Once upon a time, there was a kind, honest man who worked hard all day long making shoes. His good wife worked hard cooking the meals and keeping their little house tidy and clean.
But although these two good people worked so hard, they were very poor. One day the shoemaker had not a single penny left. The soup kettle was empty, and the fire had gone out, for there were no more sticks to keep it burning.
All that the good shoemaker had left was enough leather to make one pair of shoes. But he did not begin to whine and complain. No, instead he set to work and cut out some leather just the right shape to make a pair of shoes. Then he laid the leather on his workbench and went whistling off to bed.
'Tomorrow morning," he said to himself, "I will get up early and make the shoes. Somebody will be sure to buy them."
When the good shoemaker went into the shop the next morning, there on the bench lay the finest pair of shoes he had ever seen. They were made of the leather he had cut out the day before, and sewed with the smallest stitches.
He called his good wife, and she was as much pleased and surprised as he.
That day a man came into the shop and saw the fine pair of shoes. He bought them at once and gave the shoemaker enough money to buy leather for two pairs of shoes.
The good shoemaker cut out the new leather and laid it on the workbench.
"I will get up bright and early in the morning and make the shoes," he said to himself.
Then he went whistling off to bed.
In the morning, there on the bench lay two fine pairs of shoes all neatly and beautifully stitched from the leather the shoemaker had cut out the night before.
That day two men came into the shop and each bought a pair of the fine shoes. They paid the shoemaker so well that he had money to buy the leather for four pairs of shoes.
 He set to work at once and cut out the leather for four pairs of shoes. That night he laid it on the workbench and went whistling off to bed. In the morning, there upon the workbench, lay four pairs of shoes all neatly and beautifully stitched.
These fine shoes brought him in enough money to buy more leather and plenty of good things to put in the soup kettle as well as wood to keep the fire burning.
Every night the good shoemaker laid out works on the bench, and in the morning, no matter how much he had left, the leather was made into shoes.
The good shoemaker and his wife were now very comfortable and happy, but they wondered very much who had been doing so much work for them.
"Let us leave a light burning tonight," said the shoemaker. "Then we will hide in the corner of the work shop and see who it is who has brought us all this good luck."
So the good shoemaker and his wife left a light burning and hid themselves behind a curtain in the corner of the shop.
They waited for a long time and nothing happened. Then just as the clock struck twelve, two tiny elves came dancing in at the door and jumped up on the bench.
They wore no clothes at all, but they carried with them tiny hammers, scissors, thimbles and needles, all the very smallest that the shoemaker had ever seen. They picked up the pieces of leather and began to put them together.
Tap, tap, tap. Pound, pound, pound. Stitch, stitch, stitch. How the tiny fingers flew! The shoemaker and his wife stared with all their eyes. They had never seen such fast work. And every stitch was perfect, and every nail, exactly in the right place.
Before long all the leather the shoemaker had cut out the night before had been turned into shoes. Then the two little elves began to skip merrily around, and just as the clock struck two they danced out of the window.
The good shoemaker and his wife were very much surprised to find out how the shoes had been made.
"I wish there was some way we could thank these kind little people who have brought us so much good luck," said the shoemaker.
"They looked so cold with nothing to cover them," said the shoemakers wife. "I have a mind to make them each a little suit of clothes to keep them warm."
"And I will make them each a tiny pair of shoes for their bare, cold little feet," the shoemaker added.
So they both set to work. The good wife cut out two little coats of fine green cloth, two little waistcoats of yellow, two little pairs of trousers of blue, and two little caps of red. She sewed them with the finest of stitches. And the good shoemaker cut out two tiny pairs of shoes with long pointed toes and sewed them with the finest stitches.
When night came the good shoemaker laid the two tiny pairs of pointed shoes on the bench and his good wife laid the two tiny suits of clothes beside them. Then they left a light burning and hid behind the curtain in the work shop.
Just as the clock struck twelve, the two tiny elves came dancing in at the door. When they saw the two little suits of clothes and the two little pairs of shoes, they laughed aloud and put them on as quickly as possible.
The little blue trousers, the little yellow waistcoats, the little green coats, the little red caps, the little pointed shoes fitted perfectly. The elves smoothed their new coats with their hands, and smiled happily at each other. Then they began to dance, and when the clock struck two they danced away out of the window.
The good shoemaker and his wife never saw them again, but the elves must have sent them good luck, for ever after that the good couple had all they needed.
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