e."

The little devil of a guard then conducted the shoemaker into Prince
Lucifer's presence and the Prince received him with every mark of
consideration. The shoemaker told him what Godfather had said and
presented him the hunk of meat. Lucifer received it most graciously.
Then he said:

"Now, my dear shoemaker, let me make you a little present in return. Do
you see anything here that you'd like?"

"If it pleases your Highness," the shoemaker said, "give me that cloth
that is spread over your table."

Lucifer at once handed him the cloth and dismissed him with many wishes
for a pleasant journey back to earth.

As the shoemaker was leaving the friendly little devil of a guard said
to him:

"I just want to tell you that's no ordinary tablecloth that the Prince
has given you. No, indeed! Whenever you're hungry, all you've got to do
is spread out that cloth and say: 'Meat and drink for one!' or, for as
many as you want, and instantly you will have what you ask."

Overjoyed at his good fortune the little shoemaker hurried back to
earth. As night came on he stopped at a tavern. He thought this was a
good place to try the tablecloth. So he took it out of his bag, spread
it over the table, and said:

"Meat and drink for one!"

Instantly a fine supper appeared and the shoemaker ate and drank his
fill.

Now the landlord of the tavern was an evil, covetous fellow and when he
saw how the tablecloth worked his fingers itched to own it. He called
his wife aside and told her in guarded whispers what he had seen.

Her eyes, too, filled with greed.

"Husband," she whispered back, "we've got to get possession of that
tablecloth! Think what a help it would be to us in our business! I tell
you what we'll do: tonight when the shoemaker is asleep we'll steal his
tablecloth and slip in one of our own in its place. He's a simple fellow
and will never know the difference."

So that night while the shoemaker was asleep, they tip-toed in, stole
the magic tablecloth out of the bag, and substituted one of their own.

The next morning when the shoemaker awoke and spread out the cloth which
he found in his bag and said: "Meat and drink for one!" of course
nothing happened.

"That's strange," he thought to himself. "I'll have to take this back to
the Devil and ask him to give me something else."

So instead of going home he went back to hell and knocked at the gate.

"Hello, shoemaker!" the little devil of a guard said. "What do