So they brought the little maiden Snail. Eight days pa.s.sed before she arrived, but that was the rare circ.u.mstance by which one could see that she was of the right kind.
And then they had the wedding. Six Glow-Worms lighted as well as they could. With this exception it went very quietly, for the old Snails could not bear feasting and noise.
The Father Snail could not make a speech, he was so much moved; but he gave the young people the whole burdock forest for an inheritance. He said, what he and the Mother Snail had always said, that it was the best place in the world. And when the wedding was over, the old people crept into their houses and never came out again, for they slept.
The young Snail pair now ruled in the forest, and had a large family.
The rain fell down upon the burdock leaves to play the drum for them.
The sun shone to color the burdock forest for them; and they were happy, very happy. The whole family was uncommonly happy!
CLOTHING
THE WONDER SHOES
They looked like any other pair of boy"s shoes, the same stout soles, strong lacings, shiny tips and uppers. But when the old shoemaker put them on Gustave, and laced them up, and saw that they exactly fitted, he said to Gustave:
"Wonder shoes, little man. They will be wonder shoes!"
The old shoemaker had lived a great many years. He had made shoes for Gustave"s father, and when he said anything about heels or toes or leather it was quite sure to be true. But here was something very strange. Gustave"s blue eyes looked and looked in surprise at his new shoes. They seemed not in the least different from those that he had just worn out, or those that he kept for Sunday. He glanced up at his mother, who was giving the shoemaker a shining silver dollar and a shining silver half dollar to pay for them. She did not say anything.
She only smiled back into his eyes. Then Gustave spoke to the old shoemaker.
"Why are they wonder shoes?" he asked.
"Oh you will find out!" chuckled the old shoemaker as he patted Gustave"s head. So Gustave and his mother went out of the old shoemaker"s shop and up the street.
It was a windy, bl.u.s.tering day. The dry leaves were flying, and the weather c.o.c.ks turned, creaking, around, and Gustave had to hold his head low for he was only a little boy and the wind nearly pushed him down. A bent old gentleman, walking with a cane, pa.s.sed them. Puff, whisk, the wind took the old gentleman"s hat and sent it racing ahead of him along the street.
But the wonder shoes were quicker than the wind. They carried Gustave like a flying breeze after the old gentleman"s hat. He caught it, and picked it up and gave it back to the old gentleman, who was very grateful indeed, and gave Gustave a bright penny.
"A swift little boy!" exclaimed the old gentleman, but Gustave did not tell him about the wonder shoes. He had decided to keep that for a secret.
When Gustave and his mother reached home, his mother decided to make a loaf of white cake. But, alas; when she went to the pantry, she discovered that she had no b.u.t.ter.
"Run to the grocery shop, Gustave," she said, "and bring me back a pat of b.u.t.ter by the time that the fire is burning brightly for baking the cake."
Gustave started for the grocery store, but he had not gone very far on the way when he met his friend Max, who had a new velocipede, painted red. Max called to Gustave:
"You may ride my velocipede as much as you like," he said. "We will take turns."
Gustave stopped. He had no velocipede of his own. He could imagine himself riding on Max"s velocipede, the wheels spinning around so fast as he played that he was a fire engine chief, or an automobile racer, or a chariot driver in a circus. But it was only a second that Gustave stopped. His new shoes would not let him stay any longer. On they raced toward the grocery store, carrying Gustave almost as fast as Max"s velocipede could go. He called back to Max:
"I can"t stop, now. I must fetch my mother a pat of b.u.t.ter by the time that the fire is ready for the cake."
That was all Gustave said. He did not tell him about the wonder shoes for that was a secret.
When he came back that way with the b.u.t.ter, Max was still out at play.
"I will race with you as far as my gate," Gustave said to Max.
"But I shall beat you because I am riding my velocipede and can race on wheels while you will have to race on foot," said Max.
But Gustave was off like an arrow and although Max worked the pedals of his new velocipede as fast as he could, he was not able to win the race. Gustave reached his gate before Max on his velocipede did.
"How did you go so fast?" asked Max.
"I have new shoes," said Gustave, but still he did not tell the secret of their wonder.
"I should like to have a pair just like them," said Max, who was often late for school and seldom able to do an errand for his mother promptly.
"I will ask the old shoemaker if he has any more shoes like mine, Max," Gustave said. So, after he had given his mother the pat of b.u.t.ter, which was exactly in time, he went back to the shop of the old shoemaker.
"My friend, Max, wants a pair of wonder shoes like mine," Gustave said. "Have you any more?" he asked.
The old shoemaker smiled, and chuckled, and laughed, until his spectacles nearly dropped off.
"More wonder shoes?" he said. "Why any little boy may have a pair if he wants them. It all depends upon the boy himself whether or not he has wonder shoes."
THE EMPEROR"S NEW CLOTHES
Many years ago there lived an Emperor who was so exceedingly fond of fine new clothes that he spent all his money on rich garments. He did not care for his soldiers, nor for the theatre, nor for driving about, except for the purpose of showing his new clothes.
He had a dress for every hour of the day, and just as they say of a king, "He is in Council," they always said of him, "The Emperor is in his Wardrobe."
Well, the great town in which he lived was very busy. Every day a number of strangers arrived.
One day two rogues came along, saying they were weavers, and that they knew how to weave the finest stuff one could imagine. Not only, said they, were the colors and designs exceedingly beautiful, but the clothes that were made of their material had the wonderful quality of being invisible to everybody who was either unfit for his position, or was extraordinarily stupid.
"They must be splendid clothes," thought the Emperor; "by wearing them I could easily discover what persons in my kingdom are unfit for their posts. I could distinguish the wise from the stupid. I must have that stuff woven for me at once!" So he gave the two rogues a large sum of money, in order that they might begin their work without delay.
The rogues put up two looms, and pretended to be working, but they had nothing at all in the frames. Again and again they demanded the finest silks and the most magnificent gold thread, but they put it all in their own pockets, and worked at their empty looms late into the night.
"Now, I should like to know how far they have got on with that stuff,"
thought the Emperor; but he felt quite uncomfortable when he remembered that those who were stupid or unfit for their positions could not see it. He did not think for a moment that he had anything to fear for himself; but, nevertheless, he would rather send somebody else first to see how the stuff was getting on.
Everybody in the town knew what a remarkable quality the stuff possessed, and each was anxious to see how bad or stupid his neighbors were.
"I will send my honest old minister to the weavers," thought the Emperor; "he can judge best how the stuff looks, for he is intelligent, and no one is better fit for his office than he."
So the clever old minister went out into the hall, where the two rogues were sitting at work at their empty looms.
"Goodness me!" he thought, and opened his eyes wide; "I cannot see anything," but he did not say so. Both of the rogues begged him to be so kind as to step nearer, and asked him if it was not a pretty design, and were not the colors beautiful, and they pointed to the empty looms.