THE STRAW OX
A Russian Tale
An old man and an old woman lived in an old house on the edge of the forest. The old man worked in the field all day and the woman spun flax. But for all of their hard work they were very poor—never one penny could they save. One day the old man said to the old woman:
“I would like to give you something to please you, but I have nothing to give.”
“Never mind that,” said the old woman, “make me a straw ox.”
“A straw ox!” cried the old man. “What will you do with that?”
“Never mind that,” said the old woman.
So the old man made a straw ox.
“Smear it all over with tar,” said the old woman.
“Why should I smear it with tar?” asked the old man.