15 THE FAIRY SHOES

THE FAIRY'S GIFT

Once upon a time a baby boy was born in a little home in a country far away. There was a fine christening feast, and all the friends came. The baby's mother had a fairy godmother, and of course she was invited, too.

“She is rich, ”said all the friends, “No doubt she will bring a splendid gift.”

But when the fairy came, she brought with her only a little brown-paper parcel. How everyone wondered what was in the parcel!

At last the fairy untied the string and opened it. And what do you think was in it? A small pair of leather shoes, with copper tips!

“This is my gift, ”the fairy said, “It is not quite so poor as it looks, for these little shoes will never wear out. When they grow too small for this little boy, they will be ready for another, and another, and another. But there is something more wonderful still about them. The little feet that wear them cannot go wrong.

“When you send your little boy to school in these shoes, they will pinch his feet if he loiters by the way. When you send him on an errand, they will remind him to go quickly, and they will see that he always gets home on time.”

Years went by, and the little family grew larger, until at last there were nine boys. Eight of them, one after the other, had worn the fairy shoes; but they never wore out.

And just as the fairy godmother had said, the feet in the fairy shoes always went where they were sent and always came back home when it was time. So all the boys had learned to be prompt and obedient.

At last it was Timothy's turn to wear the shoes. He was the youngest of the nine sons, and he had been much petted and spoiled.

He had grown very willful, and his feet were pretty well used to taking their own way. At last he played truant from school so often, and was late for dinner so many times that his mother said, “Tim, you must wear the fairy shoes.”

So the shoes were blackened, and the copper tips were polished;and one morning Timothy put them on to wear to school.

“I hope you will be a good boy, Tim, ”said his mother, “You must not loiter or play truant, for if you do, these shoes will pinch you, and you will be sure to be found out.”

Tim's mother held him by the right arm while she told him these things, and Tim's left arm and both his legs were already as far away as he could stretch them. He did not give a single thought to what she had said.

TIM LEARNS A LESSON

It was a May morning, and the sun shone brightly. Tim wanted to loiter on this beautiful morning, when every nook had a flower, and every bush a bird.

Once or twice he stopped to pick flowers; but the shoes pinched his feet, and he ran on. But when the path led near the swamp, and he saw the marsh-marigolds in bloom he stopped.

“I must have some of these beauties, ”he said, “They are like cups of gold! ”Tim forgot everything that his mother had said and began to scramble down the steep bank to the swamp.

But how strangely his shoes behaved! As often as he turned toward the shining flowers, the fairy shoes turned back again toward school. They pinched and pulled and twisted until Tim feared that his ankles would be broken.

In spite of the fairy shoes, Tim dragged himself down to the swamp. But when he got there, be could not find a flower within reach. All the marigolds were far out in the marsh. The fairy shoes jerked and twisted, but Tim went on and on. At last he got near a great cluster of the golden flowers.

“I will have them! ”he said; and he gave a great jump. Down he sank into the swamp. But when he pulled his feet out of the thick black mud, off came the troublesome fairy shoes!

“I'll just leave the fairy shoes in the mud, ”he said, “That's the way to see the last of them! ”

Tim wondered why his brothers had never thought of this good plan. He went on easily now, wading from cluster to cluster, until he had a great handful of the bright marsh-marigolds.

At last, when Tim was beginning to feel tired, he hurt his foot on a sharp stump. Just then a fat green frog jumped so close to his face that it frightened him, and he nearly fell backward into the water.

Out he scrambled, and up the bank he climbed! After cleaning himself as well as he could with his little handkerchief, he went on to school.

“What shall I say to the teacher? ”Tim thought, “Oh, how I wish I had done as the fairy shoes wanted me to do! ”

The little truant reached the school and quietly opened the door. The boys of his class were standing ready for a lesson. As soon as they saw Tim, all of the children began to laugh.

What do you think had happened? There on the floor, just where Tim should have stood, were the fairy shoes! In each of them was a beautiful marsh-marigold.

“You have been in the swamp, Timothy, ”said the teacher,“Put on your shoes at once.”

When his lessons and his punishment were over, Tim was glad enough to let the fairy shoes take him straight home. After that, he heeded the little shoes, and soon learned to be as prompt and obedient as his brothers.

(Juliana Horatia Ewing)

Word list

splendid: wonderful

parcel: package

truant: someone who is late or absent

cluster: many things together

heeded: listened to

You Practice

A) Answer the following questions.

1) What was the fairy godmother's gift?

2) Why were the fairy shoes so wonderful?

3) What happened to Tim's brothers when they wore the fairy shoes?

4) Why did Tim's mother make him wear the fairy shoes?

5) What did Tim find when he reached the school?

B) What's the word? Using the clues, write the correct words from the story.

1) another word for on time—p _ _ _ _ _

2) doing what one is told—o _ _ _ _ _ _ _

3) a kind of flower—m _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

4) to hang around an area—l _ _ _ _ _

5) having lots of money—r _ _ _

C) Word groups—Complete the following word groups with words from the reading.

1) brownie, angel, f _ _ _ _

2) silver, gold, c _ _ _ _ _

3) tulips, roses. m _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

4) present, parcel, g _ _ _

5) March, April, M _ _