"It is finished. You are dismissed."
TIMOTHY'S SHOES
The godmother arrived for the christening, dressed in plum-colored
satin and carrying a small brown parcel.
"Fortunatus' purse!" whispered one of the guests, nudging his
neighbor.
"A mere trifle for the boy," said the fairy godmother, laying the
parcel down on the table. "It is a very common gift to come from my
hands, but I trust it will prove useful."
She untied the string of the parcel and gave the baby's mother--what
do you think?
A small pair of strong leather shoes, copper-tipped and heeled!
"They'll never wear out, my dear," she said. "And, after all, my
little gift is not quite so shabby as it looks. These shoes, have
another quality besides that of not wearing out. The little feet that
are in them cannot very easily go wrong."
"Mrs. Godmother's broomstick is at the door," shouted some one. So
the fairy godmother took her departure.
As years went by and her family increased, the mother learned the full
value of the fairy shoes. Her nine boys wore them in turn, but they
never wore them out. So long as these shoes were on their feet, they
were pretty sure to go where they were sent and to come back when they
were wanted. So, at last, the fairy shoes descended to the ninth and
youngest boy, and became Timothy's.
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