stopping up this night, to see who it is that helps us so kindly?" His
wife was satisfied, and fastened up a light; and then they hid
themselves in the corner of the room, where hung some clothes which
concealed them. As soon as it was midnight in came two little manikins,
who squatted down on the board; and, taking up the prepared work, set to
with their little fingers, stitching and sewing, and hammering so
swiftly and lightly, that the shoemaker could not take his eyes off them
for astonishment. They did not cease until all was brought to an end,
and the shoes stood ready on the table; and then they sprang quickly
away.

 [Illustration: The Shoemaker & the Little Elves]

The following morning the wife said, "The little men have made us rich,
and we must show our gratitude to them; for although they run about they
must be cold, for they have nothing on their bodies. I will make a
little shirt, coat, waistcoat, trousers, and stockings for each, and do
you make a pair of shoes for each."

The husband assented; and one evening, when all was ready, they laid
presents, instead of the usual work, on the board, and hid themselves to
see the result.

At midnight in came the Elves, jumping about, and soon prepared to work,
but when they saw no leather, but the natty little clothes, they at
first were astonished, but soon showed their rapturous glee. They drew
on their coats, and smoothing them down, sang--

 "Smart and natty boys are we;
 Cobblers we'll no longer be."

And so they went on hopping and jumping over the stools and chairs, and
at last out at the door. After that evening they did not come again, but
the shoemaker prospered in all he undertook, and lived happily to the
end of his days.

THE GINGERBREAD BOY[N]

Now you shall hear a story that somebody's great, great-grandmother told
a little girl ever so many years ago:

There was once a little old man and a little old woman, who lived in a
little old house in the edge of a wood. They would have been a very
happy old couple but for one thing--they had no little child, and they
wished for one very much. One day, when the little old woman was baking
gingerbread, she cut a cake in the shape of a little boy, and put it
into the oven.

Presently, she went to the oven to see if it was baked. As soon as the
oven door was opened, the little gingerbread boy jumped out, and began
to run away as fast as he could go.

The little old woman called her husband, and they both ran after him.
But they could not catch him. And soon the gingerbread boy came to a
barn full of threshers. He called out to them as he went by, saying:

 "I've run away from a little old woman,
 A little old man,
 And I can run away from you, I can!"

Then the barn full of threshers set out to run after him. But though
they ran fast, they could not catch him. And he ran on till he came to a
field full of mowers. He called out to them:

 "I've run away from a little old woman,
 A little old man,
 A barn full of threshers,
 And I can run away from you, I can!"

Then the mowers began to run after him, but they couldn't catch him. And
he ran on till he came to a cow. He called out to her:

 "I've run away from a little old woman,
 A little old man,
 A barn full of threshers,
 A field full of mowers,
 And I can run away from you, I can!"

But though the cow started at once, she couldn't catch him. And soon he
came to a pig. He called out to the pig:

 "I've run away from a little old woman,
 A little old man,
 A barn full of threshers,
 A field full of mowers,
 A cow,
 And I can run away from you, I can!"

But the pig ran, and couldn't catch him. And he ran till he came across
a fox, and to him he called out:

 "I've run away from a little old woman,
 A little old man,
 A barn full of threshers,
 A field full of mowers,
 A cow and a pig,
 And I can run away from you, I can!"

Then the fox set out to run. Now, foxes can run very fast, and so the
fox soon caught the gingerbread boy and began to eat him up.

Presently the gingerbread boy said: "O dear! I'm quarter gone!" And
then: "Oh, I'm half gone!" And soon: "I'm three-quarters gone!" And at
last: "I'm all gone!" and never spoke again.

 [N] First published in _St. Nicholas_. Used by permission of the
 publishers, The Century Company.

#STORIES for LITTLE BOYS#

MISCHIEF

BY ROSAMOND UPHAM

Mischief was a cunning little fellow from the very first day that I saw
him. Such a round, plump little body, such short, clumsy legs, and such
a roguish face; just the one of all his nine brothers and sisters about
whom to write a story, and so you shall hear of his preparations for the
long journey upon which he went when he was two months old.

His playmates were sent away, one by one, until at last he was left all
alone, with only the mastiff Rex for a companion, and a most forlorn
little pup he was, running about all day long, trying to keep up with
his new protector.

One morning in January, the weather being very severe, Mischief was
taken into the kitchen to live, and a happier dog than he could not be
imagined, trotting about after the cook and housemaid from morning until
night, chasing the cats, stealing towels and brushes--in fact, attending
to all the mischief that came in his way.

One day, about two weeks after he came into the house to live, a letter
came from Milwaukee saying that he, too, must be sent off. And of
course, Mischief knew about it. How could he help it, when the whole
household were so sorry to have him go? And accordingly he began to make
ready for the long journey he was so soon to take.

As he sat by the range, evidently trying to make up his mind what to
take with him, his first thought was of the old coat he had had as a
bed; so he crossed the room, took the coat in his mouth, and with his
paws scratched it up into a bundle.

Then he thought of his milk-dish. Of course he must take that, for how
could he drink from any other dish than the shiny one given him by the
cook two weeks before? So he took that between his teeth and put it
beside the coat. And the stove-hook, why not take that? No one seemed to
be using it just at the moment. And a gelatin-box that had just been
emptied, would it not be nice to pack his new collar in?

So he ran tumbling across the floor for the box, and back again for the
string, when just then a pair of mittens caught his eye, and in this
cold weather the mittens would be a comfort on so long a journey, so
they were added to the collection under the table. And Mischief was just
thinking he was about ready to start, when the very thing he most
dreaded to leave behind him ran across the floor--the little yellow
kitten; why could she not go with him, and then the journey would not
seem so long? Accordingly, he ran after her, caught her by the neck, and
tried to put her down with his other baggage; but the kitten could not
understand what Mischief meant, and scratched and spit in a way that
plainly sa

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