64 lines
4 KiB
Text
64 lines
4 KiB
Text
The Tailor in Heaven
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One very fine day it came to pass that the good God wished to enjoy
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himself in the heavenly garden, and took all the apostles and saints
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with him, so that no one stayed in heaven but Saint Peter. The Lord had
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commanded him to let no one in during his absence, so Peter stood by
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the door and kept watch. Before long some one knocked. Peter asked who
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was there, and what he wanted? “I am a poor, honest tailor who prays
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for admission,” replied a smooth voice. “Honest indeed,” said Peter,
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“like the thief on the gallows! Thou hast been light-fingered and hast
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snipped folks’ clothes away. Thou wilt not get into heaven. The Lord
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hath forbidden me to let any one in while he is out.” “Come, do be
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merciful,” cried the tailor. “Little scraps which fall off the table of
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their own accord are not stolen, and are not worth speaking about.
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Look, I am lame, and have blisters on my feet with walking here, I
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cannot possibly turn back again. Only let me in, and I will do all the
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rough work. I will carry the children, and wash their clothes, and wash
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and clean the benches on which they have been playing, and patch all
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their torn clothes.” Saint Peter let himself be moved by pity, and
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opened the door of heaven just wide enough for the lame tailor to slip
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his lean body in. He was forced to sit down in a corner behind the
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door, and was to stay quietly and peaceably there, in order that the
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Lord, when he returned, might not observe him and be angry. The tailor
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obeyed, but once when Saint Peter went outside the door, he got up, and
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full of curiosity, went round about into every corner of heaven, and
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inspected the arrangement of every place. At length he came to a spot
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where many beautiful and delightful chairs were standing, and in the
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midst was a seat all of gold which was set with shining jewels,
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likewise it was much higher than the other chairs, and a footstool of
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gold was before it. It was, however, the seat on which the Lord sat
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when he was at home, and from which he could see everything which
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happened on earth. The tailor stood still, and looked at the seat for a
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long time, for it pleased him better than all else. At last he could
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master his curiosity no longer, and climbed up and seated himself in
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the chair. Then he saw everything which was happening on earth, and
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observed an ugly old woman who was standing washing by the side of a
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stream, secretly laying two veils on one side for herself. The sight of
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this made the tailor so angry that he laid hold of the golden
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footstool, and threw it down to earth through heaven, at the old thief.
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As, however, he could not bring the stool back again, he slipped
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quietly out of the chair, seated himself in his place behind the door,
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and behaved as if he had never stirred from the spot.
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When the Lord and master came back again with his heavenly companions,
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he did not see the tailor behind the door, but when he seated himself
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on his chair the footstool was missing. He asked Saint Peter what had
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become of the stool, but he did not know. Then he asked if he had let
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anyone come in. “I know of no one who has been here,” answered Peter,
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“but a lame tailor, who is still sitting behind the door.” Then the
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Lord had the tailor brought before him, and asked him if he had taken
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away the stool, and where he had put it? “Oh, Lord,” answered the
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tailor joyously, “I threw it in my anger down to earth at an old woman
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whom I saw stealing two veils at the washing.” “Oh, thou knave,” said
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the Lord, “were I to judge as thou judgest, how dost thou think thou
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couldst have escaped so long? I should long ago have had no chairs,
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benches, seats, nay, not even an oven-fork, but should have thrown
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everything down at the sinners. Henceforth thou canst stay no longer in
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heaven, but must go outside the door again. Then go where thou wilt. No
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one shall give punishment here, but I alone, the Lord.”
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Peter was obliged to take the tailor out of heaven again, and as he had
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torn shoes, and feet covered with blisters, he took a stick in his
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hand, and went to “Wait-a-bit,” where the good soldiers sit and make
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merry.
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