s closely resemble those of a similar nature which occur in
German and Scandinavian collections; all of them, for instance,
agreeing in the unfavorable light in which they place St. Peter. The
following abridgment of the legend of "The Poor Widow,"[435] may be
taken as a specimen of the Russian tales of this class.

Long, long ago, Christ and his twelve Apostles were wandering about
the world, and they entered into a village one evening, and asked a
rich moujik to allow them to spend the night in his house. But he
would not admit them, crying:

"Yonder lives a widow who takes in beggars; go to her."

So they went to the widow, and asked her. Now she was so poor that
she had nothing in the house but a crust of bread and a handful of
flour. She had a cow, but it had not calved yet, and gave no milk. But
she did all she could for the wayfarers, setting before them all the
food she had, and letting them sleep beneath her roof. And her store
of bread and flour was wonderfully increased, so that her guests fed
and were satisfied. And the next morning they set out anew on their
journey.

As they went along the road there met them a wolf. And it fell down
before the Lord, and begged for food. Then said the Lord, "Go to the
poor widow's; slay her cow, and eat."

The Apostles remonstrated in vain. The wolf set off, entered the
widow's cow-house, and killed her cow. And when she heard what had
taken place, she only said:

"The Lord gave, the Lord has taken away. Holy is His will!"

As the sacred wayfarers pursued their journey, there came rolling
towards them a barrel full of money. Then the Lord addressed it,
saying:

"Roll, O barrel, into the farmyard of the rich moujik!"

Again the Apostles vainly remonstrated. The barrel went its way, and
the rich moujik found it, and stowed it away, grumbling the while:

"The Lord might as well have sent twice as much!"

The sun rose higher, and the Apostles began to thirst. Then said the
Lord:

"Follow that road, and ye will find a well; there drink your fill."

They went along that road and found the well. But they could not
drink thereat, for its water was foul and impure, and swarming with
snakes and frogs and toads. So they returned to where the Lord awaited
them, described what they had seen, and resumed their journey. After a
time they were sent in search of another well. And this time they
found a place wherein was water pure and cool, and around grew
wondrous trees,