1.A busy nail-maker worked all day at his forge，andhis strong，quick blows struck from the red-hot iron thousands of sparks，which rose around him，and filled his work-shop.The son of his rich neighbour came to see him almost every day，and would watch him with delight for hours at a time.
2.One day the nail-maker said to him in joke，“Would you not like to make some nails？Just try，my young master，if it be only to pass the time away.It may be useful to you some day.”
3.The young gentleman，having nothing else to do，agreed.He placed himself before the anvil，and，laughing as he sat down，began to hammer.Before very long he was able to finish off a good shoe-nail.
4.Some years after this，war broke out，and thisyoung man lost all his wealth.He was forced to leave his home and go away to a foreign land.When his money was all spent，he stopped one day at a large village，where most of the people were shoemakers.
5.He found out that they spent a large sum of money every year in buying shoe-nails from a neighbouring town，and that often they could not obtainas many asthey needed for the shoes of the army，most of which were made in that district .
6.The young gentleman，who was almost starving，remembered that he knew how to make shoe-nails.He offered to supply the shoe-makers of the village with all the nails they required，if they would build a work-shop for him；and to this they gladly consented .
7.He began to work；and the longer he worked，the better nails he was able to make.Many of the young men of the village came to learn the trade，and the work-shop soon grew to be a large and busy factory .
8.As head of this factor y，the gentleman soon became rich，and he found himself better off than he had been before he lost his propertyby the war.“It is always good to learn something，”he used often to say to himself，“even if it is only how to make a shoe-nail.”