“What is the fool about? The pails of water walk of themselves, and he walks after them.”
But Emelian, without saying anything to them, went home, and the pails went of themselves into the keeping-room, and placed themselves on the bench, while the fool mounted upon the petsch. A little time after, his sisters-in-law said to him again:
“Emelian, what do you lie there for? go and cut some wood.”
“Yes, indeed, and why not you?”
“We?” screamed his sisters-in-law; “it is now winter, and if you do not go and cut some wood you will soon be cold.”
“I am lazy,” said the fool.
“Lazy?” said his sisters-in-law to him, “then you will be frozen.”
Thereupon they added:
“If you don’t go and cut wood we will tell our husbands not to give you the red caftan, nor the red cap, nor the boots.”