Verotchka's Tales   By: Mamin Siberiak

VEROTCHKA'S TALES

by

MAMIN SIBERIAK

TRANSLATED BY RAY DAVIDSON

ILLUSTRATED BY BORIS M. ARTZYBASHEFF

E. P. DUTTON & CO., INC. PUBLISHERS NEW YORK

Copyright, 1922, By E. P. DUTTON & COMPANY

All rights reserved

Reprinted March, 1932

Printed in the United States of America

CONTENTS

PAGE HOW THEY HAPPENED 1

THE STORY OF A BOLD RABBIT WITH COCK EYES AND A SHORT TAIL 3

THE STORY OF LITTLE CACINELLA 13

THE STORY OF MOSQUITO LONG NOSE AND FUZZY BEAR, MISHKA SHORT TAIL 25

VANKA'S BIRTHDAY 40

THE STORY OF MASTER SPARROW, MASTER STICKELBACK AND THE JOLLY CHIMNEY SWEEP, YASHA 62

THE STORY OF THE LAST FLY 82

THE STORY OF A BLACK HEADED CROW AND A LITTLE YELLOW CANARY 106

THE WISEST OF ALL 129

THE STORY OF LITTLE MILK, LITTLE CEREAL AND GRAY KITTEN, MOORKA 153

BED TIME 166

VEROTCHKA'S TALES

[Illustration]

HOW THEY HAPPENED

Lulla lullaby. Verotchka's one little eye is sleeping, the other little eye is still open. Verotchka's one little ear is sleeping, the other little ear is still listening. Sleep, Verotchka, sleep, my pretty one, and father will tell you these stories. I think they are all here. The Siberian cat, Vasca; the shaggy village dog, Postoika; the gray mousie gnawers; the cricket behind the stove; the iridescent starling in the cage; and the cock, the bully.

Sleep, Verotchka, the story begins. The full moon in the heaven looks into the window. The cock eyed rabbit hops on his haunches and the wolf's eyes flash yellow fire lights. The bear, Mishka, is sucking his paw, and the old sparrow flies up to the window, pecks the pane with his bill, and asks, "How soon, now?"

I think they're all here now, waiting for Verotchka's Tale.

Verotchka's one little eye is asleep, the other little eye is still open. Verotchka's one little ear is asleep, the other little ear is still listening. Lulla Lullaby.

[Illustration]

THE STORY OF A BOLD RABBIT WITH COCK EYES AND A SHORT TAIL

This rabbit was born in the woods and was scared of everything. If a branch cracked anywhere or a bird flew past or a lump of snow fell from a tree, his rabbit heart went down, down, down into his furry boots. Now this little rabbit was afraid for a day, for two days, for a week, for a whole year. But when he was grown up, he just got tired of being a scared rabbit.

"I am not afraid of anybody!" he shouted through the woods. "I am not afraid at all! I am not afraid of anything or of anybody, and that's all there is to it!"

One day, the rabbits gathered to listen to him. The little ones ran, the old rabbits hobbled along to hear Long Ear, Cock Eye, Short Tail's boastings.

They listened and couldn't believe their own ears, for there never had been anything like a rabbit, unafraid of anything or anybody before.

"Oh, you Cock Eye," called one, "do you mean to say you aren't even afraid of a wolf?"

"Not even a wolf, nor a fox, nor a bear. I am afraid of no one," said Cock Eye.