The Star Money

       There was once upon a time a little girl whose father and mother were dead, and she was so poor that she no longer had a little 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, however, good and pious. 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, for I am so hungry!" So she reached into her pocket gave him her whole portion of bread, and said, "May God bless it to your use."    

       After walking further still, she came upon a child who was moaning and who said, "My head is so cold, give me something to cover it with." So she took off her hood and gave it to him.

       And when she had traveled a little longer, she met a little boy who had no jacket and was frozen with cold so she gave him her own. 

       As it began to turn dark, she met a poor girl who begged for a frock, and she gave away that also. 

       At length she went into a forest where it had already become dark, and there came yet another child, and asked for a little shirt. So the charitable little girl thought to herself, "It is such a dark night and no one can see me. I will hide here naked and give away my little shirt." 

       And as she so stood, and had not one single thing left, suddenly some stars from heaven fell down, and they were nothing else but hard, smooth pieces of money, and although she had just given her little shirt away, she had a new one which was of the very finest linen. Then she gathered together the money, put it into the shirt and was rich all the days of her life.