Page:RussianFolkTales Afanasev 368pgs.djvu/137



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.