More Russian Picture Tales | Page 7

out of the sack: "Don't sit down on a stump, don't! Don't eat a pie, don't!" And the bear thought: "There now, fancy that! Look at the long way I've come, and yet she can still see and hear me!" And so he brought the sack to the old man, and then the dogs came upon him and all but tore him in bits. And he ran off into the forest without as much as looking round, and the old man began once more to live with his three little daughters.
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[Illustration: I don't like what is nice, but what I like is nice!]

THE STRAW OX.
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Once upon a time there lived an old man and his wife, and one day she said to him: "Make me a straw ox and smear him over with pitch." And he asked: "What for?" And she answered: "Do what I tell you! Never mind what it's for--that's my business!" So the old man made a straw ox and smeared him over with pitch. Then his wife got ready in the early morning and drove the ox to pasture. She sat down under a tree, and began spinning flax and saying to herself: "Feed, feed, ox, on the fresh green grass. Feed, feed, ox, on the fresh green grass!" And she went on spinning and spinning, and fell asleep. Suddenly from out of the thick wood, from out of the dark forest, a bear came running, and ran right up against the ox. "Who in the world are you?" he asked. And the ox answered: "I'm the three-year-old ox, all made of straw and smeared over with pitch." Then the bear said: "Well, if you're smeared over with pitch, give me some to put on my poor torn side." And the ox answered: "Take some!" So the bear seized hold of the ox, when lo and behold! his paw stuck in the pitch. And when he tried to free it with the other paw, that one stuck too. Then he started gnawing with his teeth, and they stuck too. He couldn't tear himself away anyhow. And the old woman woke up and saw the bear stuck fast to the ox. So she ran home and shouted to her husband: "Come along quick, a bear has stuck fast to our ox, hurry up and catch him!" And he came along, took the bear, led him home, and shut him up in the lumber room.
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[Illustration]
The next day, as soon as the sun rose, the old woman again drove the ox to pasture, and she herself sat down under a tree, and began spinning flax and saying to herself: "Feed, feed, ox, on the fresh green grass of the field! Feed, feed, ox, on the fresh green grass of the field!" And she went on spinning and spinning, and fell asleep. Suddenly from out of the thick wood, from out of the dark forest, a wolf came running, and ran right up against the ox. "Who in the world are you?" he asked. And the ox answered: "I'm the three-year-old ox, all made of straw and smeared over with pitch." Then the wolf said: "Well, if that's so, give me some pitch to put on my poor torn side." And the ox answered: "By all means!" So the wolf tried to take some pitch, when lo and behold! his paw stuck in it. And when he tried to free it, it stuck all the faster. And the old woman woke up and saw the wolf sticking to the ox. So she ran to fetch her husband and said: "Come as quick as you can, there's a wolf stuck to the ox!" And he came and caught the wolf and put him in the cellar.
[Illustration]
The next day, before even the sun had risen, the old woman again drove the ox to pasture, and she herself sat down under a tree, and began spinning flax and saying to herself: "Feed, feed, ox, on the fresh green grass! Feed, feed, ox, on the fresh green grass!" And she went on spinning and spinning, and fell asleep.
[Illustration]
Suddenly from out of the thick wood, from out of the dark forest, a fox came running, and ran right up against the ox. "What sort of a beast are you?" he asked. And the ox answered: "I'm the three-year-old ox, all made of straw and smeared over with pitch." Then the fox said: "Well then, give me some pitch to rub on my side." And the fox was just going to take some pitch, when he stuck fast and couldn't free himself. And the old woman woke up and saw the fox sticking to the ox. So she ran to fetch her husband, and he came and took the fox and put him in the cellar