EMELYAN, THE FOOL
IN a certain village lived one time a peasant,
who had three sons, two of whom were clever,
but the third was a fool, and his name was
Emelyan. And when the peasant had lived a long
time, and was grown very old, he called his three
sons to him, and said to them: "My dear children,
I feel that I have not much longer to live; so I
give you the house and cattle, which you will
divide among you, share and share alike. I have
also given you each a hundred roubles." Soon
after, the old man died, and the sons, when they
had buried him, lived on happy and contented.
Some time afterwards Emelyan's brothers took a fancy to go to the city and trade with the hundred roubles their father had left them. So they said to Emelyan: "Hark ye, fool! we are going to the city, and will take your hundred roubles with us; and, if we prosper in trade, we will buy you a red coat, red boots, and a red cap. But do you stay here at home; and when our wives, your sisters-in-law, desire you to do anything, do as they bid you." The fool, who had a great longing for a red coat and cap, and red boots, answered that he
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