Delaware inquirer. (Wilmington, Del.) 1859-18??, 1859-11-19


when she should be older.
The next Sunday there was the sacrament,
and Karen looked at the black shoes, lookedat
the red ones--looked at them again, and put on
the red shoes.
The sun shone gloriously Karen and the old
lady walked along the path through the corn
it was rather dusty there.
AT the church door stood an old soldier with
a crutch, and with wonderfully long beard
which was more red than white and he bowed
to the ground, and asked the old lady whether
| he might dust her shoes. And Karen stretched
| out her little foot
"Seei what beautiful dancing shoes ~ said
the soldier; sit firm when you dance" and he
| put his hand out towards the soles.
And the old lady gave the oldsoldier an aims
and went into the church with Karen.
And all the people in the church looked al
| Karens red shoes, and all the pictures and as
Karen kuelt before the altar, and raised the cup
to her lips, she only thought of the red shoes,
and they seemed to swim in it and she forgot
| to pray, Our Father in heavenp
Now all the people went out of church, and
the old lady got into her carriage. Karen
raised her foot to get in after her, when the old
soldier said:
"Look, what beautiful dancing shoesp
And Karen could not help dancing a step or
two, md when she began, herlegs continued to
dance it was just as though the shoes had
power over them. She danced round the church
| corner; she could not leave off; the coachman
was obliged to run after and catch hold of her,
but her feet continued to dance so that she trod
on the old lady dreadfully. Atlength she took
the shoes of, and then her legs had peace.
The shoes were placed in closet at home,
but Karen could not avoid looking at them.
Now the old lady was sick and it was said
she could not recover She must be nursed
and waited upon, and there was no one whose
| duty it was so much as Karen's. But there
was great ball in the city, to which Karen
was invited She looked at the old lady who
could not recover, she looked at the red shoes,
and she thought there could be no sin ii she
put on the red shoes, she might do that also,
she thought, But then she went to the ball
and began to dance
When she wanted to dance to the right, the
| shoes would dance to the left and when she
wanted to dance up the room, the shoes danced
back again, down the steps, into the street, and
out of the city gate. She danced, and was
forced to dance straight out into the gloomy
| wood.
Then it was suddenly light up among the
trees, and she fancied it must be the moon,
for there was n face but it was the old soldier
with the red beard; he sat there, nodded his
head, and said, Look, what beautiful dancing
shoes y
Then she was terrified, and wanted to fling
away tho red shoes, but they chung fast and she
pulled down her stockings, hut the shoes seem
ed to have grown to her feet Andsh danced,
md must dance, over fields and meadows, in
rain and sunshine, by night and day; but at
night it was the most fearful
She danced over the churchyard, but the
dead did not dance-they had something better
to do than dance. She wished to seat herself
on a poor mans grave, where the bitter tansy
grew but for her there was neither peace nor
| rest and when she danced towards the open
church door, she saw m angel standing there.
| He wore long white garments; he had wings
which reached from his shoulders to the earth;
his countenance was severe and grave and in
his hand he held sword, broad and glitter
ing.
"Dance shalt thouln said he-a dance in thy
red shoes till thou art pale and cold till thy
skin shrivels up, and thou art skeleton
Dance shalt thou from door to door, and where
proud, vain children dwell, thou shalt knock,
that they may hear thee and tremble. Dance
shalt thou W
"Mercylo cried Karen. But she did not
hear the angels reply, for the shoes carried her
through the gate into the fields, across roads
and bridges, and she must keep ever dancing
One morning she danced past a door which
which she well knew. Within sounded psalm;
a coffin, decked with flowers, was borne forth.
| Then she knew that the old lady was dead, and
felt that she WAS abandoned by all, and con-
demncd by the angel of God.
She danced, and she was forced to dance
through the gloomy night. The shoes carried
her over stack and stone; she was torn till she
bled; she danced over the heath till she came
to little house. Here, she knew, dwelt the
executioner; and she tapped with her fingers at
the window, and said, g Come out come out /
cannot come in for am forced to danceln
And the executioner said, "Thou dost not
know who | am fancy strike bad peoples
heads off; and hear that my axe ringsl"
"Don't strike my head off" said Karen
then can't repent of my sins But strike off
my feet in the red shocs!'
And then she confessed her entire sin, and
the executioner struck off her feet with the red
shoes, but the shoes danced away with the lit
tie feet across the field into the deep wood
And he carved out little wooden feet for her,
and crutches, taught her the psalm criminals
always sing and she kissed the hand which had
welded the axe, and went over to the heath.
" Now have suffered enough for the red
shoesW said she; "now will go into the
church, that people may see me !" And she
FASTENED towards the church door but when
she neared it, the red shoes danced before her,
and she was terrified and turned round.
The whole week she was unhappy, and wept
many bitter tears but when Sunday returned,
she said, swell, now | have suffered and
struggled enough | really believe nm as
good as many one who sits in the church, and
holds her head SO hiph 7"