The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1893-02-07
EMELYAN'S WIFE.

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, Emelyan?'
Glow can 1 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 liver
SIS that worth bothering about" said
the girl. SIT only means that we shall
have to work little more and sleep
little less. and then wherever we are we
shall find ourselves clothed and fed"
every well, then, we viii marry; but
where shall we gof''
LET us go to the city"
Emelyan and the girl went to the city.
The girl led him to 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 Emelyans 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 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 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 way.
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 man of all work and to live with
his wife in the palace. The messengers
went and gave Emelyan the message.
The wife replied:
'.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
ernor's yard that would have been q
hard task for two men. Emelyan sci
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 il
and gave him for the next day foul
times as much.
Emelyan went home. There he founG
everything swept clean and tidy; the
stove lit; the baking and cooking al
done. The wife was sitting at tn,
table and sewing while she waited 70,
her husband. She met him, laid thu
supper, gave him his meat and drink
and when he had finished began t.
ask him about his work.
''Thefe is no use talking; it is bad
They give you more than you can do
They will kill me with work"
'sBut you-you must not think abou
the work. Don't look to the one side o
to the other; how much have you don
L. .o 1af< Or,1y A
will be done in time"
In the morning Emelyan returned t
work. He started work, never lookin
to one side. Lci by the evening it wa
all finished, and before it was dark b
was at home. They put more and NOR
work upon Emelyan, but he alway
finished it in time and went home. 49,
A week has gone by. The governor
servants see that they cannot kill Eme
yam with rough work. They begin
give him skilled tasks, but with tn
they cannot kill him. Carpenters mi
sons, roofer's work-all that they gay
him he finishes in time and goes hon
to his wife and to sleep.
Another week goes by. The governC
calls his servants and says:
''Do / feed you with bread for not
ing? Two weeks have passed, and
vet see nothing from you. You wan
ed to kill Enielyan with hard work, al
from my window 1 observe him goiI
home every day, singing. Did you /
tend to make a jest of me?'
The servants began to excuse thel
selves.
1--WE tried" they said, "with all o
might to kill him with hard work, b
we could not do it. When he swee
with a broom he does it without
tigue. We then began to give hi
skilled work, thinking he would
short of brains, but with that we cou
not break him down. Where does
get it from? Everything he approach
he does. 1t must be that there is witC
craft in him or in his wife. We o,
selves are tired of him. We want
give him task beyond his powers. '
thought of giving him an order to bu
a cathedral in day. Do you C
Emelyan and command him to builC
cathedral in front of your palace in
single day, and then, if he fails to do
his head can be cut off for disobe
ence."
The governor sent for Emelyan.
ssNow, then" he said, ::'this is my
der to you. Build me new cathed
in front of my palace in the square.
must be ready by tomorrow. If
build it I will confer honor on you.
you do not build it you will lose y
head"
Emelyan listened to the order, tur
round and went home. Now"
thinks to himself, ''my end is con
He went to his wife and said: