The Miller’s Cloak

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  "title": "The Miller’s Cloak",
  "author": "Elsie Spicer Eells",
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  "summary": "\"The Miller's Cloak\" is a short religious folk tale about a devout miller whose nightly prayers have long been his quiet act of faith. When a violent storm strikes the island, he convinces himself he has earned one night of rest — until an unseen force keeps pulling the cloak from his bed. Driven out into the howling rain, he makes his way to the church and prays as he always has. What he finds when he returns home is something neither he nor his wife can explain.",
  "clean_summary": "\"The Miller's Cloak\" is a short religious folk tale about a devout miller whose nightly prayers have long been his quiet act of faith. When a violent storm strikes the island, he convinces himself he has earned one night of rest - until an unseen force keeps pulling the cloak from his bed. Driven out into the howling rain, he makes his way to the church and prays as he always has. What he finds when he returns home is something neither he nor his wife can explain.",
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    "There was once a pious miller. He was always to be found in the church praying. He prayed for the dead. He prayed for those who were alive. He prayed for all who suffered, for the homeless ones, for the hungry ones. He prayed for those upon the sea and those upon the land.",
    "Now it happened that a terrible storm smote the island. The sea beat high against the rocky coast. Lightning flashed. Thunder roared. The wind howled. The rain fell in torrents as if it were a flood.",
    "“Don’t go out in the storm to-night,” counselled his wife. “It is not a suitable night for one to go to church.”",
    "“I agree with you,” replied the miller. “I do not need to go to the church in this fierce storm. Surely my prayers of other days and nights have been so many that to-night I have earned rest in my own dry house. The good God will pardon me.”",
    "The miller wrapped his heavy brown cloak about him and lay down upon his bed. The wind shrieked. Thunder shook the earth. Unseen hands pulled the miller’s cloak from off his bed.",
    "“The wind has blown out the candle! Light another!” cried the miller to his wife.",
    "By the dim light of the candle the good miller again arranged his bed. He wrapped his heavy mantle about him and once more tried to sleep. Again his cloak was pulled from off his bed as if by unseen hands.",
    "There was no rest for the miller that night. His cloak could not be made to cover him as he lay upon his bed.",
    "“I might as well go to church and pray,” he told his wife. “I can’t rest here.”",
    "He wrapped himself in the brown cloak and went out to the church through the fierce blinding storm. He prayed for the dead. He prayed for those who were alive. He prayed for all who suffered, for the homeless ones, the hungry ones. He prayed for those upon the sea, for those upon the land.",
    "“Surely the prayers of the pious are needed this night,” said the miller to his wife when he came in out of the fierce storm.",
    "Lightning flashed. Thunder roared. The rain fell in torrents. The wind howled and drove the pouring rain against the windows. It blew in sheets through the door before the miller had time to close it behind him. The storm beat upon the thatched roof as if it would carry it away.",
    "“Quick, your cloak!” cried the miller’s wife. “Take it off that I may dry it by the fire!”",
    "The good man started to obey. As he touched his cloak, however, his eyes opened wide in amazement. It was entirely dry.",
    "“Feel it yourself!” said he to his wife. “There is not a drop of rain upon it!”",
    "The miller’s wife discovered that his words were true.",
    "“It is a miracle of God!” cried she as she crossed herself.",
    "Elsie Spicer Eells was an American folklorist and children's author of the early twentieth century, best known for collecting and retelling traditional stories from Portugal and Brazil. \"The Miller's Cloak\" reflects her deep interest in folk tales rooted in religious devotion and everyday miracles, drawing on the oral storytelling traditions of the Iberian world."
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  "body_text": "There was once a pious miller. He was always to be found in the church praying. He prayed for the dead. He prayed for those who were alive. He prayed for all who suffered, for the homeless ones, for the hungry ones. He prayed for those upon the sea and those upon the land.\n\nNow it happened that a terrible storm smote the island. The sea beat high against the rocky coast. Lightning flashed. Thunder roared. The wind howled. The rain fell in torrents as if it were a flood.\n\n“Don’t go out in the storm to-night,” counselled his wife. “It is not a suitable night for one to go to church.”\n\n“I agree with you,” replied the miller. “I do not need to go to the church in this fierce storm. Surely my prayers of other days and nights have been so many that to-night I have earned rest in my own dry house. The good God will pardon me.”\n\nThe miller wrapped his heavy brown cloak about him and lay down upon his bed. The wind shrieked. Thunder shook the earth. Unseen hands pulled the miller’s cloak from off his bed.\n\n“The wind has blown out the candle! Light another!” cried the miller to his wife.\n\nBy the dim light of the candle the good miller again arranged his bed. He wrapped his heavy mantle about him and once more tried to sleep. Again his cloak was pulled from off his bed as if by unseen hands.\n\nThere was no rest for the miller that night. His cloak could not be made to cover him as he lay upon his bed.\n\n“I might as well go to church and pray,” he told his wife. “I can’t rest here.”\n\nHe wrapped himself in the brown cloak and went out to the church through the fierce blinding storm. He prayed for the dead. He prayed for those who were alive. He prayed for all who suffered, for the homeless ones, the hungry ones. He prayed for those upon the sea, for those upon the land.\n\n“Surely the prayers of the pious are needed this night,” said the miller to his wife when he came in out of the fierce storm.\n\nLightning flashed. Thunder roared. The rain fell in torrents. The wind howled and drove the pouring rain against the windows. It blew in sheets through the door before the miller had time to close it behind him. The storm beat upon the thatched roof as if it would carry it away.\n\n“Quick, your cloak!” cried the miller’s wife. “Take it off that I may dry it by the fire!”\n\nThe good man started to obey. As he touched his cloak, however, his eyes opened wide in amazement. It was entirely dry.\n\n“Feel it yourself!” said he to his wife. “There is not a drop of rain upon it!”\n\nThe miller’s wife discovered that his words were true.\n\n“It is a miracle of God!” cried she as she crossed herself.\n\nElsie Spicer Eells was an American folklorist and children's author of the early twentieth century, best known for collecting and retelling traditional stories from Portugal and Brazil. \"The Miller's Cloak\" reflects her deep interest in folk tales rooted in religious devotion and everyday miracles, drawing on the oral storytelling traditions of the Iberian world.",
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    "There was once a pious miller. He was always to be found in the church praying. He prayed for the dead. He prayed for those who were alive. He prayed for all who suffered, for the homeless ones, for the hungry ones. He prayed for those upon the sea and those upon the land.",
    "Now it happened that a terrible storm smote the island. The sea beat high against the rocky coast. Lightning flashed. Thunder roared. The wind howled. The rain fell in torrents as if it were a flood.",
    "\"Don't go out in the storm to-night,\" counselled his wife. \"It is not a suitable night for one to go to church.\"",
    "\"I agree with you,\" replied the miller. \"I do not need to go to the church in this fierce storm. Surely my prayers of other days and nights have been so many that to-night I have earned rest in my own dry house. The good God will pardon me.\"",
    "The miller wrapped his heavy brown cloak about him and lay down upon his bed. The wind shrieked. Thunder shook the earth. Unseen hands pulled the miller's cloak from off his bed.",
    "\"The wind has blown out the candle! Light another!\" cried the miller to his wife.",
    "By the dim light of the candle the good miller again arranged his bed. He wrapped his heavy mantle about him and once more tried to sleep. Again his cloak was pulled from off his bed as if by unseen hands.",
    "There was no rest for the miller that night. His cloak could not be made to cover him as he lay upon his bed.",
    "\"I might as well go to church and pray,\" he told his wife. \"I can't rest here.\"",
    "He wrapped himself in the brown cloak and went out to the church through the fierce blinding storm. He prayed for the dead. He prayed for those who were alive. He prayed for all who suffered, for the homeless ones, the hungry ones. He prayed for those upon the sea, for those upon the land.",
    "\"Surely the prayers of the pious are needed this night,\" said the miller to his wife when he came in out of the fierce storm.",
    "Lightning flashed. Thunder roared. The rain fell in torrents. The wind howled and drove the pouring rain against the windows. It blew in sheets through the door before the miller had time to close it behind him. The storm beat upon the thatched roof as if it would carry it away.",
    "\"Quick, your cloak!\" cried the miller's wife. \"Take it off that I may dry it by the fire!\"",
    "The good man started to obey. As he touched his cloak, however, his eyes opened wide in amazement. It was entirely dry.",
    "\"Feel it yourself!\" said he to his wife. \"There is not a drop of rain upon it!\"",
    "The miller's wife discovered that his words were true.",
    "\"It is a miracle of God!\" cried she as she crossed herself."
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    "There was once a pious miller. He was always to be found in the church praying. He prayed for the dead. He prayed for those who were alive. He prayed for all who suffered, for the homeless ones, for the hungry ones. He prayed for those upon the sea and those upon the land.",
    "Now it happened that a terrible storm smote the island. The sea beat high against the rocky coast. Lightning flashed. Thunder roared. The wind howled. The rain fell in torrents as if it were a flood.",
    "\"Don't go out in the storm to-night,\" counselled his wife. \"It is not a suitable night for one to go to church.\"",
    "\"I agree with you,\" replied the miller. \"I do not need to go to the church in this fierce storm. Surely my prayers of other days and nights have been so many that to-night I have earned rest in my own dry house. The good God will pardon me.\"",
    "The miller wrapped his heavy brown cloak about him and lay down upon his bed. The wind shrieked. Thunder shook the earth. Unseen hands pulled the miller's cloak from off his bed.",
    "\"The wind has blown out the candle! Light another!\" cried the miller to his wife.",
    "By the dim light of the candle the good miller again arranged his bed. He wrapped his heavy mantle about him and once more tried to sleep. Again his cloak was pulled from off his bed as if by unseen hands.",
    "There was no rest for the miller that night. His cloak could not be made to cover him as he lay upon his bed.",
    "\"I might as well go to church and pray,\" he told his wife. \"I can't rest here.\"",
    "He wrapped himself in the brown cloak and went out to the church through the fierce blinding storm. He prayed for the dead. He prayed for those who were alive. He prayed for all who suffered, for the homeless ones, the hungry ones. He prayed for those upon the sea, for those upon the land.",
    "\"Surely the prayers of the pious are needed this night,\" said the miller to his wife when he came in out of the fierce storm.",
    "Lightning flashed. Thunder roared. The rain fell in torrents. The wind howled and drove the pouring rain against the windows. It blew in sheets through the door before the miller had time to close it behind him. The storm beat upon the thatched roof as if it would carry it away.",
    "\"Quick, your cloak!\" cried the miller's wife. \"Take it off that I may dry it by the fire!\"",
    "The good man started to obey. As he touched his cloak, however, his eyes opened wide in amazement. It was entirely dry.",
    "\"Feel it yourself!\" said he to his wife. \"There is not a drop of rain upon it!\"",
    "The miller's wife discovered that his words were true.",
    "\"It is a miracle of God!\" cried she as she crossed herself."
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