Chapter VI. LEGENDS, part 3 · page 21 2101But I was not going to spoil my heavenly apparel."102"I have been on the earth," says St. Nicholas, whose clothes were all covered with mud. "103I went along that same road, and I helped the moujik to get his cart free."104Then the Lord says, "Listen, Kasian!105Because thou didst not assist the moujik, therefore shall men honor thee by thanksgiving once only every four years.106But to thee, Nicholas, because thou didst assist the moujik to set free his cart, shall men twice every year offer up thanksgiving."107"Ever since that time," says the story, "it has been customary to offer prayers and thanksgiving (_molebnui_) to Nicholas twice a year, but to Kasian only once every leap-year."108[452]109In another story St. Nicholas comes to the aid of an adventurer who watches beside the coffin of a bewitched princess.110There were two moujiks in a certain village, we are told, one of whom was very rich and the other very poor.111One day the poor man, who was in great distress, went to the house of the rich man and begged for a loan.112"I will repay it, on my word.113Here is Nicholas as a surety," he cried, pointing to a picture of St. Nicholas.114Thereupon the rich man lent him twenty roubles.115The day for repayment came, but the poor man had not a single copeck.116Furious at his loss, the rich man rushed to the picture of St. Nicholas, crying--117"Why don't you pay up for that pauper?118You stood surety for him, didn't you?"119And as the picture made no reply, he tore it down from the wall, set it on a cart and drove it away, flogging it as he went, and crying--120"Pay me my money!121Pay me my money!"122As he drove past the inn a young merchant saw him, and cried--123"What are you doing, you infidel!"124The moujik explained that as he could not get his money back from a man who was in his debt, he was proceeding against a surety; whereupon the merchant paid the debt, and thereby ransomed the picture, which he hung up in a place of honor, and kept a lamp burning before it.125Soon afterwards an old man offered his services to the merchant, who appointed him his manager; and from that time all things went well with the merchant.126But after a while a misfortune befell the land in which he lived, for "an evil witch enchanted the king's daughter, who lay dead all day long, but at night got up and ate people."127So she was shut up in a coffin and placed in a church, and her hand, with half the kingdom as her dowry, was offered to any one who could disenchant her.128The merchant, in accordance with his old manager's instructions, undertook the task, and after a series of adventures succeeded in accomplishing it.129The last words of one of the narrators of the story are, "Now this old one was no mere man.130He was Nicholas himself, the saint of God."131[453]132With one more legend about this favorite saint, I will conclude this section of the present chapter.133In some of its incidents it closely resembles the story of "The Smith and the Demon," which was quoted in the first chapter.134THE PRIEST WITH THE GREEDY EYES.135[454]136In the parish of St. Nicholas there lived a Pope.137This Pope's eyes were thoroughly pope-like.138[455] He served Nicholas several years, and went on serving until such time as there remained to him nothing either for board or lodging.139Then our Pope collected all the church keys, looked at the picture of Nicholas, thumped him, out of spite, over the shoulders with the keys, and went forth from his parish as his eyes led him.140And as he walked along the road he suddenly lighted upon an unknown man.1 2← previousChapter VI. LEGENDS, part 2next →Chapter VI. LEGENDS, part 4↑ back to Russian Fairy Tales: A Choice Collection of Muscovite Folk-loreThis page in Markdown → https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg22373/58/page/2/