ail,--"black snails without houses! But they are too vulgar. And
they're conceited at that. We can give the commission to the Ants,
though; they run to and fro, as if they had business. They're sure to
know of a wife for our young gentleman."

"I certainly know the most beautiful of brides," said one of the Ants,
"but I fear she would not do, for she is the Queen."

"That does not matter," said the two old Snails. "Has she a house?"

"She has a castle!" replied the Ant, "the most beautiful ants' castle,
with seven hundred passages."

"Thank you," said the Mother Snail, "our boy shall not go into an
ant-hill. If you know of nothing better, we will give the commission
to the white gnats. They fly far about in rain and sunshine, and they
know the burdock wood, inside and outside."

"We have a wife for him," said the Gnats. "A hundred man-steps from
here a little snail with a house is sitting on a gooseberry bush. She
is quite alone, and old enough to marry. It's only a hundred man-steps
from here."

"Yes, let her come to him," said the old people. "He has a whole
burdock forest, and she has only a bush."

So they brought the little maiden Snail. Eight days passed before she
arrived, but that was the rare circumstance by which one could see
that she was of the right kind.

And then they had the wedding. Six Glow-Worms lighted as well as they
could. With this exception it went very quietly, for the old Snails
could not bear feasting and noise.

The Father Snail could not make a speech, he was so much moved; but he
gave the young people the whole burdock forest for an inheritance. He
said, what he and the Mother Snail had always said, that it was the
best place in the world. And when the wedding was over, the old people
crept into their houses and never came out again, for they slept.

The young Snail pair now ruled in the forest, and had a large family.
The rain fell down upon the burdock leaves to play the drum for them.
The sun shone to color the burdock forest for them; and they were
happy, very happy. The whole family was uncommonly happy!

CLOTHING

THE WONDER SHOES

They looked like any other pair of boy's shoes, the same stout soles,
strong lacings, shiny tips and uppers. But when the old shoemaker put
them on Gustave, and laced them up, and saw that they exactly fitted,
he said to Gustave:

"Wonder shoes, little man. They will be wonder shoes!"

The old shoemaker had lived a great many year