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The Startalers

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Once upon a time there was a little girl whose father and mother were dead, and she was so poor that she no longer had a room to live in, or bed to sleep in, and at last she had nothing else but the clothes she was wearing and a little bit of bread in her hand which some charitable soul had given her.

She was good and pious, however. And as she was thus forsaken by all the world, she went forth into the open country, trusting in the good God.

Then a poor man met her, who said, "Ah, give me something to eat, I am so hungry."

She handed him her entire piece of bread, and said, "May God bless it for you," and went onwards.

Then came a child who moaned and said, "My head is so cold, give me something to cover it with."

So she took off her cap and gave it to the child.

And when she had walked a little farther, she met another child who had no jacket and was freezing.

So she gave hers.

And a little farther on she met a child, that begged: " Give me your frock, I’m freezing."

And because she had a good heart she also gave that away .

Now she only had her shirt.

At length she got into a forest and it had already become dark, and there came yet another child, freezing, and asked for her shirt, and the good little girl thought to herself, "It is a dark night and no one sees you, you can very well give your shirt away," and took it off, and gave away as well.

Now she had nothing left at all.

And she stood, suddenly some stars fell down from heaven, and they were nothing else but shiny talers.

Although she had just given her shirt away, she was wearing a new one which was of the very finest linen.

Then she put the money into it, and was rich for the rest of her life.