THE OLD MAN'S MITTEN
Source: Ukrainian Folk Tales: Tales About Animals, Foreign Languages Publishing House, 196?;
Translated: Irina Zheleznova;
Illustrated: Y. Rachov;
HTML Markup: For marxists.org in March, 2002.
An Old Man was walking through the forest one day with his Dog. He walked and he walked and he dropped his mitten.
Just then a Mouse came scuttling up and when he saw the mitten he stopped and climbed right in and said:
"This is where I'm going to live."
After a while a Frog came hopping up and when he saw the mitten he stopped and called out:
"Croak! Croak! Who is living in this mitten?"
"I am. Crunch-Munch the Mouse. And who are you?"
"I'm Hop-Stop the Frog. Let me in!"
"All right. Jump in!"
So the Frog jumped in and the Mouse moved over and the two of them made their home in the mitten.
After a while a Rabbit came scurrying up and when he saw the mitten he stopped and called out:
"Hello there! Who is living in this mitten?"
"We are. Crunch-Munch the Mouse and Hop-Stop the Frog. And who are you?"
"I'm Fleet-Feet the Rabbit. May I join you?"
"All right. Jump in!"
So the Rabbit jumped in and the Mouse and the Frog moved over and the three of them made their home in the mitten.
After a while a Fox came scampering up. "You-hoo! Who is living in this mitten?"
"We are. Crunch-Munch the Mouse, Hop-Stop the Frog and Fleet-Feet the Rabbit. And who are you?"
"I'm Smily-Wily the Fox. Won't you make room for me?"
So the Mouse and the Frog and the Rabbit moved over and the Fox climbed in and the four of them made their home in the mitten.
After a while a wolf came stalking up and when he saw the mitten he stopped and called out:
"Hello, friends! Who is living in this mitten?"
We are. Crunch-Munch the Mouse, Hop-Stop the Frog, Fleet-Feet the Rabbit and Smily-Wily the Fox. And who are you?"
"I'm Howly-Prowly the Wolf And I mean to get in!"
"Very well. Go ahead!"
So the WoIf climbed in and the Mouse and the Frog and the Rabbit and the Fox moved over and the five of them made their home in the mitten. After a while a wild Boar came sauntering up.
"Grunt! Grunt! Who is living in this mitten?" "We are. Crunch-Munch the Mouse, Hop-Stop the Frog, Fleet-Feet the Rabbit, Smily-Wily the Fox and Howly-Prowly the Wolf. And who are you?"
"I'm Snout-Rout the Boar. And I'm sure you want me, too."
"Dear, dear! Everybody wants to get into this mitten. You won't find it easy to get in, Snout-Rout!"
"Never mind! I'll manage!"
"In you go, then! But don't say we didn't warn you!"
So the Boar squeezed in and then there were six of them in the mitten and they were so cramped that they couldn't move!
By and by with a crackling of twigs a bear came lumbering up and when he saw the mitten he stopped and bellowed :
"Hello, good people! Who is living in this mitten?"
"We are. Crunch-Munch the Mouse, Hop-Stop the Frog, Fleet-Feet the Rabbit, Smily-Wily the Fox, Howly-Prowly the Wolf and Snout-Rout the Boar. And who are you?"
"Ho,ho-ho! I'm Grumbly-Rumbly the Bear. And though you're quite a crowd, I know you'll make room for me!"
"How can we? We're cramped as it is!"
"Where there's a will, there's a way!"
"Oh, all right, edge in, but don't forget that you're not the only one."
So the Bear squeezed in, too, and now there were seven of them inside and they were so cramped that the mitten was fit to burst.
It was just about then that the Old Man missed his mitten and decided to go back in search of it. He walked and he walked and his Dog ran and ran until at last he saw the mitten lying in the snow and moving!
"Bow-wow-wow!" went the Dog.
And the seven friends inside the mitten were so frightened that out they jumped and away they ran as fast as their legs could carry them.
Then the Old Man came up and he picked up his mitten and that was the end of that.