Page:Three stories by Vítězslav Hálek (1886).pdf/237

 gravedigger! He paid no attention to him, and made as though he counted. “How much will it be,” cried Bartos with such vehemence that the paper fell out of the toll collector’s hand. “Come, come, we will have no bullies here,” said the toll collector. “A thousand curses! you are the bully,” said Bartos, and nothing more. The toll collector also said nothing more, but his hand trembled with rage as he gave Bartos the change, and thus it happened that one ‘desetnik’ fell on to the pavement outside his office. “There is a ‘desetnik’ missing,” says Bartos. “You have it on the ground,” says the tax collector, and nudged himself into a certain amount of valiancy. “I pick up nothing from the ground,” says Bartos. The toll collector must even shuffle out of his office, pick up the ‘desetnik,’ and give it into Bartos’ hands, “There now I have all,” said Bartos, and as he quitted the toll booth muttered loud enough for the toll collector to hear, “I will teach people to throw money on the ground.”

Another time he went to an office for the purpose of drawing a sum of money and the cashier happened to be a new comer, and thus did not know Bartos. This official said that he had the money at home in his house, that Bartos might go on in advance, and that he himself would follow him directly; Bartos went into the house. But the official did not come for a long time and Bartos began to grow impatient, and when the cashier did come he began to talk to