_It is a wise man who knows when he has enough. The effort to get
more may result in misfortune and misery._
A tailor and a goldsmith were walking one evening through the woods
and wondering if they should ever be rich men with gold to spare.
They heard the sound of distant music and went to see what caused
it.
The moon had risen, and on a little hillock they saw a band of tiny
men dancing in a ring with hands joined, while an old man, with
hair down to his waist, played on a pipe. This made the music which
the tailor and goldsmith had heard.
They stopped and watched the dancers for a while. At last the old
man beckoned them to join the circle and dance with the tiny men.
Seeing how many they were, the tailor and the goldsmith agreed and
soon were dancing as merrily as the best of them.
Then the old man took a pair of shears and cut off all the hair and
beard of the tailor and the goldsmith until they were quite bald.
This made the tiny men laugh, and they were merrier than ever.
Then all at once every one began to gather rocks and fill his
pockets full. The goldsmith and the tailor did likewise, and then
when the moon went down they all lay down and went fast to sleep.
What do you think? In the morning when the tailor and the goldsmith
woke their hair and their beard had grown again, and the rocks had
turned to gold in their pockets.
“Oh, this is plenty for me,” cried the goldsmith. “I shall now live
in ease the rest of my life. I shall build me a house, and get
me a wife and buy a horse and carriage. Oh, I have enough for my
purposes!”
The tailor looked at his gold, and though he had never lived in
anything but a room back of his shop, yet he said:
“This is not enough for me. I want a palace and many servants, and
a whole troop of horses. I shall go back to the tiny men to-night.”
So he hid his gold in a tree and waited for the night to come.
The goldsmith went on home, but the tailor waited until the moon
had risen and then joined the tiny men in their dance. He could
hardly wait for the old man to cut off his hair and beard. He took
the shears and cut it himself. Then when the time came to gather
rocks he eagerly filled his pockets, his shoes, his hat and held
some in his hands.
“I may as well get a plenty,” said he.
Then they all lay down and went to sleep. Early the tailor woke up
and felt for his rocks. They were still hard rocks. When he hunted
for his gold of the night before, it also had turned back to rocks.
Besides that, his hair and beard had not grown out, and he was
quite bald. The poor tailor had lost what he had because he was not
satisfied with enough.