Page:Tales and Legends from the Land of the Tzar.djvu/210

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upon a time there lived an old peasant with his wife, but children they had none; though they prayed and prayed night and day for a child to cheer them in their old age, no child made its appearance.

One day the peasant went out into the forest for mushrooms; and while he was gathering them, a very very old man came up to him, and putting his aged hand upon the peasant's shoulder, said kindly,—

"I know, my friend, what is troubling you. You are always wishing and praying that you might have some children. Is that not so? Very well, then, I will help you. Go to every yard in your village, and take from each hen-roost an egg, and then go home to your hut and put all the eggs you collect into your own hen-roost. What will happen after you will see for yourself."

So saying, the old man disappeared.

Away went the peasant into the village to do the old man's bidding. He went into every yard—there were forty-one in number—and taking an egg out of each hen-roost, he returned to his own hut and put the forty-one eggs into his hen-roost.

In a fortnight's time the peasant and his wife went to the hen-roost to see what had happened to the eggs; but, what was their surprise and delight, to