MORE RUSSIAN

PICTURE TALES

BY

VALERY CARRICK

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

CONTENTS.

THE COCK AND THE BEAN.

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

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

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?”

“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.”

And the cow answered: “Go and ask the hay-makers for some hay.”

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.”

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.”

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