Fables for Children, Stories for Children, Natural Science Stories Part 71

"All right," he said, "let us go to the woods! But hitch up the horse, or you will not be able to carry it away."

They went to the woods, and Ivan began to rub the oak leaves. He rubbed up a large heap.

"Will that do, eh?"

Taras was happy.

"It will do for awhile," he said. "Thank you, Ivan."

"You are welcome. If you need more, come to me, and I will rub up some more,--there are plenty of leaves left."

Taras the Paunch gathered a whole wagon-load of money, and went away to trade with it.

Both brothers left the home. And s.e.m.e.n went out to fight, and Taras to trade. And s.e.m.e.n the Warrior conquered a whole kingdom for himself, while Taras the Paunch made a big heap of money by trading.

The brothers met, and they revealed to one another where s.e.m.e.n got the soldiers, and Taras the money.

s.e.m.e.n the Warrior said to his brother:

"I have conquered a kingdom for myself, and I lead a good life, only I have not enough money to feed my soldiers with."

And Taras the Paunch said:

"And I have earned a whole mound of money, but here is the trouble: I have n.o.body to guard the money."

So s.e.m.e.n the Warrior said:

"Let us go to our brother! I will tell him to make me more soldiers, and I will give them to you to guard your money; and you tell him to rub me more money with which to feed the soldiers."

And they went to Ivan. When they came to him, s.e.m.e.n said:

"I have not enough soldiers, brother. Make me some more soldiers,--if you have to work over two stacks."

Ivan shook his head.

"I will not make you any soldiers, for nothing in the world."

"But you promised you would."

"So I did, but I will not make them for you."

"Why, you fool, won't you make them?"

"Because your soldiers have killed a man. The other day I was ploughing in the field, when I saw a woman driving with a coffin in the road, and weeping all the time. I asked her who had died, and she said, 's.e.m.e.n's soldiers have killed my husband in a war.' I thought that the soldiers would make music, and there they have killed a man. I will give you no more."

And he stuck to it, and made no soldiers for him.

Then Taras the Paunch began to beg Ivan to make him more gold money. But Ivan shook his head.

"I will not rub any, for nothing in the world."

"But you promised you would."

"So I did, but I will not do it."

"Why, you fool, will you not do it?"

"Because your gold coins have taken away Mikhaylovna's cow."

"How so?"

"They just did. Mikhaylovna had a cow, whose milk the children sipped, but the other day the children came to me to ask for some milk. I said to them: 'Where is your cow?' And they answered: 'Taras the Paunch's clerk came, and he gave mother three gold pieces, and she gave him the cow, and now we have no milk to sip.' I thought you wanted to play with the gold pieces, and you take the cow away from the children. I will not give you any more."

And the fool stuck to it, and did not give him any. So the brothers went away.

They went away, and they wondered how they might mend matters. Then s.e.m.e.n said:

"This is what we shall do. You give me money to feed the soldiers with, and I will give you half my kingdom with the soldiers to guard your money." Taras agreed to it. The brothers divided up, and both became kings, and rich men.

VIII.

But Ivan remained at home, supporting father and mother, and working the field with the dumb girl.

One day Ivan's watch-dog grew sick: he had the mange and was dying. Ivan was sorry for him, and he took some bread from the dumb girl, put it in his hat, and took it out and threw it to the dog. But the cap was torn, and with the bread one of the roots fell out. The old dog swallowed it with the bread. And no sooner had he swallowed it than he jumped up, began to play and to bark, and wagged his tail,--he was well again.

When his father and his mother saw that, they were surprised.

"With what did you cure the dog?"

And Ivan said to them:

"I had two roots with which to cure all diseases, and he swallowed one."

It happened that at that time the king's daughter grew ill, and the king proclaimed in all the towns and villages that he would reward him who should cure her, and that if it should be an unmarried man, he should have his daughter for a wife. The same was also proclaimed in Ivan's village.

Father and mother called Ivan, and said to him:

"Have you heard what the king has proclaimed? You said that you had a root, so go and cure the king's daughter. You will get a fortune for the rest of your life."

"All right," he said. And he got ready to go. He was dressed up, and went out on the porch, and saw a beggar woman with a twisted arm.

"I have heard that you can cure," she said. "Cure my arm, for I cannot dress myself."

And Ivan said:

"All right!" He took the root, gave it to the beggar woman, and told her to swallow it.

She swallowed it, and was cured at once and could wave her arm. Ivan's parents came out to see him off on his way to the king, and when they heard that he had given away the last root and had nothing left with which to cure the king's daughter, they began to upbraid him.