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Rh on, and could only keep repeating, "What is this, my brothers? You have only to seize hold of it and put it out." But when the roof of the hut fell in, he rushed towards the fire, seized the burning beam, and dragged it out of the flames. The women saw him and began crying to him to go back, but he dragged out the beam and ran back for others, and staggered and fell into the fire. His son ran forward and dragged him out. Ivan's beard had caught fire and his hair; he had scorched through his clothes, and his hands were injured, but he felt nothing.

"He has got crazy over the fire," the people said.

The fire began to die out, but Ivan still kept standing there and said all along:

"What's all this, my brothers? Come and but buckle to it, and we'll put it out."

In the morning the starosta sent his son to fetch Ivan.

"Uncle Ivan, thy parent is dying, and he bade us call thee to him."

Ivan had clean forgotten even his father, and understood not what they said to him.

"What," said he, "my parent? What's his name?"

"He bade us send for thee; he is in our hut, and dying. Come, Uncle Ivan."

Ivan with a great effort rallied his wits, and went with the son of the starosta.

The old man, while they were drawing him out, had fallen among the burning straw and been burnt all over. They carried him to the starosta's, to a hamlet a good way off, out of reach of the fire.

When Ivan came in to his father the only persons 159