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Little Gretchen And The Wooden Shoe · The Children's Book of Christmas Stories

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  Speaker 1: Story twenty four of the Children's Book of Christmas Stories.
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  Speaker 1: This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in
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  Speaker 1: the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please
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  Speaker 1: visit LibriVox dot org. Recording by Alisa mc caslin, July
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  Speaker 1: two thousand twelve. Children's Book of Christmas Stories by various artists.
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  Speaker 1: Little Gretchen and the Wooden Shoe by Elizabeth Harrison. The
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  Speaker 1: following story is one of many which is drifted down
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  Speaker 1: to us from the story Loving Nurseries and Hearthstones of Germany.
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  Speaker 1: I cannot recall when I first had it told to
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  Speaker 1: me as a child, varied of course by different tellers,
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  Speaker 1: but always leaving that sweet, tender inspiration of God's loving
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  Speaker 1: care for the least of his children. I have since
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  Speaker 1: read different versions of it in at least a half
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  Speaker 1: dozen story books for children. Once upon a time, a
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  Speaker 1: long time ago, far away across the Great Ocean, in
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  Speaker 1: a country called Germany, there could be seen in a
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  Speaker 1: small log hut on the edge of a great forest,
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  Speaker 1: whose fir trees extended for miles and miles to the north.
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  Speaker 1: This little house, made of heavy hewn logs, had but
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  Speaker 1: one room in it. A rough pine door gave entrance
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  Speaker 1: to this room, and a small square window admitted the light.
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  Speaker 1: At the back of the house was built an old
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  Speaker 1: fashioned stone chimney, out of which in winter usually curled
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  Speaker 1: a thin blue smoke, showing that there was not very
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  Speaker 1: much fire within. Small as the house was, it was
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  Speaker 1: large enough for the two people who lived in it.
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  Speaker 1: I want to tell you a story today about these
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  Speaker 1: two people. One was an old, gray haired woman, so
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  Speaker 1: old that the little children of the village nearly half
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  Speaker 1: a mile away often wondered whether she had come into
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  Speaker 1: the world with the huge mountains and the great fir
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  Speaker 1: trees which stood like giants back of her small hut.
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  Speaker 1: Her face was wrinkled all over with deep lines, which,
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  Speaker 1: if the children could only have read aright, would have
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  Speaker 1: told them of many years of cheerful happy self sacrifice,
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  Speaker 1: of love, anxious watching beside sick beds, of quiet endurance
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  Speaker 1: of pain, of many a day of hunger and cold,
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  Speaker 1: and of a thousand deeds of unselfish love for other people.
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  Speaker 1: But of course they could not read this strange handwriting.
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  Speaker 1: They only knew that she was old and wrinkled, and
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  Speaker 1: that she stooped as she walked. None of them seemed
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  Speaker 1: to fear her, for her smile was always cheerful, and
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  Speaker 1: she had a kindly word for each of them if
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  Speaker 1: they chanced to meet her on her way to and
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  Speaker 1: from the village. With this old old woman lived a
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  Speaker 1: very little girl. So bright and happy was she that
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  Speaker 1: the travelers who passed by the lonesome little house on
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  Speaker 1: the edge of the forest often thought of a sunbeam
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  Speaker 1: as they saw her. These two people were known in
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  Speaker 1: the village as Grannie good Year and little Gretchen. The
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  Speaker 1: winter had come and the frost had snapped off many
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  Speaker 1: of the smaller branches from the pine trees in the forest.
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  Speaker 1: Gretchen and her granny were up by daybreak. Each morning.
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  Speaker 1: After their sins breakfast of oatmeal, Gretchen would run to
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  Speaker 1: the little closet and fetch Grannie's old woolen shawl, which
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  Speaker 1: seemed almost as old as Grannie herself. Gretchen always claimed
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  Speaker 1: the right to put the shawl over her granny's head,
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  Speaker 1: even though she had to climb onto the wooden bench
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  Speaker 1: to do it. After carefully pinning it under Grannie's chin,
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  Speaker 1: she gave her a good bye kiss, and Grannie started
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  Speaker 1: out for her morning's work in the forest. This work
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  Speaker 1: was nothing more nor less than the gathering up of
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  Speaker 1: the twigs and branches which the autumn winds and winter
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  Speaker 1: frosts had thrown upon the ground. These were carefully gathered
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  Speaker 1: into a large bundle, which Grannie tied together with a
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  Speaker 1: strong linen band. She then managed to lift the bundle
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  Speaker 1: to her shoulder and trudged off to the village with it.
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  Speaker 1: Here she sold the faggots for kindlingwood to the people
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  Speaker 1: of the village. Sometimes she would only get a few
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  Speaker 1: pence each day, and sometimes a dozen or more, But
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  Speaker 1: on this money little Gretchen and she managed to live.
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  Speaker 1: They had their home, and the forest kindling furnished the
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  Speaker 1: wood for the fire, which kept them warm in cold weather.
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  Speaker 1: In the summer time, Grannie had a little garden at
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  Speaker 1: the back of the hut where she raised, with Little
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  Speaker 1: Gretchen's help, a few potatoes and turnips and onions. These
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  Speaker 1: she carefully stored away for winter use. To this meager supply,
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  Speaker 1: the pennies gained by selling the twigs from the forest
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  Speaker 1: added the oatmeal for Gretchen and a little black coffee
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  Speaker 1: for Grannie. Meat was a thing they never thought of
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  Speaker 1: having it cost too much money. Still, Granny and Gretchen
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  Speaker 1: were very happy because they love each other dearly. Sometimes
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  Speaker 1: Gretchen would be left alone all day long in the
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  Speaker 1: hut because Grannie would have some work to do in
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  Speaker 1: the village after selling her bundle of sticks and twigs.
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  Speaker 1: It was during these long days that little Gretchen had
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  Speaker 1: taught herself to sing the song which the wind sang
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  Speaker 1: to the pine branches in the summer time. She learned
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  Speaker 1: the chirp and twitter of the birds, until her voice
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  Speaker 1: might almost be mistaken for a bird's voice. She learned
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  Speaker 1: to dance as the swaying shadows did, and even to
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  Speaker 1: talk to the stars which shone through the little square
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  Speaker 1: window when Granny came home too late or too tired
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  Speaker 1: to talk. Sometimes, when the weather was fine or her
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  Speaker 1: Granny had an extra bundle of newly knitted stockings to
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  Speaker 1: take to the village, she would let little Gretchen go
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  Speaker 1: along with her. It chanced that one of these trips
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  Speaker 1: to the town came just the week before Christmas, and
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  Speaker 1: Gretchen's eyes were delighted by the side of the lovely
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  Speaker 1: Christmas trees which stood in the windows of the village. Stoor,
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  Speaker 1: it seemed to her that she would never tire of
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  Speaker 1: looking at the knit dolls, the wooly lambs, the little
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  Speaker 1: wooden shops with their queer painted men and women in them,
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  Speaker 1: and all the other fine things. She had never owned
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  Speaker 1: a plaything in her whole life. Therefore, toys which you
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  Speaker 1: and I would not think much of, seemed to her
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  Speaker 1: to be very beautiful. That night, after their supper of
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  Speaker 1: baked potatoes was over, and little Gretchen had cleared away
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  Speaker 1: the dishes and swept up the hearth, because Grannie Dear
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  Speaker 1: was so tired, she brought her own small wooden stool
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  Speaker 1: and placed it very near Grannie's feet and sat down
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  Speaker 1: upon it, folding her hands on her lap. Grannie knew
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  Speaker 1: that this meant she wanted to talk about something, so
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  Speaker 1: she smilingly laid away the large Bible which she had
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  Speaker 1: been reading, and took up her knitting. Which is as
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  Speaker 1: much as to say, well, Gretchen, dear, Grannie is ready
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  Speaker 1: to listen, Grannie said Gretchen slowly. It's almost Christmas time,
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  Speaker 1: isn't it. Yes, dearie, said Grannie, only five more days now,
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  Speaker 1: And then she sighed. But little Gretchen was so happy
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  Speaker 1: that she did not notice Grannie's sigh. What do you think, Grannie,
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  Speaker 1: I'll get this Christmas, said she, looking up eagerly into
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  Speaker 1: Grannie's face. Ah, child, child, said Grannie, shaking her head.
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  Speaker 1: You'll have no Christmas this year. We are too poor
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  Speaker 1: for that. Oh, but Grannie interrupted little Gretchen. Think of
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  Speaker 1: all the beautiful toys we saw in the village to day.
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  Speaker 1: Surely Santa Claus is sent enough for every little child. Ah, deary,
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  Speaker 1: said Grannie. Those toys are for people who can pay
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  Speaker 1: money for them, and we have no money to spend
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  Speaker 1: for Christmas toys. Well, Grannie, said Gretchen. Perhaps some of
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  Speaker 1: the little children who live in the great House on
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  Speaker 1: the hill at the other end of the village will
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  Speaker 1: be willing to share some of their toys with me.
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  Speaker 1: They will be so glad to give some to a
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  Speaker 1: little girl who has none, dear child, Dear child, said Grannie,
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  Speaker 1: leaning forward and stroking the soft, shining hair of the
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  Speaker 1: little girl. Your heart is full of love. You would
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  Speaker 1: be glad to bring a Christmas to every child. But
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  Speaker 1: their heads are so full of what they are going
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  Speaker 1: to get that they forget all about anybody else. But themselves.
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  Speaker 1: Then she sighed and shook her head. Well, Grannie, said Gretchen,
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  Speaker 1: her bright, happy tone of voice growing a little less joyous.
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  Speaker 1: Perhaps the dear Santa Claus will show some of the
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  Speaker 1: village children how to make presents that do not cost money,
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  Speaker 1: and some of them may surprise me Christmas morning with
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  Speaker 1: the present. And Grannie dear added she springing up from
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  Speaker 1: her low stool. Can't I gather some of the pine
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  Speaker 1: branches and take them to the old sick man who
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  Speaker 1: lives in the house by the mill, so that he
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  Speaker 1: can have the sweet smell of our pine forest in
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  Speaker 1: his room all Christmas day. Yes, dearie, said Grannie. You
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  Speaker 1: may do what you can to make the Christmas bright
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  Speaker 1: and happy, but you must not expect any present yourself.
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  Speaker 1: Oh but, Grannie, said little Gretchen, her face brightening, you
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  Speaker 1: forget all about the shining Christmas angels who came down
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  Speaker 1: to earth and sang their wonderful song the night the
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  Speaker 1: beautiful christ Child was born. They are so loving and
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  Speaker 1: good that they will not forget any little child. I
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  Speaker 1: shall ask my dear stars tonight to tell them of us,
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  Speaker 1: you know, she added, with a look of relief. The
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  Speaker 1: stars are so very high that they must know the
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  Speaker 1: angels quite well as they come and go with their
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  Speaker 1: messages from the loving God. Grannie sighed as she half whispered,
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  Speaker 1: poor child, poor child. But Gretchen threw her arms round
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  Speaker 1: Grannie's neck and gave her a hearty kiss, saying as
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  Speaker 1: she did so, Oh, Grannie, Grannie, you don't talk to
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  Speaker 1: the stars often enough, else you wouldn't be sad at
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  Speaker 1: Christmas time. Then she danced all around the room, whirling
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  Speaker 1: a little skirts about her to show Grannie how the
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  Speaker 1: wind had made the snow dance that day. She looked
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  Speaker 1: so droll and funny that Grannie forgot her cares and
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  Speaker 1: worries and laughed with little Gretchen over her new snow dance.
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  Speaker 1: The days passed on, and the morning before Christmas Eve came. Gretchen,
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  Speaker 1: having tidied up the little room for Grannie had taught
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  Speaker 1: her to be a careful little housewife, was off to
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  Speaker 1: the forest, singing a birdlike song, almost as happy and
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  Speaker 1: free as the birds themselves. She was very busy that
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  Speaker 1: day preparing a surprise for Grannie. First, however, she gathered
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  Speaker 1: the most beautiful of the fir branches within her reach
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  Speaker 1: to take the next morning to the old sick man
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  Speaker 1: who lived by the mill. The day was all too
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  Speaker 1: short for the happy little girl. When Grannie came trudging
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  Speaker 1: wearily home that night, she found the frame of the
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  Speaker 1: doorway covered with green pine branches. It's to welcome you, Grannie,
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  Speaker 1: it's to welcome you, cried Gretchen, our old dear home
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  Speaker 1: wanted to give you a Christmas welcome. Don't you see
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  Speaker 1: the branches of evergreen make it look as if it
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  Speaker 1: were smiling all over, and it is trying to say
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  Speaker 1: a happy Christmas to you, Grannie. Grannie laughed and kissed
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  Speaker 1: the little girl as they opened the door and went
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  Speaker 1: in together. Here was a new surprise for Grannie. The
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  Speaker 1: four posts of the wooden bed, which stood in one
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  Speaker 1: corner of the room, had been trimmed by the busy
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  Speaker 1: little fingers with smaller and more flexible branches of the
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  Speaker 1: pine trees. A small bouquet of red mountain ash berries
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  Speaker 1: stood at each side of the fireplace, and these, together
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  Speaker 1: with the trim posts of the bed, gave the plain
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  Speaker 1: old room quite a festival look. Gretchen laughed and clapped
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  Speaker 1: her hands and danced about until the house seemed full
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  Speaker 1: of music to poor tired Granny, whose heart had been
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  Speaker 1: sad as she turned toward their home that night, thinking
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  Speaker 1: of the disappointment which must come to loving little Gretchen.
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  Speaker 1: The next morning, after supper was over, little Gretchen drew
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  Speaker 1: her stool up to Grannie's side, and, laying her soft
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  Speaker 1: little hands on Grannie's knee, as to be told once
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  Speaker 1: again the story of the coming of the Christ Child,
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  Speaker 1: how the night that he was born, the beautiful angels
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  Speaker 1: had sung their wonderful song, and how the whole sky
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  Speaker 1: had become bright with a strange and glorious light never
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  Speaker 1: seen by the people of earth before. Gretchen had heard
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  Speaker 1: the story many many times before, but she never grew
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  Speaker 1: tired of it, and now that Christmas Eve had come again,
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  Speaker 1: the happy little child wanted to hear it once more.
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  Speaker 1: When Grannie had finished telling it, the two sat quiet
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  Speaker 1: and silent for a little while, thinking it over. Then
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  Speaker 1: Grannie rose and said it was time for them to
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  Speaker 1: go to bed. She slowly took off her heavy wooden shoes,
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  Speaker 1: such as are worn in that country, and placed them
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  Speaker 1: beside the hearth. Gretchen looked thoughtfully at them for a minute,
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  Speaker 1: or two, and then she said, Grannie, don't you think
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  Speaker 1: that somebody in all this wide world will think of
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  Speaker 1: us to night? Nay, Gretchen said Grannie. I don't think
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  Speaker 1: any one will. Well, then, Grannie said Gretchen, the Christmas
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  Speaker 1: angels will, I know. So I'm going to take one
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  Speaker 1: of your wooden shoes and put it on the window
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  Speaker 1: sill outside, so that they may see it as they
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  Speaker 1: passed by. I'm sure the stars will tell the Christmas
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  Speaker 1: angels where the shoe is. Ah, you foolish, foolish child,
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  Speaker 1: said Grannie. You are only getting ready for a disappointment
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  Speaker 1: tomorrow morning. There will be nothing whatever in the shoe.
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  Speaker 1: I can tell you that now. But little Gretchen would
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  Speaker 1: not listen. She only shook her head and cried out, oh, Grannie,
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  Speaker 1: you don't talk enough to the stars. With this, she
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  Speaker 1: seized the shoe, and, opening the door, hurried out to
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  Speaker 1: place it on the window sill. It was very dark without,
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  Speaker 1: and something soft and cold seemed to gently kiss her
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  Speaker 1: hair and face. Gretchen knew by this that it was snowing,
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  Speaker 1: and she looked up to the sky, anxious to see
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  Speaker 1: if the stars were in sight. But a strong wind
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  Speaker 1: was tumbling the dark, heavy snow clouds about and had
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  Speaker 1: shut away all else. Never mind, said Gretchen softly to herself.
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  Speaker 1: The stars are up there, even if I can't see them,
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  Speaker 1: and the Christmas Angels do not mind snowstorms. Just then
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  Speaker 1: and a rough wind went sweeping by the little girl,
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  Speaker 1: whispering something to her which she could not understand. And
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  Speaker 1: then it made a sudden rush up to the snow
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  Speaker 1: clouds and parted them so that the deep, mysterious sky
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  Speaker 1: appeared beyond, and shining down out of the midst of
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  Speaker 1: it was Gretchen's favorite star. Ah, little Star, little Star,
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  Speaker 1: said the child, laughing aloud. I knew you were there,
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  Speaker 1: though I couldn't see you. Will you whisper to the
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  Speaker 1: Christmas Angels as they come by, that little Gretchen wants
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  Speaker 1: so very much to have a Christmas gift tomorrow morning,
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  Speaker 1: if they have one to spare, And that she has
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  Speaker 1: put one of Granny's shoes upon the window sill ready
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  Speaker 1: for it. A moment more and the little girl, standing
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  Speaker 1: on tiptoe, had reached the window sill and placed the
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  Speaker 1: shoe upon it, and was back again in the house
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  Speaker 1: beside Grannie and the warm fire. The two went quietly
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  Speaker 1: to bed, and that night, as Little Gretchen knelt to
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  Speaker 1: pray to the heavenly Father, she thanked him for having
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  Speaker 1: sent the christ Child into the world to teach all
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  Speaker 1: mankind how to be loving and unselfish, And in a
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  Speaker 1: few moments she was quietly sleeping, dreaming of the Christmas Angels.
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  Speaker 1: The next morning, very early, even before the sun was up,
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  Speaker 1: Little Gretchen was awakened by the sound of sweet music
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  Speaker 1: coming from the village. She listened for a moment, and
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  Speaker 1: then she knew that the choir boys were singing the
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  Speaker 1: Christmas carols in the open air of the village street.
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  Speaker 1: She sprang up out of bed and began to dress
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  Speaker 1: herself as quickly as possible, singing as she dressed, while
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  Speaker 1: Grannie was slowly putting on her clothes. Little Gretchen, having
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  Speaker 1: finished dressing herself, unfastened the door and hurried out to
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  Speaker 1: see what the Christmas Angels had left in the old
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  Speaker 1: wooden shoe. The white snow covered everything, trees, stumps, roads
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  Speaker 1: and pastures, until the whole world looked like fairyland. Gretchen
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  Speaker 1: climbed up on a large stone which was beneath the
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  Speaker 1: window and carefully lifted down the woods and shoe. The
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  Speaker 1: snow tumbled off of it in a shower over the
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  Speaker 1: little girl's hands, but she did not heed that. She
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  Speaker 1: ran hurriedly back into the house, putting her hand into
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  Speaker 1: the toe of the shoe as she ran. Oh, Grannie,
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  Speaker 1: Oh Grannie, she exclaimed, you didn't believe the Christmas angels
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  Speaker 1: would think about us, But see they have, they have.
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  Speaker 1: Here is a dear little bird nestled down in the
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  Speaker 1: toe of your shoe. Oh isn't he beautiful? Grannie came
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  Speaker 1: forward and looked at what the child was holding lovingly
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  Speaker 1: in her hand. There she saw a tiny chickadee whose
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  Speaker 1: wing was evidently broken by the rough and boisterous winds
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  Speaker 1: of the night before, and who had taken shelter in
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  Speaker 1: the safe, dry toe of the old wooden shoe. She
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  Speaker 1: gently took the little bird out of Gretchen's hands and
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  Speaker 1: skillfully bound his broken wing to his side, so that
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  Speaker 1: he need not hurt himself by trying to fly with it.
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  Speaker 1: Then she showed Gretchen how to make a nice warm
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  Speaker 1: nest for the little stranger close beside the fire, and
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  Speaker 1: when their breakfast was ready, she let Gretchen feed the
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  Speaker 1: little bird with a few moist crumbs. Later in the day,
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  Speaker 1: Gretchen carried the fresh green boughs to the old sick
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  Speaker 1: man by the mill, and on her way home, stopped
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  Speaker 1: to see and enjoy the Christmas toys of some other
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  Speaker 1: children whom she knew, never once wishing that they were hers.
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  Speaker 1: When she reached home, she found that the little bird
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  Speaker 1: had gone to sleep. Soon however, he opened his eyes
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  Speaker 1: and stretched his head up, saying, just as plain as
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  Speaker 1: a bird could say, now, my new friends, I want
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  Speaker 1: you to give me something more to eat. Gretchen gladly
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  Speaker 1: fed him again, and then, holding him in her lap,
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  Speaker 1: she softly and gently stroked his gray feathers until the
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  Speaker 1: little creature seemed to lose all fear of her. That evening,
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  Speaker 1: Grannie taught her a Christmas hymn and told her another
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  Speaker 1: beautiful Christmas story. Then Gretchen made up a funny little
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  Speaker 1: story to tell to the birdy. He winked his eyes
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  Speaker 1: and turned his head from side to side in such
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  Speaker 1: a droll fashion that Gretchen laughed until the tears came.
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  Speaker 1: As Grannie and she got ready for bed that night,
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  Speaker 1: Gretchen put her arms softly around Grannie's neck and whispered,
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  Speaker 1: what a beautiful Christmas we have had to day? Grannie,
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  Speaker 1: is there anything in the world more lovely than Christmas? Nay, child,
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  Speaker 1: Nay said Grannie, not to such loving hearts as yours.
• 18:22
  Speaker 1: And of little Gretchen and the Wooden Shoe by Elizabeth
• 18:28
  Speaker 1: Harrison