THE OREGON DAILY JOURNAL! PORTLAND., SATURDAY EVENING. MARCH 12, IdOk
FOR CHILDREN By Walt McD.ougall
Strange Animals of Years Ago
Described to Watt McDougall
By a Black' Forest Elf . Hun
dreds of Years Old
But He Laughs at the.Descrlp-tbrisMl-Tetb--His
-Strange
Visitor 'That WhitelF VerJ
Interesting it Is Not True &
GOOD
STORIES
. 1 1 II!- ts''Bp.
I J3
SO FAR as I have been able ' to learn nobody
knows why it is that shoemakers have always
been the' ones to spft fairies, brownies and ,
alves and have all s6Trttf wonderful adventures.
Why should an elf feel like showing himself to
cobbler! I should think that the little people would
feel as safe-talking to au artist or a doctor, but I
have never yet met either a doctor or an artist who
ever-hadtbe pleasureof seeing an elf, to say notic ing
of having a talk with one. But I know at least
five cobblers who claim to have often met and
Spoken to pixies, brownies, elves and gnomes.
As all but one of these are German shoemakers,
I imagine that Germans Jure favored by, the small
folk, but I am not so certain of it. . V-
Conrad Schmoltzebechtel, one of these cobblers,
Informed me that it was probably because shoe
makers are very learned and wise men,- who con
Itantly Btudied as they worked. V
"Shoemakers," said he, fare the ones who first
Invented canary birds, or at least trained them to
ling tunes; they were the first to color meerschaum
pipes; to take email puppies and tie them not fat
from a nice tempting bone so that they would
fctretch and strain and pull until they grew long in
the body and short in the legs and became those
. funny little dachshunds."
A cobbler," he tells me, first invented frankfurter
lausages and wire mousetraps, but I doubt this.
A rAt any rate, Conrad is a good deal of a humbug
nd is not really as smart as he pretends to be, for
Iwhen I asked him if he could half -sole a pair of
(mow-shoes he 'said he thought he could, but wasn't
Sure. But he had seen and talked to several elves,
according to his own story, and he had witnessed a
fairy dance in a moonring more than once, so he
laid. : ":"' . ". '
- All this talk about the little people made me ex
ceedingly curious, and anxious, also, to witness some
f the marvels he talketd about At last, after he
had declared again and again that it was simply im- u
possible to obtain a view of an elf unless you were a
' cobbler, I unfolded my plan to him. It was simply
to take his little shop and sit there day after day
and night after night until at last the elves, con-,
trinced that I was a real shoemaker, would pay me a
social visit and let me into their games.
' "Ach der Luil" exclaimed Conrad "Vat it iss!
You tink dot you can a shoemaker been alretty
mi tout learning dot peesness yet I Dey fint out right
avay oncet dot you can't did it, ahoost,s soon as
' fley see you I Dey ain't no fools 1" ' ,
"But before they get around I will have learned
B lot about shoemaking," said L vr
"Achl Dot takes n ears ant years to learn dot .
peesness. It iss not shoost to hammer avay on a
piece of ledder all de time. You tink pecause you
can scratch avay on a piece of paper 'dot you can do
anyting alretty. Dot's one big grand job dot 'shoe
maker yet." ;
Well, at last I persuaded him to take a vaeation
and go away to my bungalow down at Atlantic City
and go fishing every day at my expense, and when
this was proposed he was no-longer proof against
the temptation, for he dearly loved to go fishing,
like all good men. ""' " " '
: I packed him oft on a Monday morning and
hastened to take up my new occupation, for he had
given mo many a hint as to how to proceed in order
to convince not only the elves but others that I was
a genuine cobbler.
. .Well, a week went by and no elves appeared To
fee sure, I was quite certain that, more than once, I
had heard mysterious noises and faint whispering
- behind my back, down among the great rolls of calf
skin in the corner of the shop, but I had seen noth
ing, and when' I hoard these slight sounds .1 was
ivery careful never to look around, for I was certain
that any sudden motion or the betrayal of curiosity'
jrould frighten my timid visitors away., :
They were getting acquainted with the new cob
bler in their own wayand, I thought, were study
ing my habits and manner of working before they
revealed themselves, so I never let them suspect that
I was listening or watching at all.
Sometimes, just as Conrad used to do when he
fcvas very busy, t would work far into the night, long
after all the townspeople were sound asleep, and
then it was that I used most frequently to hear the
tiny footsteps patter across the boards, and one.
night when engaged most earnestly in my toil, for ,
I really had become quite interested in the work, I
suddenly thought of the story in Grimm's Fairy
Tales where the cobbler and his wise wife made
the elves a pair of shoes and some clothes.
, "Why not make the same experiment!" I asked
tnyself. "Perhaps it. might induce the elves to show
themselves at once and be very friendly."
' " Instantly I began to seek for some material to
tarry out the plan, and in a closet I soon found
home delicate red kid that I was- sure would make
fine shoes. Then I thought it would be better to
wait until next day when they would not be present,
so I went home at once.
Early next morning I went to the shop, and get
ling down on my knees carefully examined the floor,
where the dust lay thick, and soon I discovered tiny
footprints there, which alone was proof of the pres
ence of elves, for none were more than an inch in
length. ,
Carefully measuring the largest footprint, I soon
tad a pattern to work after, and I began briskly
cutting out the soles of thin leather and shaping
the upper parts of the Scarlet kid. It was a very
Idelicate job, you may be sure, and I spoiled the first
pair by iny lack of skill, as well as my haste; but
beginning again more carefully I soon had the satis
faction of seeing them shape themselves very fairly,
'indeed. y ,
AU day long I stitched the tiny footwear, sewing
lo carefully that even the oldest shoemaker would
toot have been ashamed of the work, and when night
tame they were completed- pretty a pair of elf
shoes as any, one could desire. Tiny cords with tas-"
selod ends were the shoe-laces; red, of course, to
match Jhe shops,-and really I was quite puffed up
gs i 1 K pride when I surveyed my handiwork. .
For a long' time I pondered over different 'ways'
fcf presenting the gift to my elfin visitors, but at..
last I decided to place them in the foot-prints which
I had measured, so that the little folk would in
stantly see to whom they belonged.
Then I put out my light and went home in great
glee. . i
The next morning,, much earlier than usual, I
hastened to the shop. The shoes had disappeared!
Nothing showed who had taken them, but the tell-'
tale footprints in the dust betrayed everything. An
elf had carried away my gift, but he had left noth
ing to show whether he was pleased or not.
All day long I pegged, soled and heeled and pon
dered, but when night came I had about arrived at
a conclusion that I had wasted my time and that
the elves had no desire to make my acquaintance.
I would have gone home had not a little boy en
tered and asked me to mend his shoes that night
so that he could wear them to school next day, and,
of course, I was compelled to serve him, for that
was what I had promised Conrad So after supper
when I was busily stitching away and whistling in
the regular shoemaker style, and almost everybody ;
else in town was fast asleep, I heard behind me the
tap, tap of tiny heels, and when I suddenly turned I
saw a little figure not quite as tall as my Jbench.
lie was an elf. Exactly like the pictures in the
story books, with a red, rosy face, a long white beard
and dressed in a rough gray jacket with a hood to
cover his head, turned back on his broad shoulders.
He wore my red shoes on his feet, and I saw at once
that they fitted him perfectly, and I smiled down at
him very pleasantly.
He seemed somewhat timid, standing just like a
boy ready to dart away, but when I smiled he seem
ed assured of my friendly intentions and came
nearer to me. I waited for him to speak first, and
when ha spoke to me in German it did not surprise
me to find German elves in a German cobbler's shop.
Ha said:
"I thank you, strange cobbler, for the beautiful
shoes. Never had an elf such, splendid footgear, and
I am very proud of them I"
I replied in German: "I am glad they please you.
I wished to show you that I was friendly toward
you and your folk."
"How did you know there were elves here?" he
asked.
"I have read many books of magic lore, and I have
knowledge of your people," I replied. "I have long
known you were here, but I did not wish to trouble
you."
"Well, well I What a fuss they made about it!
They have all lived here for a long time, but were
so afraid of you that they sent clear to the Black
Forest, in Germany, for me to come and take -a
look at you; and, behold, the first thing I get a fine
pair of shoes, and they never got anything all the
time they've lived here. Ha, ha, ha! Such calf
heads that they are. Such dumb noodles, yes ! Any
body could see with one look at you that you are a
nice fellow and smart, too."
"Can you not speak English I" I asked.
"No, I have never been away from home before,
and I would not have come only they said grand
father was the only one who could tell them what
to do. They were all for going away from here when
Conrad departed. Ach! They are American dumb
heads, all! Even now they are hiding in the wall,
listening to us talking, and will you believe me,
some of them can speak no German, yet it is only
about two hundred years since their fathers came
here. 8uch a nonsencel"
"Two hundred years! Is. it possible! So long a
time!" I exclaimed. , .
"Ach! That's nothing! Mere babies! I am three
thousand years old myself, and I am still hale and
hearty!"
"And have you lived all that time there in Ger
many and seen all the changes? Seen the land turn
from dark woodlands into the great, rich cities,
the people grow from wild, hairy savages to gentle
scholars; seen great castles with their robber barons
fall into decay, grand cathedrals rise and crumbly
druids. Goths,. Franks, Huns. Teutons, rise and
flourish and fade awayl"
WITH FRIGHTENED CRIES THE ELVES JUMPED DOWN AND FLED
"Ach! I have seen nothing," he' interrupted. "I
have always lived in the rocks in Black Forest, and
never bothered about all these changes. I have no
ticed that they wore different clothes from time to
time, but I still stick to what I wore when a boy.
What to me are their wars and fashions! All hum
bug! Down in the earth we dig our gold and pile it
up, and worry not about the fool people above us
building castles, cathedrals, monuments, that all
crumble like wax. Gold alone; yes, and silver, too,
to last for all time." '
"But in all this time you must have learned some
thing," I cried; "You don't mean to tell me that
you have been moulding away down below for two
thousand years and know nothing about all the
wonderful things that have happened?" '
' "Ach! I am not so green as I look, or as you im
agine. Only the other day well, yes; it's tbout three -or
four hundred years ago, I can't say exactly I
was acquainted, well acquainted, too, with a great
philosopher and magician, the wizard Albsrtus
Magnus, who actually wrote a book, all with his
own hand.
"I saw him writing, and unless I had seen it I
, would not have said it; but he did it and it was mag
nificent The book weighed twelve pounds. All in
great black letters, made with a goose quill as if
by magic, it was, and with beautiful colored pic
tures at the head of every page. Fine! Oh, the
brave pictures ! All of wonderful animals that roam
the earth, all of which the great Magnus told me
he had seen with his own eyes, and some of them
were terrible to look upon. Such fearful forms and
Buch awful faces it is not permitted common men to
see, nor even elves, I think, for I have never yet
met one who has seen any of the creatures. Albertus
Magnus pictured. In faith, if I saw one even afar
-off I would fall down stiff with fear, so awful are
they,"
"It seems to me that I have heard of that wiz
ard," said I, "and also of his book of animals, but
I cannot remember what they were. I, am pretty
good on woozy animals myseli, and I would like to
hear about them."
"No, indeed; they are too dreadful to talk about,"
cried my elf (whose name, by the way, is Aldro
vandus Gesner), "I shudder when I think of them."
"Were they any worse than the flap-tailed Pan
jandrum!" I inquired, seductively. "The animal
with a tail like a snow-shovel and a neck ninety-nine
feet long, with warts and bristles on it and an elec
tric light on the ends of his horns! I guess not."
"Of such an awful thing I never heard, nor had
Magnus, I think, for he certainly did not picture
nor describe it, and I never heard of electric lights
until I arrived here in America. Moonlight is our
light," said Aldrovandus. "But Magnus wrote of
the Lamia, which is a dread creature."
"You mean the Llama. Oh, they're common
enough in South America, you know," said 1, with
some impatience, for I didn't wish to hear about
such tame things.
' "No, I mean the Lamia," he continued. "'It is a
wild beast,' wrote the great philosopher, 'having
several parts outwardly resembling an .ox and in
wardly a mule.' "
"How did he know what it was like inside?" I
asked. " v
- "He was a-wizard," replied the elf. "The Lamia
has a woman's face, very beautiful!" he continued.
"Also very large and comely shapes such as cannot
be imitated by the aH of any painter, having an ex
cellent color in their fore parts, without wings, and
no other voice but hissing like dragons; but they
are the swiftest of foot of all earthly beasts, so none
can escape them by running."
"Well, did he give you any more information
' about the wonders of the world!" 1 asked.
"Surely. He showed me the Sphinx. Ah, it was
marvelous! 'A kind of Ape,' wrote he, 'having his
body rough like Apes, the upper part likea woman
and their visage much like them. Their voice very
like a man's, but not articular, sounding as if one
did speak hastily or with sorrow. Their haire
Lrowne or swarthy, color. They, nro bred in India of
Ethiopia, The true Sphinx is of a fierce though
tameable nature, and if a man do first of all per-,
ceive or discerne one of them before the beast dis
cerne the man he shall be safe, but if the beast first
descrie the man then it is mortal to the man.' "
"I am very glad that all of these fierce things have
vanished," said I, "for it certainly wouldn't be Safe
anywhere if they existed now." -
"Oh, I don't think they have, vanished," replied
the elf. "I guess they're around somewhere."
"Why, he might as well tell us that rabbits, prairie-dogs,
or beavers were dangerous creatures,"
said I.
"Indeed, I well remember what he wrote about the
last animal, the wondrous beaver. He said 'the
Beaver is a most strong creature to bite, he will
never let go his teeth that meet before he makes the
bones crack. His hinder feet are like a Goose's and
his forefeet like an Ape's. His fat tail is covered
with a scaly skin, and he uses it for a rudder when
he pursues fish, lie comes forth of his holes in the
night, and biting off boughs of Trees above the
Rivers he makes him houses with an upper loft.
When they are cut asunder they are delightful to
sec, for one lies on his back and hath the boughs
between his legs and others draw him by the tail to
their cottage ;' "
"He was great on apes, wasn't he! Everything
seemed to have an- ape-like appearance," 1 suggest
ed. "Had the wizard ever seen a real ape' or mon
key?" .
"He wrote about the Cynocephales," replied my
tiny friend: 'They are a kind of Ape,' said the
magician, 'apes whose heads are like Dogges' and
their other parts like a Man's. Some there be which
are able to write and naturally to discern letters,
which kind the priests bring into their Temples, and .
at their first entrance the Priest bringeth him a
writing Table, a pencil and Inke, so that by seeing
him write he may make by all whether he.be of the
right kind, and the beast quickly showeth his skill.
TVia "Nnmr?p. nAonln nf F.thioTiia ftnd thfl nation
of Mentimori, live upon the milk of Cynocephales,
keeping great herds of them and killing U' the
males.' "
"That's all about apes, I hope," said I. "Some
body must have been filling the old stick-in-the-mud
philosopher with all sorts of funny stories. I sup
pose a sailor got his ear and made him believe every
thing he told him. There is hardly one word that is
true in all you have repeated to me, in spite of the
colored pictures."
Aldrovandus gazed at me reproachfully, and then
added:
"Do yon mean to say he was wrong about the
fearful Mantichora?"
"I will say that there never was an animal by that
name, so he was certainly wrong, indeed," I an
swered, with much heat. . ; - .
"Almost every one of them had a man's face, as I
remember," said the elf. "It made them very hor
rid." '
"I should think so," said I, shuddering, "but that
proves they were merely inventions, for no animal,
except the hiunble monkey, has a face like a man.
Of course there are big' monkeys, apes and gorillas,
but they have not the other marvelous characteristics
which .the philosopher gave his animals. I have at
home, fastened against the wall, a creature that for
truly ferocious looks would make them all seem
verv tame, indeed. It is called a Bea-smder. and ia
merely a crab, but it looks dreadful."
"I should much like to see that," said the elf.
"Then come with me," said I, "and you will see it.
1 suppose that, as it isrquite a distance to my home,
I might invite you to sit in my coat pocket and
take a ride." . ,
"I shall be pleased," responded my friend, "but
I must tell my people that I am going with you, or
else they will be alarmed."
He went away into the gloom. that shrouded the
far end of the shop and vanished. I heard whisper
ings and faint exclamations proceeding from the
darkuc&s, and saon ho. returned, .with two. others,
! who were much younger in appearance, and one of
them spoke, saying:
"Grandfather declares that he is going to your
, house. What are you about to do ? We are afraid for
we do not know you." ' V '
'Tour grandfather is in no danger, nor are you,"
I replied "What do you suppose I would do! Do
, you think people wish to harm the elvea !"
"We have always-been taught jto avoid; mortals
- like yourself," began one of them, looking at me -v
anxiously. . . .;.vv-- . - ' . 'rv s .r"-'
"Well, that teaching is just like the bugaboos in
the book your grandfather has been telling about.
All tommy rot. We, would be very glad to be ac
quainted with all the elves there are.' I will show
some modern matters to your grandfather and in
struct him in some riew things, that's all." " ; t
"May we go with you!" asked the other;. " !
"Come along, as many of, you as wish. The more
the merrier " H V - '-.V ? '
So, with three elves instead of one in my over-
coat pocket, I trudged home. ..When I, turned on
the electric light and helped thenvdown to. the floor
they gazed about in wonder, for many queer things
ars to be found in my room. ; s !
There are stuffed birds and animals, seafwonders,
fossils, plaster-casts, horned toads, lizards, Angora
cats, Skye terriers, setter dags, anj dachshunds, an
alligator from Florida, a guinea pig from Spain,
Chinese idols, 'ivory carvings, ostrich eggs, shells,
all sorts of marvels that always are of absorbing
interest to children who visit my den ; and at every
thing the elves gazed with much awe, for accus
tomed only to Conrad's humble home.'they had never
seen anything so wonderful.
The sea-spider made them shudder, of course, for
he is perfectly hideous, and when I assured them
that beyond giving a sharp pinch he was quite
harmless, they looked very doubtful.
"I wouldn't like to get into his clutches !" said
Aldrovandus, "for one good pinch would surely '
finish me." ' ' . r ! :
"Well, this One is dead and. well dried, so you
needn't feat him," said L "Next summer I will
show you some live ones at the, seashore."
"Well, we are very grateful," spoke Aldrovandus,
when they had seen everything, "and I now invite
you to come and see my home."
"It is a long way off," I responded-, "but I hope to
get time to visit you some day." '
"I would like to make you a trifling gift, if you
' will accept it," added the old elf. With that ho drew
out a tiny purse and opened it, poured put upon
the rug. a number of .gleaming pebbles. I looked
at them with great interest expecting hijn to say
that they were magic charms, perhaps, for, they did
not seem to be anything extraordinary. Then he
added: ' " -' - - v.
. . "These are diamonds .of the finest kijnd, found by
me at various times in the underworld and pre
served more out of curiosity than anything else, for
we do not value them ; but, if you have them cut into
the shapes you humans admire, you will find them
magnificent. I . will be pleased to present them to
you as a gift'ol friendship."
. Then, you may be sure, I looked at the stones
with different eyes, for they were as largeas hazle-
. nuts and I knew must.be worth many thousands of
dollars. I took them and thanked the elf with a feel
ing that I was getting much the better of the bar
gain, even if he didn't value diamonds as I did.
Then I produced a bottle of wine, for I knew that
elves are very fond of drinking, and invited them
to sit down and partake of it with me. They were
delighted, and as they clinked their glasses they
sang an elfin song that still runs in my head.
Suddenly one of them spied a wrinkled, yellowish
object lying on my worktable, and, as they had been
examining everything, he pointed to it and asked
what it was. I looked and replied : s
"Oh, that's a foolish toy for children. It's made
of rubber, and when you blow it up it looks like a
funny baby." '
- Now, I supposed everybody had seen those rubber
things and I had no idea that it would frighten au
elf; beside whei I explained it I forgot to say that
when it. is squeezed it squeaks, having at the end a
wooden whistle, I guess that's what it might be
called. Therefore after I blew it up and held it out
toward them I didn't calculate what an effect the
queer, painted face on it would have. .
Aldrovandus stared at it in horrified silence for a
foment, and then cried: - ;' "
Oh, it's the Mantichora itself! Take it
away!
Then in order to show them what it was I saueezed
it and it let out a loud squawk like a sick chicken !
That settled it! With one united veil of fear they
fled. In a twinkling the elves had vanished through
the doorway, and where they went I know not to this
day. Time and time again have I tried to open up
communication with them and explain that I did not
'mean to alarm them, but Conrad tells me that they
will not trust a man who has such fearful creatures
in his house!
4 Every time I look at that foolish rubber trifle" on
my desk I smile, and yet it is a weak and silly smile,
for I instantly think what might have been my for
tunate lot had I kept the elves my friends instead of
scaring them half to death. Of course, I have the
magnificent diamonds ; but untold gojd, also, might
have been mine, tons of it, so that all my Jittlo
friends would have txsen loaded with presents,
all my poor relations been mado rich, and I would
never, never have to work again. And all lost be-
cause'of S little rubber balloon thing!
TfiJV no HfYflbfc TTllffHt YiavA ftnmb tA vinur
without fear after examining it, but that awful
$queak was too much for them,
- - t
. Since writing the above I have received a letter
from Conrad telling me that Aldrovandus came to
him and told him that he thought perhaps I was in
nocent of wishing to harm them, for he had seen a
man selling the dreadful squawking things on the
street, lots of them, in a basket, f or ten cents each,
; and ha guessed ho would come up some night and
tell me )ie was1 feeling like a big dumbrhead !
Well, when he comes I will forgive 'him, and yet "
, nothing less than a bushel of gold nuggets will triake
me feel the same townrd him, and I shall tell him so
the very first thing, too !
, iVALXMcDOUGALL.
t