Valerian Viliamovich Karrik

“ And the bear thought: “There now, fancy that! Look at the long way I've come, and yet she can still see and hear me!” And so he brought the sack to the old man, and then the dogs came upon him and [Pg 85] all but tore him in bits. And he ran off into the forest without as much as looking round, and the old man began once more to live with his three little daughters.
[Pg 86]
I don't like what is nice, but what I like is nice!
[Pg 87]
THE STRAW OX.
Once upon a time there lived an old man and his wife, and one day she said to him: “Make me a straw ox and smear him over with pitch.” ”

“ And the eldest daughter set out, and she, too, came to the bear's den. And the bear saw her and said: “O-ho! here's a third little girl come to see me in my den!” And there they went on living, when one day the eldest sister said: “Bruin, Bruin, I'll bake some pies, and you take them and give them to my daddy to eat.” “All right,” answered the bear, “I'll take them.” And so she popped her youngest sister into a sack, and said: [Pg 80]
“Here, Bruin, take this to my daddy, and mind, don't you eat it yourself on the way!” ”

“ At that the blackbird began to fret and to worry: how should he feed the fox? [Pg 106] Then he flew off into the village, and brought back a chicken for the fox.
And the fox ate the chicken, and after a little he said: “Mr. Blackbird, Mr. Blackbird, you fed me, didn't you?” And the blackbird answered: “Yes.” ”

“ So she went into the forest, gathered a bundle of sticks, and burned some charcoal. Then she took the charcoal to the smith, and he gave her an axe. She went with the axe to the wood-cutters, and the wood-cutters gave her some wood. The wood she took to the oven, and the oven gave her some loaves. ”