The Portland daily press., 1892-08-27
.EMELYAN'S WIFE.

Emelyan was a laborer living in his
masters house. Emelyan was gong 10
his work in the fields one day wnen d
frog, upon which he had almost trod-
den, jumped up in front OF him. hinei-
yam carefully stepped over 1t. sudden
ly he heard some one call him. Emelyan
turned around and saw beautiful girl
standing behind him, who said:
"Why do you not marry, Ernelyang'
SLOW can / marry, my girl? ! have
nothing except myself no woman will
go with me.
"Marry me"
The girl greatly pleased Emelyan.
opp he replied with delight; shut
where shall we live:"
els that worth bothering about" said
the girl. sit only means that we shall
have to work little more and sleep a
little less, and then wherever we are we
shall find ourselves clothed and fed"
every well, then, we will marry; but
where shall we go?"
"Let us go to the CITY,"
Emelyan and the girl went to the city.
The girl led him to a small house at the
farther end of it; they were married and
started housekeeping. The governor
drove out one day, and as he passed
their house Emelyanis wife ran out to
look at him. When the governor saw
her he was struck with establishment at
her beauty, and said to himself, where
could such beauty have come fromr
He stepped up, called her and began to
question her. az
"Who are your"
s.The wife of the peasant Emelyan."
Glow came such beauty as you to
marry a peasant? You should have been
a princess"
s.Thank you for your kind words l
am well content to be a PEASANTS wife.
The governor made few more re-
marks, drove away and returned to his
palace. He could not get the wife Of EN-
elyan out of his head. He did not sleep
ali night. He thought of how he should
take away Emelyan's wife and get her
for himself. He could hit upon no way
of doing it, SO he called his servants and
ordered them to find way.
The servants said to the governors
"Take Emelyan as one of your labor
ers. We will then kill him with hard
work. The wife will be left a widow
and you can have her"
The governor sent for Emelyan to be-
come man Of all work and to live with
his wife in the palace. The messenger
went and gave Emelyan the message.
The wife replied:
s.That is good. Go. You can work
during the day and at night you can re-
turn to me-"
Emelyan went. He arrived at the
palace. The governors foreman asked
him:
"Why did you come alone, without
your wife?"
"Why bring her? She has her house. "
They gave Emelyan work in the gov
errors yard that would have been a
hard task for two men. Enelyan set
about his work and was afraid he
would not be able to finish it, but be-
fore night he had finished it all. The
foreman saw that he had done all Of 1t
and gave him for the next day four
times as much.
Emelyan went home. There he found
everything swept clean and tidy; the
stove lit; the baking and cooking all
done. The wife was sitting at the
table and sewing while she waited fol-
her husband. She met him, laid the
supper, gave him his meat and drink
and when he had finished began tc
.A1x l,;,,, aI,ort hic WORK
"There is no use talking; it is bad
They give you more than you can do
They will kill me with work"
"But you-you must not think about
the work. Don't look to the one side OF
to the other; how much have you done
or how much is left. Only work. AL
will be done in time"
In the morning Emelyan returned tx
work. He started work, never looking
to one side. Lol by the evening it wa
all finished, and before it was dark hi
was at home. They put more and mor'
work upon Emelyan, but he Away
finished it in time and went home.
A week has gone by. The governor
servants see that they cannot kill Emel
van with rough work. They begin t.
give him skilled tasks, but with thi
they cannot kill him. Carpenters ma
sons, roofer's work-all that they CAV
him he finishes in time and goes HON
to his wife and to sleep.
Another week goes by. The governo
calls his servants and says:
'sDo I feed you with bread for moth
ing? Two weeks have passed, and
vet see nothing from you. You want
ed to kill Emelyan with hard work, an
from my window l observe him goini
homo every day, singing. Did you in
tend to make jest of me?"
The servants began to excuse them
selves.
eve tried" they said, with all GU
might to kill him with hard work, bu
we could not do it. When he sweep
with a broom he does it without ia
tieue. We then began to give hir
skilled work, thinking he would b
short of brains, but with that we coul
not break him down. Where does b
get it from9 Everything he approache
he does. 1t must be that there is witch
I: IT,