More Russian Picture Tales   By: Valerian Viliamovich Karrik (1869-1942)

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MORE RUSSIAN

PICTURE TALES

BY

VALERY CARRICK

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TRANSLATED BY NEVILL FORBES

NEW YORK FREDERICK A. STOKES COMPANY PUBLISHERS

Copyright, 1914, 1920, by FREDERICK A. STOKES COMPANY

All Rights Reserved

Printed in the United States of America

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CONTENTS.

PAGE

1. The Cock and the Bean 1

2. The Goat and the Ram 11

3. The Hungry Wolf 25

4. The Peasant and the Bear 39

5. The Dog and the Cock 45

6. King Frost 53

7. The Bear's Paw 67

8. The Bear and the Old Man's Daughters 73

9. The Straw Ox 87

10. The Fox and the Blackbird 103

THE COCK AND THE BEAN.

A cock was scratching one day in the earth under the wall of a cottage when he found a bean.

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He tried to swallow it, and choked himself. He choked himself and stretched himself out, and there he lay, and couldn't even breathe.

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And his mistress saw him, ran up to him, and asked: "Mr. Cock, what makes you lie there like that, so that you can't breathe?"

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"I've choked myself with a bean," he answered. "Go and ask the cow for some butter."

And his mistress came to the cow and said: "Mrs. Cow, give me some butter! My cock is lying there and can't even breathe, he has choked himself with a bean."

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And the cow answered: "Go and ask the hay makers for some hay."

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And she came to the hay makers and said: "Hay makers, give me some hay! The hay's for the cow who will give me some butter, and the butter's for my cock who is lying there and can't breathe, he's choked himself with a bean." And the hay makers answered: "Go and ask the oven to give you some loaves."

And she came to the oven and said: "Oven, oven, give me some loaves! The loaves are for the hay makers, who will give me some hay, the hay's for the cow, who will give me some butter, and the butter's for my cock who is lying there and can't breathe, he's choked himself with a bean."

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And the oven answered: "Go and ask the wood cutters for some wood."

And she came to the wood cutters and said: "Give me some wood! The wood's for the oven, who will give me some loaves, the loaves are for the hay cutters, who will give me some hay, the hay's for the cow, who will give me some butter, the butter's for my cock who is lying there and can't breathe, he's choked himself with a bean."

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And they answered: "Go and ask the smith for an axe, we've nothing to cut the wood with."

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So she came to the smith and said: "Smith, smith, give me an axe! The axe is for the wood cutters, who will give me some wood, the wood's for the oven, who will give me some loaves, the loaves are for the hay makers, who will give me some hay, the hay's for the cow, who will give me some butter, and the butter's for my cock who is lying there and can't breathe, he's choked himself with a bean." And he answered: "Go into the forest and burn me some charcoal."

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So she went into the forest, gathered a bundle of sticks, and burned some charcoal. Then she took the charcoal to the smith, and he gave her an axe. She went with the axe to the wood cutters, and the wood cutters gave her some wood. The wood she took to the oven, and the oven gave her some loaves.

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