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Russian fairy tale: "The wise maiden and the seven thieves"

Not long after that the murderer began to scout; Will their gold be found somewhere? Comes as is to the poor brother in the shop; I traded something else, noticed that the owner was boring, thought about it, and asked:
–? ​​Why are you so depressed?
And he says:
–?
The robber sees that he got on the trail, and let's ask; pretended to be very sorry. He learned that after the murdered widow remained, and asks:
“Does an orphan even have his own corner?”
-? Yes - an important house!
-?And where? Point me.
The peasant went and showed him his brother's house; the robber took a piece of red paint and put a note on the gate.
-?What is this for? the man asks him.
And he answers:
“I want to help the orphan, but to make it easier to find a house, I made a note on purpose.
–? ​​Hey, brother! My daughter-in-law doesn't need anything; Thank God she's got enough.
“Well, where do you live?”
-? And here is my hut
The robber put the same note on his gate.
– What is it for?
-? You, - he says, - I really liked; I will visit you for the night; believe me, brother, for your own good!
The robber returned to his gang, told everything in order, and they agreed to go at night - to rob and kill everyone in both houses and return their gold.
And the poor man came to the court and said:
“Now the good fellow confessed to me, he stained my gates - I will, he says, always stop by to stay with you. So kind! And how he regretted his brother, how he wanted to help his daughter-in-law!
The wife and son listen, and the adopted daughter says to him:
-? Father, are you mistaken? Will it be okay? Were it not the robbers who killed my uncle, and now they missed their goods and are looking for us? Perhaps they will run over, plunder, and you will not escape death!
The man was scared
-? And what to surprise? Because I had never seen him before. Here's the trouble! What are we going to do?
And the daughter says:
“Come on, father, take paints from all over the neighborhood and stain the gates with the same marks.”
The peasant went and stained the gates all over the neighborhood. The robbers arrived and could not find anything; they went back and pinned the scout: why did he blurt out something wrong? Finally, they reasoned: “It is clear that we attacked the cunning one!” - and after a while they prepared seven barrels; they put a robber in six barrels, and poured oil into the seventh.
The former scout with these barrels went straight to the poor brother, arrived in the evening and asked to spend the night. He let him in as a friend.
The daughter went out into the yard, began to inspect the barrels, opened one - there was oil in it, tried to open the other - no, she could not; she leaned her ear and listened, and in the barrel someone moved and breathed. “Hey,” he thinks, “this is a bad trick!”
She came to the hut and said:
-? Father! What will we treat the guest to? Seven, I'll go and heat the stove in the back hut and make something for supper.
-? Well, go!
The daughter left, lit the stove, and between the cooking all the water warms, carries boiling water and pours into barrels; brewed all the robbers. The father and the guest had supper; and the daughter sits in the back hut and watches: something will happen? That's when the hosts fell asleep, the guest went out into the yard, whistled - no one responds; approaches the barrels, calls to his comrades - there is no answer; opens the barrels - steam comes out from there. The robber guessed, harnessed the horses and got out of the yard with the barrels.
The daughter locked the gate, went to wake her family, and told everything that had happened. Father and says:
-? Well, daughter, you saved our lives, be the lawful wife of my son.
They played a merry feast and a wedding.
The young woman keeps saying to her father that she should sell her old house and buy another: she was very afraid of robbers! The hour is not even - they will come again.
And so it happened. After some time, the same robber who came with barrels, equipped himself with an officer, came to the peasant and asked to spend the night; they let him in. No one knows, only the young one recognized and says:
-? Father! After all, this is the old robber!
-? No, daughter, not that one!
She fell silent; but as soon as she began to go to bed, she brought a sharp ax and put it beside her; all night she did not close her eyes, she kept watch.
At night, the officer got up, took his saber and wanted to cut off her husband's head: she did not shy away, waved her ax - and cut off his right hand, waved it again - and cut off her head.
Here the father was convinced that his daughter was truly wise; obeyed, sold the house and bought himself a hotel. He switched to housewarming, began to live, grow rich, bargain.
Neighbors come to visit him - the very ones who gave him money and then asked him in court.
-? Ba! How are you here?
–? ​​This is my house, I recently bought it.
–? ​​An important house! Apparently you have money. Why aren't you paying your debt?
The owner bows and says:
-?God bless! The Lord gave me, I found a treasure and I am ready to pay you at least three times.
-?OK, bro! Let's celebrate housewarming now.
-?Welcome!
Here we walked, celebrated; and the garden near the house is much nicer!
- Can I see the garden?
–? ​​Excuse me, honest gentlemen! I myself will go with you.
They walked and walked around the garden and found a little ash in the far corner. The owner, as he saw it, gasped:
–? ​​Honest gentlemen! After all, this is the same little one that my wife sold.
–? ​​Well, isn’t there money in the ashes?
Shake it out, and here they are. Then the neighbors believed that the man was telling them the truth.
-? Let's, - they say, - examine the trees; after all, the raven took away the hat - it’s true, he made a nest in it.
They walked, walked, saw a nest, dragged it off with hooks - how is that very hat! They threw out the nest and found the money. The owner paid them his debt and began to live richly and happily.

Russian folk tale The Wise Maiden and the Seven Thieves

Once upon a time there was a peasant, he had two sons: the younger one was on the road, the older one was at the house. The father began to die and left the entire inheritance to his son at the house, but gave nothing to the other: he thought that brother would not hurt brother. When his father died, his eldest son buried him and kept the entire inheritance.

Here comes another son and weeps bitterly that he did not find his father alive. The older one says to him:

My father left everything to me!

And he had no children, and the younger one had a son and an adopted daughter.

Here the eldest received the entire inheritance, became rich and began to trade in expensive goods; and the younger one was poor, chopping firewood in the forest and taking it to the market. Neighbors, pitying his poverty, gathered and gave him money so that he could trade at least a trifle. The poor man is afraid, he says to them:

No, good people, I will not take your money; I bargain unequally - how can I pay you a debt?

And two neighbors agreed to somehow contrive and give him money. This is how the poor man went for firewood, one of them overtook him by a roundabout way and said:

I went, brother, on a long journey; on the road, a debtor gave me three hundred rubles - I don’t know what to do with them! I do not want to turn home; take, perhaps, my money, keep it with you, or better yet, trade on it; I will not arrive soon; after you pay me a little.

The poor man took the money, brought it home, and is afraid that he might lose it, that his wife might find it and spend instead of her own. He thought and thought and hid it in a little box with ashes, and he himself left the yard.

Changers arrived without him - that's what they buy up ashes and exchange it for goods. Baba took and gave them this little one with ashes.

The husband returned home, sees that there is no baby, asks:

Where is the ash? The wife replies:

I sold it to the money changers.

Here he is frightened, yearning and grieving, but only everything is silent. The wife sees that he is sad; started on it:

What the hell happened to you? Why so sad?

He confessed that other people's money was hidden in the ashes; the woman got angry - and tears, and mosques, and bursts into tears:

Why didn't you believe me? I'd better hide yours!

Again the peasant went to get firewood, so that later he could sell it in the market and buy bread. Another neighbor overtakes him, says the same speeches to him and gives him five hundred rubles for safekeeping. The poor man does not take it, refuses, and he forcibly thrust the money into his hand and galloped along the road.

The money was paper; thought, thought: where to put them? I took it between the lining and hid it in a hat.

He came to the forest, hung his hat on a Christmas tree and began to chop wood. To his misfortune, a raven flew in and took away the hat with the money.

The peasant grieve, grieved, yes, apparently, so be it!

He lives as before, trades in firewood and small change, somehow survives. The neighbors see that enough time has passed, but the poor do not bargain; they ask him:

What are you, brother, bad trade? Are you afraid to spend our money? If so, better give our good back.

The poor man wept and told how his money had disappeared from him. The neighbors did not believe and went to ask for him in court.

“How to judge this case?” the judge thinks. “The peasant is a meek, poor man, there is nothing to take from him; if he is put in jail, he will die of hunger!”

The judge sits, puffed up, under the window, and took him a great deal of thought. While the boys were deliberately playing in the street. And one says - so lively:

I'll be a steward: I'll judge you guys, and you come to me with requests.

He sat down on a stone, and another boy came up to him, bowed and asked:

I've loaned money to this peasant, but he doesn't pay me; came to your mercy to ask for a court against him.

Did you borrow? - the steward asks the guilty one.

Took.

Why don't you pay?

Nothing, father!

Listen, petitioner! After all, he does not deny that he took money from you, and it is unbearable to pay him, so you postpone his debt for five or six years, maybe he will recover and will repay you with interest. Do you agree?

The boys both bowed to the steward:

Thanks, dad! Agree!

The judge heard all this, was delighted and said:

This boy gave me the mind! I will also tell my petitioners that they delay the poor.

According to him, the rich neighbors agreed to wait two or three years, maybe in the meantime the peasant will get better!

Here the poor man again went to the forest for firewood, chopped half a wagon - and it became dark. He stayed overnight in the forest:

"In the morning, de with a full cart, I turn back home." And he thinks: where should he spend the night? The place was deaf, there were many animals; lie down beside the horse - perhaps the animals will eat it. He went further into the thicket and climbed up a large spruce.

At night, robbers arrived at this very place - seven people - and they say:

Doors, doors, open! Immediately the doors to the dungeon opened; the robbers, let's carry their booty there, demolished everything and ordered:

Doors, doors, shut up!

The doors were closed, and the robbers went back to their prey. The peasant saw all this, and when it was quiet around him, he climbed down from the tree:

Come on, I'll try - won't these doors open for me too?

And he just said: "Doors, doors, open!" They opened at that very moment. He entered the dungeon; looks - there are heaps of gold, silver and all sorts of things. The poor man rejoiced, and at dawn he began to carry sacks of money; he threw down the firewood, loaded the wagon with silver and gold, and hurry home.

Meet his wife:

Oh you husband-husband! And I already disappeared from grief; everyone thought: where are you? Either the tree crushed, or the beast ate!

And the man is funny:

Don't freak out, wife! God gave happiness, I found a treasure; Help me carry bags.

Finished work, and he went to a rich brother; told everything as it happened, and calls to go with him for good luck. He agreed.

We arrived together in the forest, found a spruce, shouted:

Doors, doors, open!

The doors opened. They began to carry bags of money; the poor brother loaded the cart and became satisfied, but the rich one is not enough.

Well, you, brother, go, - says the rich man, - and I'll be behind you soon.

Okay! Don't forget to say: "Doors, doors, shut up!"

No, I won't forget.

The poor man has left, but the rich cannot part in any way: all of a sudden you can’t take everything away, but it’s a pity to leave! And then the night overtook him.

Robbers arrived, found him in the dungeon and cut off his head; they took off their sacks from the wagon, instead put the dead man down, whipped the horse and set him free. The horse rushed out of the forest and brought him home.

Here is the ataman of the robber and scolding the robber who killed the rich brother:

Why did you kill him early? Should I have asked in advance where he lives? After all, we have lost a lot of good: it is clear that he pulled it out! Where can we find it now?

Yesaul says:

Well, let him find out who killed him! Not long after that the murderer began to scout; Will their gold be found somewhere? Comes as is to the poor brother in the shop; I traded something else, noticed that the owner was boring, thought about it, and asked:

What is so despondent?

And he says:

I had an older brother, but trouble struck: someone killed him, the third day he brought a horse to the yard with a severed head, and today they buried him.

The robber sees that he got on the trail, and let's ask; pretended to be very sorry. He learned that after the murdered widow remained, and asks:

Does an orphan even have a corner of his own?

There is an important house!

And where? Point me.

The peasant went and showed him his brother's house; the robber took a piece of red paint and put a note on the gate.

What is this for? - the man asks him. And he answers:

I suppose I want to help the orphan, but to make it easier to find a house, I made a note on purpose.

Hey brother! My daughter-in-law doesn't need anything; Thank God she's got enough.

Well, where do you live?

And here is my hut.

The robber put the same note on his gate.

What is this for?

You, - he says, - I really liked; I will visit you for the night; believe me, brother, for your own good!

The robber returned to his gang, told everything in order, and they agreed to go at night - to rob and kill everyone in both houses and return their gold.

And the poor man came to the court and said:

Now the good fellow confessed to me, stained my gates - I will, he says, always stop by to stay with you. So kind! And how he regretted his brother, how he wanted to help his daughter-in-law!

The wife and son listen, and the adopted daughter says to him:

Father, are you wrong? Will it be okay? Were it not the robbers who killed my uncle, and now they missed their goods and are looking for us? Perhaps they will run over, plunder, and you will not escape death!

The man was frightened;

What to surprise? Because I had never seen him before. Here's the trouble! What are we going to do?

And the daughter says:

Come on, father, take paints all over the neighborhood and stain the gates with the same marks.

The peasant went and stained the gates all over the neighborhood. The robbers arrived and could not find anything; they went back and pinned the scout: why did he blurt out something wrong? Finally, they reasoned: "It is clear that we attacked the cunning one!" - and after a while they prepared seven barrels; they put the robber in six barrels, and poured oil into the seventh.

The former scout with these barrels went straight to the poor brother, arrived in the evening and asked to spend the night. He let him in as a friend.

The daughter went out into the yard, began to inspect the barrels, opened one - there was oil in it, tried to open the other - no, she could not; she leaned her ear and listened, and in the barrel someone moved and breathed. "Hey," he thinks, "this is a bad trick!"

She came to the hut and said:

Father! What will we treat the guest to? Seven, I'll go and heat the stove in the back hut and make something for supper.

Well then, go!

The daughter left, lit the stove, and between the cooking all the water warms, carries boiling water and pours into barrels; brewed all the robbers. The father and the guest had supper; and the daughter sits in the back hut and watches: something will happen? That's when the hosts fell asleep, the guest went out into the yard, whistled - no one responds; approaches the barrels, calls to his comrades - there is no answer; opens the barrels - steam comes out from there. The robber guessed, harnessed the horses and got out of the yard with the barrels.

The daughter locked the gate, went to wake her family, and told everything that had happened. Father and says:

Well, daughter, you saved our lives, be the lawful wife of my son.

They played a merry feast and a wedding.

The young woman keeps saying to her father that she should sell her old house and buy another: she was very afraid of robbers! Not even an hour - again welcome.

And so it happened. After some time, the same robber who came with barrels, equipped himself with an officer, came to the peasant and asked to spend the night; they let him in. No one knows, only the young one recognized and says:

Father! After all, this is the old robber!

No, daughter, not that one!

She fell silent; but as soon as she began to go to bed, she brought a sharp ax and put it beside her; all night she did not close her eyes, she kept watch.

At night, the officer got up, took his saber and wanted to cut off her husband's head: she did not shy away, waved her ax - and cut off his right hand, waved again - and took off her head.

Here the father was convinced that his daughter was truly wise; obeyed, sold the house and bought himself a hotel. He switched to housewarming, began to live, grow rich, bargain.

Neighbors come to visit him - the very ones who gave him money and then asked him in court.

Ba! How are you here?

This is my house, I recently bought it.

Important house! Apparently you have money. Why aren't you paying your debt?

The owner bows and says:

God bless! The Lord gave me, I found a treasure and I am ready to pay you at least three times.

OK, bro! Let's celebrate housewarming now.

Welcome!

Here we walked, celebrated; and the garden near the house is much nicer!

Can I see the garden?

Excuse me, honest gentlemen! I myself will go with you. They walked and walked around the garden and found a little ash in the far corner. The owner, as he saw it, gasped:

Honest gentlemen! After all, this is the same little one that my wife sold.

Well, isn't there money in the ashes? Shake it out, and here they are. Then the neighbors believed that the man was telling them the truth.

We will, - they say, - examine the trees; after all, the raven took away the hat - it’s true, he made a nest in it.

They walked, walked, saw a nest, dragged it off with hooks - how is that very hat! They threw out the nest and found the money. The owner paid them his debt and began to live richly and happily.

Once upon a time there was a peasant, he had two sons: the younger one was on the road, the older one was at the house. The father began to die and left the entire inheritance to his son at the house, but gave nothing to the other: he thought that brother would not hurt brother. When his father died, his eldest son buried him and kept the entire inheritance.

Here comes another son and weeps bitterly that he did not find his father alive. The older one says to him:

My father left everything to me!

And he had no children, and the younger one had a son and an adopted daughter.

Here the eldest received the entire inheritance, became rich and began to trade in expensive goods; and the younger one was poor, chopping firewood in the forest and taking it to the market. Neighbors, pitying his poverty, gathered and gave him money so that he could trade at least a trifle. The poor man is afraid, he says to them:

No, good people, I will not take your money; I bargain unequally - how can I pay you a debt?

And two neighbors agreed to somehow contrive and give him money. This is how the poor man went for firewood, one of them overtook him by a roundabout way and said:

I went, brother, on a long journey, but on the road the debtor gave me three hundred rubles - I don’t know what to do with them! I do not want to turn home; take, perhaps, my money, keep it with you, but rather trade on it. I will not come soon, after you pay me a little.

The poor man took the money, brought it home, and is afraid that he might lose it, that his wife might find it and squander it instead of her own. He thought and thought and hid it in a little box with ashes, and he himself left the yard.

Changers arrived without him - that's what they buy up ashes and exchange it for goods. Baba took and gave them this little one with ashes.

The husband returned home, sees that there is no baby, asks:

Where is the ash?

The wife replies:

I sold it to the money changers.

Here he is frightened, yearning and grieving, but only everything is silent. The wife sees that he is sad; started on it:

What the hell happened to you? Why so sad?

He admitted that other people's money was hidden in the ashes. The woman got angry - and tears, and mosques, and bursts into tears:

Why didn't you believe me? I'd better hide yours!

Again the peasant went to get firewood, so that later he could sell it in the market and buy bread. Another neighbor overtakes him, says the same speeches to him and gives him five hundred rubles for safekeeping. The poor man does not take it, refuses, and he forcibly thrust the money into his hand and galloped along the road.

The money was paper. I thought and thought: where to put them? I took it between the lining and hid it in a hat.

He came to the forest, hung his hat on a Christmas tree and began to chop wood. To his misfortune, a raven flew in and took away the hat with the money.

The peasant grieve, grieved, yes, apparently, so be it!

He lives as before, trades in firewood and small change, somehow survives. The neighbors see that enough time has passed, but the poor do not bargain; they ask him:

What are you, brother, bad trade? Are you afraid to spend our money? If so, better give our good back.

The poor man cried and told how their money was gone. The neighbors did not believe him and went to court with a complaint against him.

“How to judge this matter? the judge thinks. - A peasant is a meek, poor man, there is nothing to take from him; if you put him in jail, he will die of hunger!”

The judge sits, puffed up, under the window, and took him a great deal of thought. While the boys were deliberately playing in the street.

And one says - so lively:

I'll be a steward: I'll judge you guys, and you come to me with requests.

He sat down on a stone, and another boy came up to him, bowed and asked:

I have loaned money to this peasant, but he does not pay me. I came to your mercy to ask for a court against him.

Did you borrow? - the steward asks the guilty one.

Why don't you pay?

Nothing, father!

Listen, petitioner! After all, he does not deny that he took money from you, and it is unbearable to pay him, so you postpone his debt for five or six years, maybe he will recover and repay you with interest. Do you agree?

The boys both bowed to the steward:

Thanks, dad! Agree!

The judge heard all this, was delighted and said:

This boy gave me the mind! I will also tell my petitioners that they delay the poor.

According to him, the rich neighbors agreed to wait two or three years, perhaps in the meantime the peasant will get better!

Here the poor man again went to the forest for firewood, chopped half a wagon - and it became dark. He stayed overnight in the forest:

"In the morning, de with a full cart, I turn back home." And he thinks: where should he spend the night? The place was deaf, there were many animals; lie down beside the horse - perhaps the animals will eat it. He went further into the thicket and climbed a large spruce.

At night, robbers arrived at this very place - seven people - and they say:

Doors, doors, open! Immediately the doors to the dungeon opened. The robbers, let's carry their booty there, demolished everything and ordered:

Doors, doors, shut up!

The doors were closed, and the robbers went back to their prey. The peasant saw all this, and when it was quiet around him, he climbed down from the tree:

Come on, I'll try - won't these doors open for me too?

And he just said: “Doors, doors, open!” - they opened at that very moment. He entered the dungeon, looks - there are heaps of gold, silver and all sorts of things. The poor man rejoiced, and at dawn he began to carry bags of money. I dropped the firewood, loaded the wagon with silver and gold - and hurry home.

Meet his wife:

Oh you husband-husband! And I already disappeared from grief; everyone thought: where are you? Either the tree crushed, or the beast ate!

And the man is funny:

Don't freak out, wife! God gave happiness, I found a treasure. Help me carry bags.

Finished work, and he went to a rich brother. He told me everything as it happened, and invites me to go with him for happiness. He agreed.

We arrived together in the forest, found a spruce, shouted:

Doors, doors, open!

The doors opened. They began to carry bags of money. The poor brother loaded the cart and became contented, but the rich brother is not satisfied.

Well, you, brother, go, - says the rich man, - and I'll be behind you soon.

Okay! Don't forget to say: "Doors, doors, shut up!"

No, I won't forget.

The poor man has left, but the rich cannot part in any way: all of a sudden you can’t take everything away, but it’s a pity to leave! And then the night overtook him.

The robbers arrived, found him in the dungeon and cut off his head. They took off their sacks from the wagon, put the dead man in their place, whipped the horse and set it free. The horse rushed out of the forest and brought him home.

Here is the ataman of the robber and scolding the robber who killed the rich brother:

Why did you kill him early? Should I have asked in advance where he lives? After all, we have lost a lot of good: it is clear that he pulled it out! Where can we find it now?

Yesaul says:

Well, let him find out who killed him! Not long after that the murderer began to scout; Will their gold be found somewhere? Comes as is to the poor brother in the shop; I traded something else, noticed that the owner was boring, thought about it, and asked:

What is so despondent?

And he says:

I had an older brother, but trouble struck: someone killed him. The third day the horse was brought to the yard with a severed head, and today they buried it.

The robber sees that he got on the trail, and let's ask; pretended to be very sorry. He learned that after the murdered widow remained, and asks:

Does an orphan even have a corner of his own?

There is an important house!

And where? Point me.

The peasant went and showed him his brother's house. The robber took a piece of red paint and put a note on the gate.

What is this for? - the man asks him.

And he answers:

I suppose I want to help the orphan, but to make it easier to find a house, I made a note on purpose.

Hey brother! My daughter-in-law doesn't need anything. Thank God she's got enough.

Well, where do you live?

And here is my hut.

The robber put the same note on his gate.

What is this for?

You, - he says, - I really liked. I will come to you for the night. Believe me, brother, for your own good!

The robber returned to his gang, told everything in order, and they agreed to go at night - to rob and kill everyone in both houses and return their gold.

And the poor man came to the court and said:

Now the good fellow confessed to me, stained my gates - I will, he says, always stop by to stay with you. So kind! And how he regretted his brother, how he wanted to help his daughter-in-law!

The wife and son listen, and the adopted daughter says to him:

Father, are you wrong? Will it be okay? Were it not the robbers who killed my uncle, and now they missed their goods and are looking for us? Perhaps they will run over, plunder, and you will not escape death!

The man was scared

What to surprise? Because I had never seen him before. Here's the trouble! What are we going to do?

And the daughter says:

Come on, father, take paints all over the neighborhood and stain the gates with the same marks.

The peasant went and stained the gates all over the neighborhood. The robbers arrived and could not find anything; they went back and pinned the scout: why did he blurt out something wrong? Finally, they reasoned: “It is clear that we attacked the cunning one!” - and after a while they prepared seven barrels. They put a robber in six barrels, and poured oil into the seventh.

The former scout with these barrels went straight to the poor brother, arrived in the evening and asked to spend the night. He let him in as a friend.

The daughter went out into the yard, began to inspect the barrels, opened one - there was oil in it, tried to open the other - no, she could not. She crouched with her ear and listened, and in the barrel someone moved and breathed. “Hey,” he thinks, “this is a bad trick!”

She came to the hut and said:

Father! What will we treat the guest to? I'll go and heat the stove in the back hut and cook something for supper.

Well then, go!

The daughter left, lit the stove, and warmed up the water between cooking, carried boiling water and poured it into barrels. I brewed all the robbers! The father and the guest had dinner, and the daughter sits in the back hut and watches: will something happen? That's when the hosts fell asleep, the guest went out into the yard, whistled - no one responds. He approaches the barrels, calls his comrades - there is no answer. He opens the barrels - steam pours out from there. The robber guessed, harnessed the horses and got out of the yard with the barrels.

The daughter locked the gate, went to wake her family, and told everything that had happened. Father and says:

Well, daughter, you saved our lives, be the lawful wife of my son.

They played a merry feast and a wedding.

The young woman keeps saying to her father that she should sell her old house and buy another: she was very afraid of robbers! Not even an hour - again welcome.

And so it happened. After some time, the same robber who came with barrels, equipped himself with an officer, came to the peasant and asked to spend the night; they let him in. No one knows, only the young one recognized and says:

Father! After all, this is the old robber!

No, daughter, not that one!

She fell silent, but as soon as she began to go to bed, she brought a sharp ax and laid it beside her. All night she did not close her eyes, she kept watch.

At night, the officer got up, took his saber and wanted to cut off her husband's head: she did not shy away, waved her ax - and cut off his right hand, waved again - and took off her head.

Then the father was convinced that his daughter was truly wise, he obeyed, sold the house and bought himself a hotel. He switched to housewarming, began to live, grow rich, bargain.

Neighbors come to visit him - the very ones who gave him money and then asked him in court.

Ba! How are you here?

This is my house, I recently bought it.

Important house! Apparently you have money. Why aren't you paying your debt?

The owner bows and says:

Thank God! The Lord gave me, I found a treasure and I am ready to pay you at least three times.

OK, bro! Let's celebrate housewarming now.

Welcome!

Here we walked, celebrated; and the garden near the house is much nicer!

Can I see the garden?

Excuse me, honest gentlemen! I myself will go with you. They walked and walked around the garden and found a little ash in the far corner. The owner, as he saw it, gasped:

Honest gentlemen! After all, this is the same little one that my wife sold.

Well, isn't there money in the ashes? Shake it out, and here they are. Then the neighbors believed that the man was telling them the truth.

We will, - they say, - examine the trees; after all, the raven took away the hat - it’s true, he made a nest in it.

They walked, walked, saw a nest, dragged it off with hooks - how is that very hat! They threw out the nest and found the money. The owner paid them his debts and began to live richly and happily.

Once upon a time there was a peasant, he had two sons: the younger one was on the road, the older one was at the house. The father began to die and left the entire inheritance to his son at the house, but gave nothing to the other: he thought that brother would not hurt brother. When his father died, his eldest son buried him and kept the entire inheritance.

Here comes another son and weeps bitterly that he did not find his father alive. The older one says to him:

“Father left me everything alone!”

And he had no children, and the younger one had a son and an adopted daughter.

Here the eldest received the entire inheritance, became rich and began to trade in expensive goods; and the younger one was poor, chopping firewood in the forest and taking it to the market. Neighbors, pitying his poverty, gathered and gave him money so that he could trade at least a trifle. The poor man is afraid, he says to them:

— No, good people, I will not take your money; I bargain unequally - how can I pay you a debt?

And two neighbors agreed to somehow contrive and give him money. This is how the poor man went for firewood, one of them overtook him by a roundabout way and said:

- I went, brother, on a long journey; on the road, a debtor gave me three hundred rubles - I don’t know what to do with them! I do not want to turn home; take, perhaps, my money, keep it with you, or better yet, trade on it; I will not arrive soon; after you pay me a little.

The poor man took the money, brought it home, and is afraid that he might lose it, that his wife might find it and spend instead of her own. He thought and thought and hid it in a little box with ashes, and he himself left the yard.

Changers arrived without him - that's what they buy up ashes and exchange it for goods. Baba took and gave them this little one with ashes.

The husband returned home, sees that there is no baby, asks:

- Where is the ashes? The wife replies:

“I sold it to the money changers.

Here he is frightened, yearning and grieving, but only everything is silent. The wife sees that he is sad; started on it:

"What the hell happened to you?" Why so sad?

He confessed that other people's money was hidden in the ashes; the woman got angry - and tears, and mosques, and bursts into tears:

Why didn't you believe me? I'd better hide yours!

Again the peasant went to get firewood, so that later he could sell it in the market and buy bread. Another neighbor overtakes him, says the same speeches to him and gives him five hundred rubles for safekeeping. The poor man does not take it, refuses, and he forcibly thrust the money into his hand and galloped along the road.

The money was paper; thought, thought: where to put them? I took it between the lining and hid it in a hat.

He came to the forest, hung his hat on a Christmas tree and began to chop wood. To his misfortune, a raven flew in and took away the hat with the money.

The peasant grieve, grieved, yes, apparently, so be it!

He lives as before, trades in firewood and small change, somehow survives. The neighbors see that enough time has passed, but the poor do not bargain; they ask him:

- What are you, brother, bad trade? Are you afraid to spend our money? If so, better give our good back.

The poor man wept and told how his money had disappeared from him. The neighbors did not believe and went to ask for him in court.

“How to judge this matter? the judge thinks. - A peasant is a meek, poor man, there is nothing to take from him; if you put him in jail, he will die of hunger!”

The judge sits, puffed up, under the window, and took him a great deal of thought. While the boys were deliberately playing in the street. And one says - so lively:

- I'll be a steward: I'll judge you guys, and you come to me with requests.

He sat down on a stone, and another boy came up to him, bowed and asked:

“I’ve loaned money to this peasant, but he doesn’t pay me; came to your mercy to ask for a court against him.

Did you borrow? the steward asks the guilty one.

Why don't you pay?

- Nothing, father!

— Listen, petitioner! After all, he does not deny that he took money from you, and it is unbearable to pay him, so you postpone his debt for five or six years, maybe he will recover and will repay you with interest. Do you agree?

The boys both bowed to the steward:

- Thank you, father! Agree!

The judge heard all this, was delighted and said:

This boy gave me a mind! I will also tell my petitioners that they delay the poor.

According to him, the rich neighbors agreed to wait two or three years, maybe in the meantime the peasant will get better!

Here the poor man again went to the forest for firewood, chopped half a wagon - and it became dark. He stayed overnight in the forest:

“In the morning, with a full cart, I turn back home.” And he thinks: where should he spend the night? The place was deaf, there were many animals; lie down next to the horse - perhaps the animals will eat it. He went further into the thicket and climbed up a large spruce.

At night, robbers arrived at this very place - seven people - and they say:

Doors, doors, open! Immediately the doors to the dungeon opened; the robbers, let's carry their booty there, demolished everything and ordered:

"Doors, doors, shut up!"

The doors were closed, and the robbers went back to their prey. The peasant saw all this, and when it was quiet around him, he climbed down from the tree:

“Come on, I’ll try – won’t these doors open for me too?”

And he just said: “Doors, doors, open!” They opened at that very moment. He entered the dungeon; looks - there are heaps of gold, silver and all sorts of things. The poor man rejoiced, and at dawn he began to carry sacks of money; he threw down the firewood, loaded the wagon with silver and gold, and hurry home.

Meet his wife:

- Oh, you husband-husband! And I already disappeared from grief; everyone thought: where are you? Either the tree crushed, or the beast ate!

And the man is funny:

"Don't freak out, wife! God gave happiness, I found a treasure; Help me carry bags.

Finished work, and he went to a rich brother; told everything as it happened, and calls to go with him for good luck. He agreed.

We arrived together in the forest, found a spruce, shouted:

Doors, doors, open!

The doors opened. They began to carry bags of money; the poor brother loaded the cart and became contented, but the rich brother is not satisfied.

- Well, you, brother, go, - says the rich man, - and I'll be behind you soon.

- Okay! Don't forget to say: "Doors, doors, shut up!"

- No, I won't forget.

The poor man has left, but the rich cannot part in any way: all of a sudden you can’t take everything away, but it’s a pity to leave! And then the night overtook him.

Robbers arrived, found him in the dungeon and cut off his head; they took off their sacks from the wagon, instead put the dead man down, whipped the horse and set him free. The horse rushed out of the forest and brought him home.

Here is the ataman of the robber and scolding the robber who killed the rich brother:

Why did you kill him early? Should I have asked in advance where he lives? After all, we have lost a lot of good: it is clear that he pulled it out! Where can we find it now?

Yesaul says:

- Well, let him find out who killed him! Not long after that the murderer began to scout; Will their gold be found somewhere? Comes as is to the poor brother in the shop; I traded something else, noticed that the owner was boring, thought about it, and asked:

- What are you so upset about?

And he says:

- I had an older brother, but trouble struck: someone killed him, the third day he brought a horse to the yard with a severed head, and today they buried him.

The robber sees that he got on the trail, and let's ask; pretended to be very sorry. He learned that after the murdered widow remained, and asks:

“Does an orphan even have a corner of his own?”

- Yes - an important house!

- And where? Point me.

The peasant went and showed him his brother's house; the robber took a piece of red paint and put a note on the gate.

- What is this for? the man asks him. And he answers:

- I think I want to help the orphan, but to make it easier to find a house, I made a note on purpose.

— Hey, brother! My daughter-in-law doesn't need anything; Thank God she's got enough.

- Well, where do you live?

- And here is my hut.

The robber put the same note on his gate.

- And what is this for?

“You,” he says, “I really liked; I will visit you for the night; believe me, brother, for your own good!

The robber returned to his gang, told everything in order, and they agreed to go at night - to rob and kill everyone in both houses and return their gold.

And the poor man came to the court and said:

- Now the good fellow confessed to me, he stained my gate - I will, he says, always stop by to stay with you. So kind! And how he regretted his brother, how he wanted to help his daughter-in-law!

The wife and son listen, and the adopted daughter says to him:

- Father, are you wrong? Will it be okay? Were it not the robbers who killed my uncle, and now they missed their goods and are looking for us? Perhaps they will run over, plunder, and you will not escape death!

The man was frightened;

- And what to surprise? Because I had never seen him before. Here's the trouble! What are we going to do?

And the daughter says:

- Come on, father, take paints and all over the neighborhood and stain the gates with the same marks.

The peasant went and stained the gates all over the neighborhood. The robbers arrived and could not find anything; they went back and pinned the scout: why did he blurt out something wrong? Finally, they reasoned: “It seems that we attacked the cunning one!” - and after a while they prepared seven barrels; they put the robber in six barrels, and poured oil into the seventh.

The former scout with these barrels went straight to the poor brother, arrived in the evening and asked to spend the night. He let him in as a friend.

The daughter went out into the yard, began to inspect the barrels, opened one - there was oil in it, tried to open the other - no, she could not; she leaned her ear and listened, and in the barrel someone moved and breathed. “Hey,” he thinks, “this is not a good trick!”

She came to the hut and said:

- Father! What will we treat the guest to? Seven, I'll go and heat the stove in the back hut and make something for supper.

- Well, go ahead!

The daughter left, lit the stove, and between the cooking all the water warms, carries boiling water and pours into barrels; brewed all the robbers. The father and the guest had supper; and the daughter sits in the back hut and watches: something will happen? That's when the hosts fell asleep, the guest went out into the yard, whistled - no one responds; goes up to the barrels, calls to his comrades - there is no answer; opens the barrels - steam comes out from there. The robber guessed, harnessed the horses and got out of the yard with the barrels.

The daughter locked the gate, went to wake her family, and told everything that had happened. Father and says:

- Well, daughter, you saved our lives, be the lawful wife of my son.

They played a merry feast and a wedding.

The young woman keeps saying to her father that she should sell her old house and buy another: she was very afraid of robbers! The hour is not even - they will come again.

And so it happened. After some time, the same robber who came with barrels, equipped himself with an officer, came to the peasant and asked to spend the night; they let him in. No one knows, only the young one recognized and says:

- Father! After all, this is the old robber!

- No, daughter, not that one!

She fell silent; but as soon as she began to go to bed, she brought a sharp ax and put it beside her; all night she did not close her eyes, she kept watch.

At night, the officer got up, took his saber and wanted to cut off her husband's head: she did not shy away, waved her ax - and cut off his right hand, waved again - and cut off her head.

Here the father was convinced that his daughter was truly wise; obeyed, sold the house and bought himself a hotel. He switched to housewarming, began to live, grow rich, bargain.

Neighbors come to visit him - the very ones who gave him money and then asked him in court.

— Ba! How are you here?

This is my house, I recently bought it.

- An important house! Apparently you have money. Why aren't you paying your debt?

The owner bows and says:

- God bless! The Lord gave me, I found a treasure and I am ready to pay you at least three times.

- OK, bro! Let's celebrate housewarming now.

- Welcome!

Here we walked, celebrated; and the garden near the house is much nicer!

— Can I see the garden?

— Excuse me, honest gentlemen! I myself will go with you. They walked and walked around the garden and found a little ash in the far corner. The owner, as he saw it, gasped:

- Honest gentlemen! After all, this is the same little one that my wife sold.

“Well, isn’t there money in the ashes?” Shake it out, and here they are. Then the neighbors believed that the man was telling them the truth.

- Let's, - they say, - examine the trees; after all, the raven took away the hat - it’s true, he made a nest in it.

They walked and walked, saw a nest, dragged it off with hooks - how is that very hat! They threw out the nest and found the money. The owner paid them his debt and began to live richly and happily.

Once upon a time there was a peasant, he had two sons: the younger one was on the road, the older one was at the house. The father began to die and left the entire inheritance to his son at the house, but gave nothing to the other: he thought that brother would not hurt brother. When his father died, his eldest son buried him and kept the entire inheritance.

Here comes another son and weeps bitterly that he did not find his father alive. The older one says to him:

My father left everything to me!

And he had no children, and the younger one had a son and an adopted daughter.

Here the eldest received the entire inheritance, became rich and began to trade in expensive goods; and the younger one was poor, chopping firewood in the forest and taking it to the market. Neighbors, pitying his poverty, gathered and gave him money so that he could trade at least a trifle. The poor man is afraid, he says to them:

No, good people, I will not take your money; I bargain unequally - how can I pay you a debt?

And two neighbors agreed to somehow contrive and give him money. This is how the poor man went for firewood, one of them overtook him by a roundabout way and said:

I went, brother, on a long journey; on the road, a debtor gave me three hundred rubles - I don’t know what to do with them! I do not want to turn home; take, perhaps, my money, keep it with you, or better yet, trade on it; I will not arrive soon; after you pay me a little.

The poor man took the money, brought it home, and is afraid that he might lose it, that his wife might find it and spend instead of her own. He thought and thought and hid it in a little box with ashes, and he himself left the yard.

Changers arrived without him - that's what they buy up ashes and exchange it for goods. Baba took and gave them this little one with ashes.

The husband returned home, sees that there is no baby, asks:

Where is the ash? The wife replies:

I sold it to the money changers.

Here he is frightened, yearning and grieving, but only everything is silent. The wife sees that he is sad; started on it:

What the hell happened to you? Why so sad?

He confessed that other people's money was hidden in the ashes; the woman got angry - and tears, and mosques, and bursts into tears:

Why didn't you believe me? I'd better hide yours!

Again the peasant went to get firewood, so that later he could sell it in the market and buy bread. Another neighbor overtakes him, says the same speeches to him and gives him five hundred rubles for safekeeping. The poor man does not take it, refuses, and he forcibly thrust the money into his hand and galloped along the road.

The money was paper; thought, thought: where to put them? I took it between the lining and hid it in a hat.

He came to the forest, hung his hat on a Christmas tree and began to chop wood. To his misfortune, a raven flew in and took away the hat with the money.

The peasant grieve, grieved, yes, apparently, so be it!

He lives as before, trades in firewood and small change, somehow survives. The neighbors see that enough time has passed, but the poor do not bargain; they ask him:

What are you, brother, bad trade? Are you afraid to spend our money? If so, better give our good back.

The poor man wept and told how his money had disappeared from him. The neighbors did not believe and went to ask for him in court.

“How to judge this matter? the judge thinks. - A peasant is a meek, poor man, there is nothing to take from him; if you put him in jail, he will die of hunger!”

The judge sits, puffed up, under the window, and took him a great deal of thought. While the boys were deliberately playing in the street. And one says - so lively:

I'll be a steward: I'll judge you guys, and you come to me with requests.

He sat down on a stone, and another boy came up to him, bowed and asked:

I've loaned money to this peasant, but he doesn't pay me; came to your mercy to ask for a court against him.

Did you borrow? - the steward asks the guilty one.

Why don't you pay?

Nothing, father!

Listen, petitioner! After all, he does not deny that he took money from you, and it is unbearable to pay him, so you postpone his debt for five or six years, maybe he will recover and will repay you with interest. Do you agree?

The boys both bowed to the steward:

Thanks, dad! Agree!

The judge heard all this, was delighted and said:

This boy gave me the mind! I will also tell my petitioners that they delay the poor.

According to him, the rich neighbors agreed to wait two or three years, maybe in the meantime the peasant will get better!

Here the poor man again went to the forest for firewood, chopped half a wagon - and it became dark. He stayed overnight in the forest:

“In the morning, with a full cart, I turn back home.” And he thinks: where should he spend the night? The place was deaf, there were many animals; lie down beside the horse - perhaps the animals will eat it. He went further into the thicket and climbed up a large spruce.

At night, robbers arrived at this very place - seven people - and they say:

Doors, doors, open! Immediately the doors to the dungeon opened; the robbers, let's carry their booty there, demolished everything and ordered:

Doors, doors, shut up!

The doors were closed, and the robbers went back to their prey. The peasant saw all this, and when it was quiet around him, he climbed down from the tree:

Come on, I'll try - won't these doors open for me too?

And he just said: “Doors, doors, open!” They opened at that very moment. He entered the dungeon; looks - there are heaps of gold, silver and all sorts of things. The poor man rejoiced, and at dawn he began to carry sacks of money; he threw down the firewood, loaded the wagon with silver and gold, and hurry home.

Meet his wife:

Oh you husband-husband! And I already disappeared from grief; everyone thought: where are you? Either the tree crushed, or the beast ate!

And the man is funny:

Don't freak out, wife! God gave happiness, I found a treasure; Help me carry bags.

Finished work, and he went to a rich brother; told everything as it happened, and calls to go with him for good luck. He agreed.

We arrived together in the forest, found a spruce, shouted:

Doors, doors, open!

The doors opened. They began to carry bags of money; the poor brother loaded the cart and became satisfied, but the rich one is not enough.

Well, you, brother, go, - says the rich man, - and I'll be behind you soon.

Okay! Don't forget to say: "Doors, doors, shut up!"

No, I won't forget.

The poor man has left, but the rich cannot part in any way: all of a sudden you can’t take everything away, but it’s a pity to leave! And then the night overtook him.

Robbers arrived, found him in the dungeon and cut off his head; they took off their sacks from the wagon, instead put the dead man down, whipped the horse and set him free. The horse rushed out of the forest and brought him home.

Here is the ataman of the robber and scolding the robber who killed the rich brother:

Why did you kill him early? Should I have asked in advance where he lives? After all, we have lost a lot of good: it is clear that he pulled it out! Where can we find it now?

Yesaul says:

Well, let him find out who killed him! Not long after that the murderer began to scout; Will their gold be found somewhere? Comes as is to the poor brother in the shop; I traded something else, noticed that the owner was boring, thought about it, and asked:

What is so despondent?

And he says:

I had an older brother, but trouble struck: someone killed him, the third day he brought a horse to the yard with a severed head, and today they buried him.

The robber sees that he got on the trail, and let's ask; pretended to be very sorry. He learned that after the murdered widow remained, and asks:

Does an orphan even have a corner of his own?

There is an important house!

And where? Point me.

The peasant went and showed him his brother's house; the robber took a piece of red paint and put a note on the gate.

What is this for? - the man asks him. And he answers:

I suppose I want to help the orphan, but to make it easier to find a house, I made a note on purpose.

Hey brother! My daughter-in-law doesn't need anything; Thank God she's got enough.

Well, where do you live?

And here is my hut.

The robber put the same note on his gate.

What is this for?

You, - he says, - I really liked; I will visit you for the night; believe me, brother, for your own good!

The robber returned to his gang, told everything in order, and they agreed to go at night - to rob and kill everyone in both houses and return their gold.

And the poor man came to the court and said:

Now the good fellow confessed to me, stained my gates - I will, he says, always stop by to stay with you. So kind! And how he regretted his brother, how he wanted to help his daughter-in-law!

The wife and son listen, and the adopted daughter says to him:

Father, are you wrong? Will it be okay? Were it not the robbers who killed my uncle, and now they missed their goods and are looking for us? Perhaps they will run over, plunder, and you will not escape death!

The man was frightened;

What to surprise? Because I had never seen him before. Here's the trouble! What are we going to do?

And the daughter says:

Come on, father, take paints all over the neighborhood and stain the gates with the same marks.

The peasant went and stained the gates all over the neighborhood. The robbers arrived and could not find anything; they went back and pinned the scout: why did he blurt out something wrong? Finally, they reasoned: “It seems that we attacked the cunning one!” - and after a while they prepared seven barrels; they put the robber in six barrels, and poured oil into the seventh.

The former scout with these barrels went straight to the poor brother, arrived in the evening and asked to spend the night. He let him in as a friend.

The daughter went out into the yard, began to inspect the barrels, opened one - there was oil in it, tried to open the other - no, she could not; she leaned her ear and listened, and in the barrel someone moved and breathed. “Eh,” he thinks, “this is a bad trick!”

She came to the hut and said:

Father! What will we treat the guest to? Seven, I'll go and heat the stove in the back hut and make something for supper.

Well then, go!

The daughter left, lit the stove, and between the cooking all the water warms, carries boiling water and pours into barrels; brewed all the robbers. The father and the guest had supper; and the daughter sits in the back hut and watches: something will happen? That's when the hosts fell asleep, the guest went out into the yard, whistled - no one responds; approaches the barrels, calls to his comrades - there is no answer; opens the barrels - steam comes out from there. The robber guessed, harnessed the horses and got out of the yard with the barrels.

The daughter locked the gate, went to wake her family, and told everything that had happened. Father and says:

Well, daughter, you saved our lives, be the lawful wife of my son.

They played a merry feast and a wedding.

The young woman keeps saying to her father that she should sell her old house and buy another: she was very afraid of robbers! Not even an hour - again welcome.

And so it happened. After some time, the same robber who came with barrels, equipped himself with an officer, came to the peasant and asked to spend the night; they let him in. No one knows, only the young one recognized and says:

Father! After all, this is the old robber!

No, daughter, not that one!

She fell silent; but as soon as she began to go to bed, she brought a sharp ax and put it beside her; all night she did not close her eyes, she kept watch.

At night, the officer got up, took his saber and wanted to cut off her husband's head: she did not shy away, waved her ax - and cut off his right hand, waved again - and took off her head.

Here the father was convinced that his daughter was truly wise; obeyed, sold the house and bought himself a hotel. He switched to housewarming, began to live, grow rich, bargain.

Neighbors come to visit him - the very ones who gave him money and then asked him in court.

Ba! How are you here?

This is my house, I recently bought it.

Important house! Apparently you have money. Why aren't you paying your debt?

The owner bows and says:

God bless! The Lord gave me, I found a treasure and I am ready to pay you at least three times.

OK, bro! Let's celebrate housewarming now.

Welcome!

Here we walked, celebrated; and the garden near the house is much nicer!

Can I see the garden?

Excuse me, honest gentlemen! I myself will go with you. They walked and walked around the garden and found a little ash in the far corner. The owner, as he saw it, gasped:

Honest gentlemen! After all, this is the same little one that my wife sold.

Well, isn't there money in the ashes? Shake it out, and here they are. Then the neighbors believed that the man was telling them the truth.

We will, - they say, - examine the trees; after all, the raven took away the hat - it’s true, he made a nest in it.

They walked, walked, saw a nest, dragged it off with hooks - how is that very hat! They threw out the nest and found the money. The owner paid them his debt and began to live richly and happily.