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The Short Stories
is impos-sible that I should find anything. Still, I will do as grandma 2 bade me.”

She took the shovel and went. After she had dug a hole, she began to think :
“ I have dug long enough; I am going home now.”
She was just going to take out the shovel when she heard it knock against something. She leaned over, and saw a large jug. She shook it; something jingled. She threw down her shovel, and ran to her grandma, crying, “ Babushka, I have found a treasure !”

“They opened the jug and found it full of silver coins. And the grandmother and granddaughter were able to have an Easter feast, and they bought a cow, and thanked God because He had heard their prayer.

Chapter VII

BIRD

IT was Serozha’s birthday, and he received many different gifts, peg-tops and hobby-horses and pictures. But Serozha’s uncle gave him a gift which he prized above all the rest : it was a trap for snaring birds. The trap was constructed in such a way that a board was fitted on the frame and shut down upon the top. If seed were scattered on the board, and it was put out in the yard, the little bird would fly down, hop upon the board, the board would give way, and the trap would shut with a clap.

Serozha was delighted and he ran to his mother to show her the trap.
His mother said :
“ It is not a good plaything. What do you want to do with birds ? Why do you want to torture them ? “

“ I am going to put them in a cage. They will sing, and I will feed them.”
Serozha got some seed, scattered it on the board, and set the trap in the garden. And he stood by and expected the birds to fly down. But the birds were afraid of him, and did not come near the cage. Serozha ran in to get something to eat, and left the cage.

After dinner he went to look at it; the cage had shut, and in it a little bird was beating against the bars.
Serozha was delighted, took up the bird, and carried it into the house.
“ Mamma, I have caught a bird; I think it is a night-ingale; and how its heart beats ! “

His mother said it was a canary.
“ Be careful ! don’t hurt it; you would better let it
go.”
“ No; I am going to give it something to eat and drink.”
Serozha put the canary in a cage, and for two days gave him seed and water and cleaned the cage. But on the third day he forgot all about the canary, and did not change the water.
And his mother said :
“ See here : you have forgotten your bird; you would better let it go.”

“ No; I will not forget it again; I will immediately give it fresh water and clean its cage.”
Serozha thrust his hand into the cage and .began to clean it, but the little bird was frightened and fluttered. After Serozha had cleaned the cage, he went to get some water. His mother perceived that he had for-gotten to shut the cage door, and she called after him :
“ Serozha, shut up your cage, else your bird will fly out and hurt itself.”

She had hardly spoken these words, when the bird found the door, was delighted, spread its wings, and flew around the room toward the window. But it did not see the glass, and struck against it and fell back on the window-sill. Serozha came running in, picked up the bird, and put it back in the cage. The bird was still alive, but it lay on its breast, with its wings spread out, and breathed heavily. Serozha looked and looked, and began to cry :
“ Mamma, what can I do now ? “

“You can do nothing now.”
.Serozha did not leave the cage all day, but gazed at the canary, and all the time the bird lay on its breast and breathed hard and fast.
When Serozha went to bed, the bird was dead. Sero-zha could not get to sleep for a long time; every time that he shut his eyes he seemed to see the bird still lying and sighing.
In the morning, when Serozha went to his cage, he saw the bird lying on his back, with his legs crossed, and all stiff.
After that Serozha never again tried to snare birds.

Chapter VIII

HOW UNCLE SEMYON TOLD ABOUT HIS ADVENTURE IN THE WOODS

ONE time in winter I had gone into the woods after timber. I had cut down three trees, and lopped off the limbs, and was hewing them, when I looked up and saw that it was getting late; that it was time to go home. But the weather was bad; it was snowing and blowing. I said to myself :
“ The night is coming on, and you don’t know the way.”

I whipped up the horse and drove on; still there was no sign of outlet. Forest all around.
I thought how thin my shuba was; I was in danger of freezing to death.
I still pushed on; it grew dark, and I was entirely off the road.

I was just going to unyoke the sled and protect myself under it, when I heard not far away the jingle of bells. I went in the direction of the bells, and saw a troika of roan horses, their manes tied with ribbons ! their bells were jingling, and two young men were in the sleigh.
“Good evening, brothers.”
“ Good evening, peasant.”
“ Where is the road, brothers ? “
“ Here we are right on the road.”

I went to them, and I saw that strangely enough the road was unbroken, all drifted over.
“ Follow us,” said they, and they whipped up their horses.
My wretched mare could not keep up with them. I began to shout :
“ Hold on, brothers ! “
They waited for me, laughing.
“Get in with us,” said they; “it will be easier for your horse without a load.”
“ Thank you,” said I.

I cLmbed into their sledge. It was handsome well lined. As soon as I sat down, how they spurred on the horses ! “ Now then, my darlings / “
The roan horses dashed away, making the snow fly in clouds.
What a wonderful thing ! It grew lighter and lighter, and the road became as glare as ice, and we flew so fast that it took away my breath, and the twigs lashed my face. It began to be painful.

I looked ahead; there was a steep mountain, a very steep mountain, and at the foot of the mountain a ravine. The roans were flying straight for the ravine.
I was frightened, and cried :
“Heavens and earth! slow up, you, slow up; you will kill us ! “
But the men only laughed, and urged on the horses the more. I saw there was no saving us; the ravine was under our very runners. But I saw a bough right over my head.
“ Well,” I said to myself, “you may go over alone.”
I stood up and seized the bough, and there I hung !

As I caught it I shouted :
“ Hold on ! “ And then I heard women shouting :
“ Uncle Semyon ! what is the matter ? Start up the fire, you women ! Something is wrong with Uncle Semyon ! he is screaming ! Stir up the fire ! “
I woke up, and there I was in my cottage, clinging to the loft, and screaming at the top of my voice. And all that I had seen had been a dream !

Chapter IX

COW

widow Mary a lived with her mother and six children. Their means of life were small. But they used their last money in the purchase of a red cow, so as to have milk for the children. The eldest children pastured Brownie 1 in the field, and gave her slops at home.

One-time while the mother was away from home, the oldest son, Misha, in climbing on the shelf after bread, knocked over a tumbler and broke it.
Misha was afraid that his mother would chide him. So he gathered up the large pieces of broken glass, carried them into the yard, and buried them in the dung-heap, but the little pieces he threw into the basin. The mother missed the glass, and made in-quiries; but Misha said nothing, and so the matter rested.

On the next day, after dinner, when the mother went to give Brownie the swill from the basin, she found that Brownie was ailing and would not eat her food. They tried to give her medicine, and they called the babka. 2 The babka said that the cow would not live; it was best to slaughter her for beef.

They called a peasant and proceeded to slaughter the cow. The children heard Brownie lowing in the yard; they all climbed upon the oven and began to weep.
After they had slaughtered Brownie, they took off the hide and cut the carcass in pieces, and there, in the throat, they found a piece of glass. And so they knew that her death was caused by her swallowing the glass in the slops.

When Misha heard this he began to weep bitterly, and confessed to his mother that he broke the glass. The mother said nothing, but also wept. Then she said :
“ We have killed our Brownie, and have nothing to get another cow with. How will the little ones live without milk ? “
Misha kept howling louder and louder, and would not come down from the oven when they ate the jelly made from the cow’s head. Every time when

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is impos-sible that I should find anything. Still, I will do as grandma 2 bade me.” She took the shovel and went. After she had dug a hole, she began