Page:Tales and Legends from the Land of the Tzar.djvu/165

Rh let down the rope; he did so, and soon began pulling it up again, but what was his astonishment and horror, when he saw, instead of his wife, a little demon holding on to the end of the rope. The man was just about to let the rope drop down again, when the demon said, in a very weak little voice,—

"Good man, have pity on me, I am only a poor innocent little devil, and will not harm you; take me out of this dreadful pit, and let me run about the wide world, and I will certainly reward you and make you a rich man; but to stay in this pit is death to me now, for an angry wife came down to us and ate up all my companions, I alone escaped, thank goodness, though as it is I am only half-alive!"

The man was sorry for the poor little demon, for he knew what kind of a woman his wife was, having had a big dose of her himself. So he drew the little creature up.

"Well, good man!" said the devil, "now I shall keep my promise, and make your fortune for you. Come with me into the town, and when I go into people, you play at being a great doctor and drive me out!"

The man agreed to this proposal, and away they went; the demon, running on in front, began tormenting men, women, and childen, while the man cast him out with great success. So that in a very short time he was received with open arms by everybody, rich and poor, small and great, and became a very rich man.

At last the demon came to him, and said,—