Russian Fable
Texts For Chapbook Illustrations 1885
Russian Literature – Children Books – Russian Poetry – Leo Tolstoy – Fables for Children By Leo Tolstoy – A Fairy-Tale – Contents
VI.
The brothers built themselves houses, and began to live each by himself. But Iván got through with his field work, and brewed some beer and invited his brothers to celebrate with him. They would not be Iván’s guests:
“We have never seen a peasant celebration,” they said.
Iván treated the peasants and their wives, and himself drank until he was drunk, and he went out into the street to the khorovód. He went up to the women, and told them to praise him.
“I will give you what you have not seen in all your lives.”
The women laughed, and praised him. When they got through, they said:
“Well, let us have it!”
“I will bring it to you at once,” he said.
He picked up the seed-basket and ran into the woods. The women laughed: “What a fool he is!” And they forgot about him, when, behold, he was running toward them, and carrying the basket full of something.
“Shall I let you have it?”
“Yes.”
Iván picked up a handful of gold and threw it to the women. O Lord, how they darted for the money! The peasants rushed out and began to tear it out of the hands of the women. They almost crushed an old woman to death. Iván laughed.
“Oh, you fools,” he said, “why did you crush that old woman? Be more gentle, and I will give you some more.” He began to scatter more gold. People ran up, and Iván scattered the whole basketful. They began to ask for more. But Iván said:
“That is all. I will give you more some other time. Now let us have music! Sing songs!”
The women started a song.
“I do not like your kind of songs,” he said.
“What kind is better?”
“I will show you in a minute,” he said. He went to the threshing-floor, pulled out a sheaf, straightened it up, placed it on end, and struck it against the ground.
“At your master’s command not a sheaf shall you stand, each straw a soldier shall be.”
The sheaf flew to pieces, and out came the soldiers, and the drums began to beat and the trumpets to sound. Iván told the soldiers to play songs, and went into the street with them. The people were surprised. The soldiers played songs, and then Iván took them back to the threshing-floor, and told nobody to follow him. He changed the soldiers back into a sheaf, and threw it on the loft. He went home and went to sleep behind the partition.
Russian Literature – Children Books – Russian Poetry – Leo Tolstoy – Fables for Children By Leo Tolstoy – A Fairy-Tale – Contents
Copyright holders – Public Domain Book
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