RUSSIAN LEGENDS & FAIRYTALES (With Original Illustrations). Arthur Ransome

       FRIDAY

       WEDNESDAY

       THE LÉSHY

       VAZUZA AND VOLGA

       SOZH AND DNIEPER

       THE METAMORPHOSIS OF THE DNIEPER, THE VOLGA, AND THE DVINA

       FROST

       THE BLIND MAN AND THE CRIPPLE

       PRINCESS HELENA THE FAIR

       EMILIAN THE FOOL

       THE WITCH GIRL

       THE HEADLESS PRINCESS

       THE SOLDIER’S MIDNIGHT WATCH

       THE WARLOCK

       THE FOX-PHYSICIAN

       THE FIDDLER IN HELL

       THE RIDE ON THE GRAVESTONE

       THE TWO FRIENDS

       THE SHROUD

       THE COFFIN-LID

       THE TWO CORPSES

       THE DOG AND THE CORPSE

       THE SOLDIER AND THE VAMPIRE

       ELIJAH THE PROPHET AND NICHOLAS

       THE PRIEST WITH THE GREEDY EYES

       THE HASTY WORD

       Russian Picture Fables for the Little Ones:

       Table of Contents

      Valery Carrick

      THE COCK AND THE BEAN

       Table of Contents

      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.”

      So she came to the smith and said: “Smith, smith, give me an axe! The axe is for the wood-cutters, who will give me some wood, the wood's for the oven, who will 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 he answered: “Go into the forest and burn me some charcoal.”

      So she went into the forest, gathered a bundle of sticks, and burned some charcoal. Then she took the charcoal to the smith, and he gave her an axe. She went with the axe to the wood-cutters, and the wood-cutters gave her some wood. The wood she took to the oven, and the oven gave her some loaves.

      She took the loaves to the hay-makers, and the hay-makers gave her some hay. The hay she took to the cow, who gave her some butter. She brought the butter to the cock, and the cock gulped it down and swallowed the bean.