Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1892-09-07


"What!" she asked. Have you be-
come so frightened that you want to run
away"
''How can be otherwise than fright
ened? The governor has ordered me to
build new cathedral. and all in one
day. If l do not build it he threatened
that he would cut off my head. Only
one thing is left-to run away while
there is time"
The wife did not accept this sugges-
tion.
'The governor has many servants,
and wherever we go we shall be caught" !"
she said. ''You cannot escape him, and
so long as we have power we must
obey"
''But how to obey when it is beyond
mc?'
81 ittla fatheri do not prinva Take
your supper anu go TO peu. LII the morh-
ing you will get up and everything will
be all right"
Emelyan went to bed. The wife awoke
him.
"Go," she said; ego quickly and get
} Jul ClilltOlGl 1ClC yOu udN .
nails and hammer, and there is only
3ne days work left for you"
Emelyan went to the city, arrived at
the palace and behold! there was new
cathedral standing in the middle of the
square, wanting only a little of being
finished. Emelyan started to give it the
finishing touches where they were re-
quired, and by the evening everything
was complete. The governor awoke up,
looked out from the palace and saw-the
cathedral, with Emelyan walking around
it, merely putting in nail here and there.
The sight of the cathedral did not glad
den the heart of the governor. He was
furious at having no opportunity of be-
heading Emelyan and taking his wife.
The governor calls his servants again.
d ''Emelyan fulfilled this task also," he
said. "Wc must invent something more
complicated for him. Invent it. If you
do not 1 will behead you first" His
servants contrived that the governor
should order Emelyan to make river
flowing around the palace, with large
vessels floating on it. The governor Or
dered Emelyan to perform this new task.
eff" he said, ''you could build a
cathedral in one day, you can do this
also. All must be ready tomorrow, as l
have ordered it. If it is not ready your
head will be cut off,"
Emelyan became moro detected than
ever, and returned with tho gloomiest
of faces.
esWhy," she said, "are you so gloomy?
Has something new been ordered?"
,Emelyartold her all.
,..'It is necessary" he said, ''to rum"
at is impossible to run away" she
said. awe shall be caught wherever
we go. Weinust obey"
i'.But how oboyY'
...Oh, little father, do not trouble about
anything! Take your supper and lie
down to sleep. Get up earlier and every
thing will be in time.''
Emelyan lay down to sleep. In the
morning the wife wakes him up.
60" she said, Into the city. All is
ready. There i, only little hillock left
beside the harbor. Take your spade and
level it."
Emelyan went and arrived at the city.
Round the palace ran a river; vessels
were floating on it. Emelyan went to
the harbor and saw there hillock,
which he started to level. The gov
ernor wakes up, looks out and sees-a
river where previously there had been
none. On the river vessels were float
ing, and Elnelyan with the spade is lev
cling the hillocil.
The governor was astounded, and he
was not pleased with either the river or
the vessels, being vexed to think that he
could not beleal Emelyan. He thinks
to himself: There is nothing that he
cannot do What is it to be now?" He
called the servants and began to consult
with them.
'.Invent for me" he says, "a task that
Emelyan cannot fulfill, for all that we
have hitherto invented he has done, and
I cannot take away his wife,
The servants thought and thought, and
at last they found something. They
went to the governor and said:
Ottll ttll dlll pOtsh W llllA tuuo.
Go there, without knowing where, and
bring that, without knowing what
Wherever he goes you can then say that
he has not gone where he was needed,
and whatever he brings you can say that
it is not what is wanted. He can then
be beheaded and his wife taken"
The governor was delighted.
''This," he said, "you have invented
wisely" He sent for Emelyan and said
to him:
$50 there, without knowing where,
and bring that, without knowing what.
If you do not bring it l shall cut off
your head"
Emelyan went to his wife and told her
what the governor had said. The wife
pondered.
.'Now," she said, ''they have taught
the governor lesson that he himself
will suffer by. The thing has to be
managed wisely"
She sat down, reflected, and spoke to
her husband as follows:
"You will have to go far-to our
grandmother- our old peasant moth
er. You must ilHplore her kindness and
you will receive something from her.
You must then so straight to the gov
crnor and shall be there. This time l
shall net be able to escape from their
hands. They will take me by force, but
it will not be for long. If you do all
the grandmother tells you, you will soon
free mo"
The wife prepared her husband for
the journey. giving him small bag and
a spindle.
''Give. this spindle to our grandmoth-
err" she said. ''By this she will know
that you are my husband"
The wife showed him the way and
Emelyan started on his journey. After
leaving the city he saw some freeshoot-
ers (strelitz) practicing. Emelyan stop
ped and looked on. The freeshooters
practiced for awhile and then sat down
to rest. E1nelyan went up to them and
asked:
"Don't you know, brothers, which is
the way to go one knows not where,
and how one Is to bring one knows not
whatf'
The freeslooters were astonished at
the question.
"Who," they said, "has sent you to
find thatr'
tsFTy1-