And gaffer said: “I dreamed last night the geese and swans were wafting our little Iván home.”
She had finished the pancake by now, and said: “Now, gaffer, we’ll share it, this bit for you, this bit for me!”
“And none for me!” Iváshechko chimed in.
“This is for you, and this is for me!”
“And none for me!”
“What’s that noise, gaffer?” the woman asked.
The grandfather clattered up into the loft and found Iváshechko. They were overjoyed, asked him all about everything, and lived a jolly life.
NEVER-WASH
Once upon a time there was a soldier who had served through three campaigns, but had never earned as much as an addled egg, and was then put on the retired list. Then, as he went on the road marching on and on, he became tired and sat down by a lake. And, as he rested, he began thinking things out: “Where shall I now betake myself, and how shall I feed myself, and how the devil shall I enter into any service?”
As soon as he had spoken these words a little devil rose up at once in front of him and said, “Hail, soldier, what do you wish? Did you just now not say that you wished to become one of our servants? Why, soldier, come up and be hired: we will pay you well.”