230 COSSACK FAIRY TALES.

scarce believe it. In the evening Ivan drove home
the oxen, put them into their stalls, gave them straw
to eat, and then came into the house himself to have
supper. He came into the house, and the parson said
to him: “Come now, Ivan, when thou hast rested
a bit, play my wife a little sone!” But as for the
parson, he took good care to tie himself first of all to
the pillar which held up the roof of the house. Ivan
sat down on the ground near to the threshold and
began to play. The parson’s wife sat down on the
bench to listen to him while he played; but immedi-
ately she leaped up from the bench and began to
dance, and she danced with such hearty good-will
that the place became too small for her. Then the
Devil seemed to take possession of the cat too, for
pussy leaped from under the stove and began to
spring and bound about also. The parson held on
and held on to the pillar with all his might, but it
was of no use. Hehad no power to resist; he let
go with his hands, and tugged and tugged till the
rope that held him grew slacker and slacker, and then
he went dancing round and round the pillar at a
furious rate, with the rope chafing his hands and feet
all the time. At last he could endure it no longer,
and bawled to Ivan to stop. “The deuce is in thee!”
eried he. Then Ivan stopped playing, put his fife
into his breast-pocket, and went and lay down to