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


Emelyan was a laborer living in his
masters house. Elnelyan was going to
his work in the fields one day when a
frog, upon which he had almost trod-
den, jumped up in front of him. Emel-
yam carefully stepped over it. 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, Emelyan?'
'How can I marry, my girl? / have
nothing except myself; no woman will
go with me-"
''Marry me-"
The girl greatly pleased Emelyan.
'Ir' he replied with delight; "but
where shall we lve?
SIS that worth bothering aboutr' 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"
''Very 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 Emelyan's wife ran out to
look at him. When the governor saw
her he was struck with astonishment at
her beauty, and said to himself, "Where
could such a beauty have come from!'
He stepped up, called her and began to
question her.
"Who are your"
''The wife Of the peasant Emelyan."
''How came such beauty as you to
marry peasant? You should have been
princess
''Thank you for your kind words l
am well content to be q 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
all 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 away.
The servants said to the governor:
"Take 'Emelyan as one of your labor
ers. We will then kill him with hard
work. The wife will be left widow
and you can have her."
The governor sent for Emelyan to be-
come a 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
crnor's yard that would have been a
hard task for two men. Emelyan 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 it
and gave him for the next day four
times as much.
Emelyan went home. There he found
everything swept clean and tidy; the
stove It the baking and cooking all
DONE The wife was sitting at the
table and sewing while she waited for
her husband. She met him, laid the
supper, gave him his meat and drink,
and when he had finished began to
ask him about his work.
...There is no use talking; it is bad.
They give you more than you can do.
They will kill me with work"
.s..But you-you must not think about
. the work. Don't look TO the one side or
to the other; how much have you done
OF how much is left. Only work. All
will DO done In time.
In the morning Emelyan returned to
work. He started work, never looking
to one side. Lo! by the evening it was
all finished, and before it was dark he
was at home. They put more and more
work upon Emelyan, but he always
finished it in time and went home.
A week has gone by. The governors
servants see that they cannot kill Emcl-
yam with rough work. They begin to
give him skilled tasks, but with this
they cannot kill him. Carpenters ma
soh's, roofer's work-all that they gave
him he finishes in time and goes home
to his wife and to sleep.
Another week goes by. The governor
calls his servants and says:
do feed you with bread for moth
ing? Two weeks have passed, and as
yet see nothing from you. You want
ed to kill Emelyan with hard work, and
from my window | observe him going
home every day, singing. Did you in
tend to make q jest of Ine?"
The servants began to excuse them
selves
ave tried" they said, with all our
might to kill him with hard work, but
we could not do it. When he sweeps
with broom he does it without fa-
tigHc. We then began to give him
skilled work, thinking he would be
short Of brains, but with that we could
not break him down. Where does he
get it from? Everything he approaches
he does. 1t must be that there is witch
craft i'll him or in his wife. We our
selves are tired of him. We want to
give him task beyond his powers. We
Thought of giving him an order to build
cathedral in day. Do you call
Emelyan and command him to build
cathedral in front of your palace in
single day, and then, if he fails to do it,
his head can be cut off for disobedi-
ence."
The governor sent for Emelyan.
Nov, then" he said, "this is my or
der to you. Build me a new cathedral
in front of my palace in the square. 1t
must be ready by tomorrow. If you
build it will confer honor on you. If
you do not build it you will lose your
head"
Elnelyan listened to the order, turned
round and went home. ''Now," he
thinks to himself, 'smy end is come"
He went to his wife and said;