Page:Three stories by Vítězslav Hálek (1886).pdf/219

 “You see he knows how to give names to things, and yet ’tis but a poor fool,” said the neighbours, and they thought wonderingly about the peasant proprietor, Loyka, although they had already heard about this affair of the well, and in fact from Vena himself.

“While I sat that day by the boundary stone,” the Mayor began again, “I enquired of Loyka “Oh! grandfather you can call to mind many a Kaiser this day, I take it.” “I can call to mind Kaisers and gentry,” replied Loyka. “I call to mind the time when Kaiser Joseph ploughed, and then I call to mind the time when all the gentry did it after him, only that the Kaiser ploughed with horses and the gentry with us.”

Here the neighbours again laughed, and said “What of that! he knew how to muster his parts of speech, and to give a slap in the face to high and low, only that he preferred to give it to the high and mighty.”

“I call to mind yet more,” said Vena, insinuating himself into the conversation. “I call to mind how that we plough one with another, and how that each hospodar laments that he cannot plough the field with his own father who is pensioned off. Oh! ye sons, what wouldn’t you give to have your wretched ‘tatas’ tugging at the plough.”

This remark appeared extremely personal, and they began to gesticulate against Vena; but some