the Tsar’s, entered the room and said: “The Tsar would fain see the artist who has sewn him the shirts, and he wants to reward her with his own hands.”
Vasilísa the Fair went to the Tsar. When he saw her, he fell deep in love with her. “No, fairest damsel; I will never part from you. You must be my wife.”
So the Tsar took Vasilísa, with her white hands, put her next to him, and bade the bells ring for the wedding.
Vasilísa’s father came back home, and was rejoiced at her good luck, and stayed with his daughter.
Vasilísa also took the old woman to live with her, and the doll ever remained in her pocket.
The Animals in the Pit
A Pig was going to church at St. Petersburg, and the Wolf met him.
“Piggy, Piggy, where are you faring?”
“To St. Petersburg, to pray to God.”
“Take me with!”
“Come along, Gossip.”
So they went on together, and met the Vixen.
“Pig, where are you going?”
“To St. Petersburg, so please you.”
“Take me with!”
“Come along, Gossip.”
So they went on together and met the Hare, who said, “Piggy, Piggy, where are you going?”
“On to St. Petersburg, to pray to God.”
“Very well, take me with.”
“Very well, Slant-eyes, I will.”
Then they met the Squirrel, who also went with them. But on their road they came across a broad, deep pit. The Pig jumped and tumbled in, and after him the Wolf, the Fox, the Hare and the Squirrel.
And they sat there for a long time, and became very hungry, for they had nothing to eat.
“Let’s all begin singing,” said the Vixen, “and we will eat the animal who has the thinnest voice.”
So the Wolf struck in a deep gruff voice, Aw, aw, aw! And the Pig followed in a tone just a shade softer, Oo, oo, oo! But the Vixen came in fine and sharp, Eh, eh, eh; whilst the Hare trilled the thinnest Ee, ee, ee in the world. The Squirrel also sang Ee, ee, ee! So the animals at once set to tearing up the Squirrel and Hare, and ate them down to their bones.
Next day the Vixen said: “We will eat the person with the fattest voice.” That was the Wolf with his great gruff Aw, aw, aw! So they ate him up. The Vixen ate up the flesh and kept the heart and the bowels. And for three days she sat and ate them.
And the Pig then asked her: “What are you eating?—give me some!”
“Oh, Pig, I am eating my own flesh. You tear your belly up and munch it yourself.”
So the Pig did, and the Vixen feasted on him.
The Vixen then was left as the last person in the pit.
Did she climb up, or is she there still? I don’t know, really!
The Poor Widow
A very long time ago Christ and the twelve Apostles walked on earth. They went about like simple people, and nobody could have known that it was Christ and the twelve Apostles.
Once they came to a village and they asked a rich peasant for a bed. The rich peasant would not let them in, telling them: “Over there there lives a widow who receives beggars; go to her.” So they asked the widow for a night’s rest, and the widow was poor, poor of the poorest; she had nothing at all. She had only a very little crust of bread and a mere handful of flour, and she also had a cow, but the cow had no milk.
“Yes, fathers,” the widow said, “my little hut is very small, and there is nowhere to lie down.”
“Never mind; we can manage somehow!”
So the widow received the wanderers, and did not know how to feed them.
“How shall I feed you?” the widow said. “I only have one little crust of bread and a mere handful of flour, and my cow is calving and has no milk. I have to wait for her to calve. You cannot look for bread and salt here.”
“Well, woman,” the Saviour said, “have no fear—we shall all be satisfied. Give us all you have. We will eat the crust. Everything, woman, comes of God.”
So they sat down to table and began to feast, and they were all fed on the one crust of bread. There were even crumbs left behind.
“Lo and behold! woman, you said that there was nothing to feed us on,” the Saviour said. “Look, we are all satisfied, and there are some crumbs over. Everything, woman, comes of God!” And so Christ and the Apostles stayed with the poor widow.
In the morning the widow told her sister: “Go and scrape up any flour you can find in the corn-bin; possibly we may make a tiny pancake so as to feed our guests.” The girl went and brought up a clay pot full. The old woman was not astonished when so much came—she simply took it as it came and started making a pancake. And the girl told her: “There is as much again in the corn-bin.” So the woman cooked the pancake for the Saviour and the twelve Apostles, telling them: “Come and eat of the good fare, kinsmen, which God has sent.” And so they ate and bade farewell to the aged widow and went on the road.
And when they were on the way there was a grey wolf sitting on a knoll. He bowed low to Christ and asked for food.
“Lord,” he bayed, “I am hungry. Lord, I should like to eat.”
“Go,” said the Saviour to him, “to the old widow and eat her cow with the calf.”
And the Apostles were astonished and said: “Lord, why do you bid him snatch the poor widow’s cow? She received you so kindly and fed us, and she was so happy in the expectation of the calf, for then the cow would have had milk, which is food for every home.”
“That is how it must be,” the Saviour replied. And they went on.
The wolf ran and snatched up the poor widow’s cow,
