Page:The Complete Works of Lyof N. Tolstoi - 08 (Crowell, 1899).djvu/170

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was returning from market with his son Vanka. The peasant went to sleep in his cart, and Vanka held the reins and cracked the whip. They happened to meet another team. Vanka shouted:—

"Turn out to the right! I shall run over you!"

And the peasant with the team said:—

"It is not a big cricket, but it chirps so as to be heard!"

the upper part of a house lived a rich barin, and on the floor below lived a poor tailor. The tailor was always singing songs at his work, and prevented the barin from sleeping.

The barin gave the tailor a purse full of money not to sing. The tailor became rich, and took good care of his money, and refrained from singing.

But it grew tiresome to him; he took the money and returned it to the barin, saying:—

"Take back your money and let me sing my songs again, or I shall die of melancholy."

was leaping from limb to limb, and fell directly upon a sleeping Wolf. The Wolf jumped up, and was going to devour him. But the Squirrel begged the Wolf to let him go.