The LIttle Old Woman who Lived in a Shoe

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
The Little old Woman who lived in a shoe by
Macloglan Brosiny. Once upon a time there was a little
old woman who lived in a shoe. This shoe stood
near a great forest, and was so large that it
served as a house for the old lady and all
her children, of which she had so many that, in
the words of the old nursery ballad, she did not
know what to do with them. But the little old

(00:23):
woman was very fond of her children, and they only
thought of the best way to please her. Strong Arm,
the eldest cut down trees for the firewood. Peter made
baskets of wicker work, Mark was chief gardener, Lizzie milked
the cow, and Jenny taught the younger children to read. Now,
this little old woman had not always lived in a shoe.

(00:45):
She and her family had once dwelt in a nice
house covered with ivy, and her husband was a wood
cutter like strong Arm. But there lived in a huge
castle beyond the forest, a fierce giant, who, one day,
when fortunately they were all away from home, came and
laid their house in ruins with his club, after which

(01:06):
he went into the forest, and, seeing the father at work,
he in a voice, which sounded like thunder among the trees,
asked him what he did there. The poor man was
dumb with terror, and his knee shook and trembled. The
giant said he wanted a man to cut wood for
the trees in his castle, and upon this he seized
the wood color by the waist and carried him off

(01:27):
to his castle beyond the forest. When the little old
woman came home, her house was in ruins and her
husband was nowhere to be seen. Night came on, and
as the father did not return, the old lady and
her family went to search for him. When they came
to that part of the wood where the giant had
met their father, they saw an immense shoe. They spent

(01:51):
a long time weeping and calling out for their father,
but met with no reply. Then the old lady thought
that they had better take shelter in the shoe until
they could build the new house. So Peter and strong
Arm put a roof to it and cut a door
and turned it into a dwelling. Here they all lived
happily for many years, but the little old lady never

(02:11):
forgot her husband and his sad fate. Strong Arm, who
saw how wretched his mother often was about it proposed
to the next eleven brothers that they should go with
him and set their father free from the Giant. Their
mother knew the giant's strength and would not hear of
the attempt, as she feared they would be killed. But

(02:31):
strong Arm was not afraid. He bought a dozen sharp swords,
and Peter made as many strong shields and helmets, as
well as crossbows and iron headed arrows. They were now
quite ready. Strong Arm gave the order to march, and
they started for the forest. The next day they came
in sight of the giant's castle. Strong Arm, leaving his

(02:54):
brothers in a wood close by, strode boldly up to
the entrance and seized the knocker. The door was opened
by a funny little boy with a large head, who
kept grinning and laughing. Strong Arm then walked boldly across
the courtyard and presently met a page, who took off
his hat and asked him what he wanted. Strong Arms

(03:14):
said he had come to liberate his father, who was
kept a prisoner by the giant. On this, the little
man said he was sorry for him, because the part
of the castle in which his father was kept and
guarded by a large dragon. Strong Arm, nothing daunted, soon
found the monster, who was fast asleep, so he made

(03:35):
short work of him by sending his sword right through
his heart, at which he jumped up, uttering a loud scream,
and made as if he would spring forward and seize
strong Arm. But the good sword had done its work,
and the monster fell heavily on the ground dead. Now
the giant, who had been drinking much wine, was fast
asleep in a remote part of the castle. Strong Arm

(03:58):
had no sooner finished the dragon. Then up started the
funny little boy who had opened the door. He let
strong Arm round to another part of the courtyard, where
he saw his poor father, who at once sprung to
his feet and embraced him. Then strong Arm called up
his brothers, and when they had embraced their father, they

(04:20):
soon broke his chain and set him free. We must
now return to the little old woman. After her son
had started, she gave way the most bitter grief. While
she was in the state, an old witch came up
to her and said she would help her, as she
hated the giant and wished to kill him. The old
witch then took the little old lady on her broom,

(04:42):
and they sailed off through the air straight to the
giant's castle. Now this old witch had great power, and
at once afflicted the giant with corns and tender feet.
When he awoke from his sleep, he was in such
pain that he could bear it no longer. So he
thought it would go in search of his missing shoe, which,

(05:03):
like the other one he had in his castle, was
easy and large for his foot. When he came to
the spot where the old lady and her children lived,
he saw his old shoe, and with a laugh that
shook the trees, he thrust his foot into it, breaking
through the roof that strong Arm and Peter had put
to it. The children, in great alarm, rushed about it

(05:23):
inside the shoe, and frightened and trembling, scrambled through the
door in the slits which the giant had formerly made
for his corners. By the time the witch and the
little old Lady, as also strong Arm, his eleven brothers,
and his father were come up to the spot. Strong
Arm and his brothers shot their arrows at him, until

(05:44):
at last he fell wounded. When strong Arm went up
to him and cut off his head. Then the father
and the little old woman and all their children built
a new house, and lived happily ever afterwards, And of
the little old woman who lived in a shoe