Year: 1860

that | was the best piece in the whole
parish certainly could not be any
happier"


And now the linen was brought into
the house, and then came the scissors.
o how they did cut and slit and how
the needle few in and out That was no
pleasure, certainly but from the linen
which one does not quite like to name,
but which, nevertheless, every enc must
have.


"Only sec, now" said the fax " "now
for the first time, | really have become
something useful Now | shall do good
in the world, and every one knows that
TO do good is the greatest pleasure one
can have. We have become twelve
things, but are still all one and the same
we are a dozen What an extraordi-
nary piece of good fortune it is"
And years passed by, until they could
hold together no longer.


Everything must come to an end
some time or other" said each piece
{" | would willingly have held together a
little longer, but one mustn't wish for I'M
possibilities"


And so it was torn in shreds and rags.
1t thought everything was over now, for
1t was torn, and steamed, and cooked
again, and then-it became beautiful
white paper.


THAT is a surprise, and delightful
surprise, too, said the paper. "Now |
shall be finer than | was before, and now
l shall be written upon. What is there
in the world which cannot be written
Oh what good fortune it Is"


And there were, in truth, the most
beautiful stories and verses written upon
it and only cnce was there blot. And
the people heard what stood upon it. 1t
was so wise and so good, it made them so
much wiser and better. There was a
great spell in the words upon that paper.


This is more than | ever even dream
ed of. when | was still little blue field
flower. How could it ever occur to me,
then, that should at some future time
bear happiness and knowledge to man
kiud | cannot vet understand it, but
it really is so. | myself have d)ne moth
ling to deserve tfiis, and yet / am crowned
with one JOY after another. Each time,
when [ thiuk the song is DONE then
directly something better than all hap
pens. Now l should certainly be sent
all over the world, that men may read
me. Nothing else can possibly happen.
That is the only thing possible. | have
precious thoughts upon me, even as [
once had blue flowers, | am the happi-
est in the whole world"


! But the paper did not go upon its
/ travels it only went as far as the book
sellers; and there all that was written
upon it was placed in types, that book
might be made Of it-yes, even many
hundred books for in this way much
more pleasure and good micht be done,
than if the single sheet of paper upon
which it was written had gone forth in
the world.


"Well, this certainly is incomprehen-
sible," thought the written paper; " this
never occurred to me. | shall remain at
home, and be held IN honor, exactly like
an old grandfather, and that | am, too,
among ali the new books Now one can
Judge something Of my good t,ortune.-
lie wrote all these fine things on me-
Look down at NE. What an honor that
was Each word flowed directly from
the pen into me. | am the happiest
thing in the whole world"


And then the paper was tied together
/ in bundle, and thrown into large bar
rel, which stood in the wood-house.


alt is best to rest after accomplishing
great deed" said the paper, " for then
one can collect ones thoughts, aud find
what more lies in one. Now | know for
( the first time what is in ne and to know
ones self. is the first step in true wisdom.
/ What will happen to me? Forward |
must go-everything goes forward that
| know by experience. ,.


But it stayed in the wood house until
finally one day all the paper was taken
out and laid upon the hearth. There it
was to be burned, for it wasn't worth
enough to be sold to the grocer, and be
used as wrapper tor bread and sugar,
they said no, it was only rubbish, and
so it must be burned And all the child
ren in the house came and stood round,
for it was such fine fun to see paper
burned, it famed up so high III the air at
first, and, afterward, one could see in the
ashes so many red sparks, which ran
about hither and thither, One after the
other went out so fast--that they called
i" seeing the children come out of school, "
and the last spark was the schoolmaster.
Often they thought that the latter had
gone, but in the very same minute would
come another spark.


/ - ~ coloo1 1roo ocfa - thpv