woman had hidden herself. As soon as she
learnt that the Cossack had come, off she ran home.

"Where, oh where can I hide myself?" she cries to her
husband. "Husband dear! tie me up in a bag, and put me out
there where the corn-sacks are."

Now there were five sacks of seed-corn outside, so her husband
tied up the Golova, and set her in the midst of them. Up
came the Cossack and said:

"Ho! so the Golova's in hiding."

Then he took to slashing at the sacks one after another with
his whip, and the woman to howling at the pitch of her voice:

"Oh, my father! I won't be a Golova, I won't be a Golova."

At last the Cossack left off beating the sacks, and rode away.
But the woman had had enough of Golova-ing; from that time
forward she took to obeying her husband.

Before passing on to another subject, it may be advisable to quote one
of the stories in which the value of a good and wise wife is fully
acknowledged. I have chosen for that purpose one of the variants of a
tale from which, in all probability, our own story of "Whittington and
his Cat" has been derived. With respect to its origin, there can be
very little doubt, such a feature as that of the incense-burning
pointing directly to a Buddhist source. It is called--

THE THREE COPECKS.[56]

There once was a poor little orphan-lad who had nothing at all
to live on; so he went to a rich moujik and hired himself out to
him, agreeing to work for one copeck a year. And when he had
worked for a whole year, and had received his copeck, he went to
a well and threw it into the water, saying, "If it don't sink, I'll
keep it. It will be plain enough I've served my master faithfully."

But the copeck sank. Well, he remained in service a second
year, and received a second copeck. Again he flung it into the
well, and again it sank to the bottom. He remained a third year;
worked and worked, till the time came for payment. Then his
master gave him a rouble. "No," says the orphan, "I don't
want your money; give me my copeck." He got his copeck and
flung it into the well. Lo and behold! there were all three copecks
floating on the surface of the water. So he took them and
went into the town.

Now as he went along the street, it happened that some small
boys had got hold of a kitten and were tormenting it. And he
felt sorry for it, and said:

"Let me have that kitten, my boys?"

"Yes, we'll sell i