Fables for Children, Stories for Children, Natural Science Stories Part 70

"All right, make it for me!"

And the devil taught him how to do it.

"Take some oak leaves from this tree," he said, "and rub them in your hands. The gold will fall to the ground."

Ivan took some leaves and rubbed them,--and the gold began to fall.

"This is nice to have," he said, "when you are out celebrating with the boys."

"Let me go now!" said the devil.

"All right!" Ivan took his lever, and freed the devil. "G.o.d be with you," he said, and the moment he mentioned G.o.d's name, the devil bolted through the earth, as a stone plumps into the water, and only a hole was left.

VI.

The brothers built themselves houses, and began to live each by himself.

But Ivan got through with his field work, and brewed some beer and invited his brothers to celebrate with him. They would not be Ivan's guests:

"We have never seen a peasant celebration," they said.

Ivan treated the peasants and their wives, and himself drank until he was drunk, and he went out into the street to the khorovod. 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."

Ivan 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. Ivan 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 Ivan scattered the whole basketful. They began to ask for more. But Ivan 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 thres.h.i.+ng-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. Ivan told the soldiers to play songs, and went into the street with them. The people were surprised. The soldiers played songs, and then Ivan took them back to the thres.h.i.+ng-floor, and told n.o.body 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 part.i.tion.

VII.

On the next morning his eldest brother, s.e.m.e.n the Warrior, heard of it, and he went to see Ivan.

"Reveal to me," he said, "where did you find those soldiers, and where did you take them to?"

"What is that to you?" he said.

"What a question! With soldiers anything may be done. You can get a kingdom for yourself."

Ivan was surprised.

"Indeed? Why did you not tell me so long ago?" he said. "I will make as many for you as you please. Luckily the girl and I have threshed a lot of straw."

Ivan took his brother to the thres.h.i.+ng-floor, and said:

"Look here! I will make them for you, but you take them away, or else, if we have to feed them, they will ruin the village in one day."

s.e.m.e.n the Warrior promised that he would take the soldiers away, and Ivan began to make them. He struck a sheaf against the floor, there was a company; he struck another, there was a second, and he made such a lot of them that they took up the whole field.

"Well, will that do?"

s.e.m.e.n was happy, and said:

"It will do. Thank you, Ivan."

"All right," he said. "If you need more, come to me, and I will make you more. There is plenty of straw to-day."

s.e.m.e.n the Warrior at once attended to the army, collected it as was proper, and went forth to fight.

No sooner had s.e.m.e.n the Warrior left, than Taras the Paunch came. He, too, had heard of the evening's affair, and he began to beg his brother:

"Reveal to me, where do you get the gold money from? If I had such free money, I would with it gather in all the money of the whole world."

Ivan was surprised.

"Indeed? You ought to have told me so long ago," he said. "I will rub up for you as much as you want."

His brother was glad:

"Give me at least three seed-baskets full!"