United States or Uzbekistan ? Vote for the TOP Country of the Week !
'What makes you take the cow to Gryb? asked the gospodyni. 'Because he wants to buy her. 'We might buy her ourselves. 'Yes, that might be so, put in Slimak; 'the girl is here, the cow should be here too. 'That's right, isn't it, Maciek? asked the woman. 'Oho, ho! laughed Maciek, till the soup ran out of his spoon.
'No, the wise man goes slowly, Slimak deliberated. The gospodyni appeared at that moment with Maciek. They went into the alcove, drew two chairs and the cherrywood table into the middle of it, covered it with a cloth and placed a petroleum lamp without a chimney on it. 'Come, Soltys, called the gospodyni, you will have supper more comfortably in here.
The gospodyni thought of it when she saw the milk get less in the pails, Magda had forebodings and caressed the cows in turns, Maciek, when unobserved, even deprived the horses of a handful of hay, and Slimak would stand in front of the cowshed and sigh.
Roofs and walls were dripping, the animals' skins and even human souls were saturated with it. Everybody in the gospodarstwo was thinking vaguely of supper, but no one was in the mood for it. The gospodarz yawned, the gospodyni was cross, the boys were sleepy, Magda did even less than usual.
The tired children cautiously stole into the room; the gospodyni poured out some soup for them and told them to sit in the corner and be quiet. And quiet they were, except at one moment when Stasiek fell off the bench and his mother slapped Jendrek for it. Maciek dozed, dreaming that he was drinking vodka.
Maciek, with a broad smile, retired awkwardly behind the stove as the two gospodarze went into the alcove. 'What a beautiful room, said Grochowski, looking round, 'plenty of holy pictures on the walls, a painted bed, a wooden floor and flowers in the windows. That must be your doing, gospodyni?
I said I was taking the cow to Gryb...but I was bringing her to you...for you are my brother.... They linked arms and made for the window. Maciek opened the door into the passage, and after several false starts they reached the courtyard. The gospodyni took a lantern, rug and pillow, and followed them.
'Why! said Grochowski, 'they don't even pray to the Blessed Mother. The gospodyni crossed herself. 'It's odd that the Merciful God should bless such people with prosperity. Drink, neighbour! 'To your health! Why should God not bless them, when they have a lot of cattle? That's at the bottom of all prosperity. Slimak became pensive and suddenly struck his fist on the table.
The lame man's road led him past Slimak's cottage; tired and miserable he sat down on a stone by the gate and looked longingly into the entrance. The gospodyni was boiling potatoes for the pigs, and the smell was so good, as the little puffs of steam spread along the highroad, that it went into the very pit of Maciek's stomach. He sat there in fascination, unable to move.
The cow, scenting mischief, would not go; first she turned back to the cowshed and was dragged towards the highroad, then she lowed so miserably that Maciek went pale and Magda was heard to sob loudly: the gospodyni would not look out of the window.
Word Of The Day