The Two Princes, part 1 · page 21 2101If the Lord had left me without kith and kin, I should not complain; but strange indeed is the woe that has befallen me!102I have four sons, thank God, and all four have houses of their own, and yet they send their poor old father to school to learn!103Was ever the like of it known before?"104So the old man told the nobleman his whole story, and the nobleman was full of compassion for the old man. "105Well, old man," said he, "'tis no use for thee to go to school, that's plain.106Return home.107I'll tell thee what to do so that thy children shall never send thee to school again.108Fear not, old man, weep no more, and let not thy soul be troubled!109God shall bless thee, and all will be well.110I know well what ought to be done here."111So the nobleman comforted the old man, and the old man began to be merry.112Then the nobleman took out his purse, it was a real nobleman's purse, with a little sack in the middle of it to hold small change.113Lord! what a lovely thing it was!114The more he looked at it, the more the old man marvelled at it.115The nobleman took this purse and began filling it full with something.checked by a teacher116When he had well filled it, he gave it to the old man. "117Take this and go home to thy children," said he, "and when thou hast got home, call together all thy four sons and say to them, 'My dear children, long long ago, when I was younger than I am now, and knocked about in the world a bit, I made a little money. "118I won't spend it," I said to myself, "for one never knows what may happen."119So I went into a forest, my children, and dug a hole beneath an oak, and there I hid my little store of money.120I did not bother much about the money afterward, because I had such good children; but when you sent me to school I came to this self-same oak, and I said to myself, "I wonder if these few silver pieces have been waiting for their master all this time!121Let us dig and see."122So I dug and found them, and have brought them home to you, my children.123I shall keep them till I die; but after my death consult together, and whosoever shall be found to have cherished me most and taken care of me and not grudged me a clean shirt now and then, or a crust of bread when I'm hungry, to him shall be given the greater part of my money.124So now, my dear children, receive me back again, and my thanks shall be yours.125You can manage it amongst you, and surely 'tis not right that I should seek a home among strangers!126Which of you will be kind to your old father--for money?'"1 2← previousThe Origin of the Molenext →The Two Princes, part 2↑ back to Cossack Fairy Tales and Folk TalesThis page in Markdown → https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg29672/22/page/2/