“ Forthwith, the hatchet, without anyone taking it, hopped forth, and began to cut away, and the wood of itself came into the room, and stowed itself in the stove, at the sight of which the sisters-in-law wondered much at the craft of Emelian; and every day, when the fool only ordered the hatchet to go out and cut wood, the hatchet went and cut some. ”
Quotes from Emelian the Fool: a tale ()
“ EMELIAN THE FOOLp. 8In a certain village there lived a mujik, or yeoman, who had three sons; two were clever, but the third was a fool, who was called Emelian. When the good man had reached an extreme old age, he called all his sons to him, and said:“Dear children, I feel that I have not long to live; I therefore leave you house and cattle, which you will divide in equal portions. I also leave you money: a hundred roubles for each.” ”
“ The king’s envoy, arriving at the village where Emelian lived, sent for the starost, and said to him:“I am sent by the king to fetch your fool; but first of all, bring before me the people with whom he lives.”The starost instantly ran and brought the sisters-in-law; and the envoy asked them—“What does the fool like?”The sisters-in-law replied:“Gracious, sir, our fool likes to be intreated to do a thing; he refuses once and twice in order to be entreated a third time, when he never refuses, but does all that he is asked,—but he does not like to be spoken to roughly.” ”
