2 COSSACK FAIRY TALES.

to be to his old father and mother. So idle and lazy
was that only son that Heaven help him! He would
do nothing, he would not even fetch water from the
well, but lay on the stove all day long and rolled
among the warm cinders. Although he was now
twenty years old, he would sit on the stove with-
out any trousers on, and nothing would make him
come down. If they gave him anything to eat, he
ate it; and if they didn’t give him anything to eat, he
did without. His father and mother fretted sorely
because of him, and said: “ What are we to do with
thee, O son? for thou art good for nothing. Other
people’s children are a stay and a support to their
parents, but thou art but a fool and dost consume our
bread for nought.” But it was of no use at all. He
would do nothing but sit on the stove and play with
the cinders. So his father and his mother grieved
over him for many a long day, and at last his mother
said to his father: “ What is to be done with our
son? Thou dost sce that he has grown up and yet is
of no use to us, and he is so foolish that we can do
nothing with him. Look now, if we can send him
away, let us send him away ; if we can hire him out,
let us hire him out; perchance other folks may be
able to do more with him than we can.” So his
father and mother laid their heads together, and sent
him to a tailor’s to learn tailoring. There he remained