e red cherries, my little pigeons? I will
kill you with the oven fork! I will break your head with the poker!"

The old man listened till she was out of breath and could not say
another word. That, my dears, is the only wise thing to do when a
woman is in a scolding rage. And as soon as she had no breath left
with which to answer him, he said,--

"My little daughter got riches for soft words, but yours were always
rough of the tongue. And it's not my fault, anyhow, for you yourself
sent them into the forest."

Well, at last the old woman got her breath again, and scolded away
till she was tired out. But in the end she made her peace with the old
man, and they lived together as quietly as could be expected.

As for Martha, Fedor Ivanovitch sought her in marriage, as he had
meant to do all along--yes, and married her; and pretty she looked in
the furs that Frost had given her. I was at the feast, and drank beer
and mead with the rest. And she had the prettiest children that ever
were seen--yes, and the best behaved. For if ever they thought of
being naughty, the old grandfather told them the story of crackling
Frost, and how kind words won kindness, and cross words cold
treatment. And now, listen to Frost. Hear how he crackles away! And
mind, if ever he asks you if you are warm, be as polite to him as you
can. And to do that, the best way is to be good always, like little
Martha. Then it comes easy.

* * * * *

The children listened, and laughed quietly, because they knew they
were good. Away in the forest they heard Frost, and thought of him
crackling and leaping from one tree to another. And just then they
came home. It was dusk, for dusk comes early in winter, and a little
way through the trees before them they saw the lamp of their hut
glittering on the snow. The big dog barked and ran forward, and the
children with him. The soup was warm on the stove, and in a few
minutes they were sitting at the table, Vanya, Maroosia, and old
Peter, blowing at their steaming spoons.

THE FOOL OF THE WORLD AND THE FLYING SHIP.

There were once upon a time an old peasant and his wife, and they had
three sons. Two of them were clever young men who could borrow money
without being cheated, but the third was the Fool of the World. He was
as simple as a child, simpler than some children, and he never did any
one a harm in his life.

Well, it always happens like that. The father and mother