Page:An argosy of fables.djvu/475

 Rh "That's not half bad. Honestly, I can listen to you without being bored. But it's a pity that you have never heard our Cock crowing. You would sing a great deal better if you could take a few lessons from him!"

(Kilov, Fables. Adapted from translation by William R. S. Ralston.)

TRISHKA'S CAFTAN

CERTAIN Russian peasant named Trishka, discovered one day that his Caftan, or long-skirted gown, was out at elbow. It seemed a simple matter; so he took his needle, cut off a quarter of each sleeve, and used the pieces to patch the elbows. The Caftan was all right again, excepting that now his arms were bare for a quarter of their length. This was in itself no great matter; but Trishka soon found that everybody was laughing at him. So he said to himself:

"Since I am no fool I can soon make things right again. All I need to do is to make the sleeves as long as they were before. Oh, Trishka is a match for any of them!"

So he cut off the skirts of his Caftan, and used them to lengthen his sleeves. Once more Trishka was happy, even though he had a Caftan no longer than a waistcoat.

Moral. Many people go through life wearing Trishka's Caftan; They are always hoping to get out of debt by borrowing of Peter to pay Paul.

(Krilov, Fables. Adapted from the translation by William R. S. Ralston.)