A shoemaker， through no fault of his own， had become so poor that he had only leather enough for a single pair of shoes. He cut them out one evening， then went to bed， intending to finish them the next morning. Having a clear conscience， he went to bed peacefully， commended himself to God， and fell asleep.
　　The next morning， after saying his prayers， he was about to return to his work when he found the shoes on his workbench， completely finished. Amazed， he did not know what to say. He picked up the shoes in order to examine them more closely. They were so well made that not a single stitch was out of place， just as if they were intended as a masterpiece. A customer soon came by， and he liked the shoes so much that he paid more than the usual price for them.
　　The shoemaker now had enough money to buy leather for two pairs of shoes. That evening he cut them out， intending to continue his work the next morning with good cheer. But he did not need to do so， because when he got up they were already finished. Customers soon bought them， paying him enough that he now could buy leather for four pairs of shoes. Early the next morning he found the four pairs finished. And so it continued； whatever he cut out in the evening was always finished the following morning. He now had a respectable income and with time became a wealthy man.
　　One evening shortly before Christmas， just before going to bed， and having already cut out a number of shoes， he said to his wife， “Why don’t we stay up tonight and see who is giving us this helping hand？”
　　His wife agreed to this and lit a candle. Then they hid themselves behind some clothes that were hanging in a corner of the room. At midnight two cute little naked men appeared. Sitting down at the workbench， they picked up the cut-out pieces and worked so unbelievable quickly and nimbly that the amazed shoemaker could not take his eyes from them. They did not stop until they had finished everything. They placed the completed shoes on the workbench， then quickly ran away.
　　The next morning the wife said， “The little men have made us wealthy. We must show them our thanks. They are running around with nothing on， freezing. Do you know what？ I want to sew some shirts， jackets， undershirts， and trousers for them， and knit a pair of stockings for each of them， and you should make a pair of shoes for each of them.”
　　The husband said， “I agree，” and that evening， when everything was finished， they set the presents out instead of the unfinished work. Then they hid themselves in order to see what the little men would do. At midnight they came skipping up， intending to start work immediately. When they saw the little clothes instead of the cut-out leather， they at first seemed puzzled， but then delighted. They quickly put them on， then stroking the beautiful clothes on their bodies they sang. 　　Then they hopped and danced about， jumping over chairs and benches. Finally they danced out of the house. They never returned， but the shoemaker prospered， succeeding in everything that he did.
　　从前有个平凡的鞋匠，家里穷得只剩下做一双鞋子用的皮革了。晚上他把皮革裁剪好，就去睡觉了，打算第二天一早做完它们。他在床上怀着一颗纯洁而宁静的心向上帝做完祈祷便睡着了。
　　第二天早上他做完祷告，打算继续工作，但他发现。在工作台上的那双鞋子已经做好了。天哪！鞋匠惊讶得说不出话来。他把鞋子拿起来检查了一下，做工非常棒，接缝处没有丝毫偏差。就在这时，一位顾客进来了，他非常喜欢这双鞋并用高价买下了它们。
　　鞋匠现在有足够的钱买做两双鞋的皮革了。晚上他兴高采烈地裁剪好，打算第二天早上做好它们。但是他起床的时候鞋已经做好了。很快又有顾客买走了那些鞋，并付给他很多钱，这下，鞋匠可以买做四双鞋子的皮革了。而且和以前一样，第二天早晨他发现鞋子已经做好了。这样过了一段时间，随着越来越多的鞋子做好了，卖出去，鞋匠很快就富了起来。
　　圣诞节前的某天晚上，在已经裁好一些鞋子准备上床睡觉之前，鞋匠对妻子说：“不如我们整夜不睡，看看究竟是谁在帮助我们？”
　　他的妻子非常赞同，于是他们点了一根蜡烛，悄悄地藏在房间角落里挂着的衣服后面。半夜时分，两个小小的光着身子的小精灵出现了。他们坐在工作台上捡起裁剪好的皮革飞快地做了起来，鞋匠简直不敢相信自己的眼睛。他们直到全部做好才停下来并把鞋放在工作台上，然后迅速跑走了。
　　第二天早上，鞋匠的妻子说：“这些小精灵让我们生活这么富裕。我们应该报答他们，他们光着身子东奔西跑一定很冷。知道吗？我可以缝制一些衬衫，短外套，汗衫，还有裤子和长袜，而你可以给他们每个做一双鞋子。”
　　鞋匠说： “完全同意。”那天晚上， 鞋匠夫妇没有把裁剪好的皮革放在工作台上，而是把做好的小礼物放在上面。然后，他们又悄悄地躲了起来看小人会做什么。半夜里，小精灵们来了，并立刻准备开始工作。他们刚看见那些小衣服的时候很迷惑，然后马上欣喜地把它们穿在身上，用手摸着漂亮的衣服唱起歌来。
　　他们神气活现地蹦着、舞着，跳过椅子和长凳，最后跳出了房子再也没有回来。但是鞋匠仍然生意兴隆，万事如意。
　　（苏 珊 供稿）