"May the Saviour's cross be with thee!" The cow-herd woman went on her way to spread the news. "Why did you say that, grandmother?" asked the little boy. "To scare away the death angel," replied the grandmother. "Never forget to say that when any one tells you of a death; otherwise it may come to your own house next." The grandmother seemed sad when she reached home. She had known the old man when she was a girl. He had been a stern and severe bolshak in his family, keeping all his married sons at home and making them work hard for him, not at all like her son, the starosta, who was so kind to his children. Nevertheless, it made her sad that he was dead. She sat quiet, distaff and spindle lying idly in her lap. "Grandmother," said the little boy, "would it comfort you to tell me a story?" "Indeed it would," said the grandmother. "Come now, sit on that stool and hold this yarn for me, and I will tell you about "THE THREE EELS." Once upon a time there was a fisherman who on three successive days made out to catch only an eel a day. When he found only one eel in his net on the third day he cried out angrily: "What's the use of fishing when one gets nothing more than one eel day after day?" Immediately the tongue of one of the eels was loosed, and he said, "Wretched man, you little know what a precious catch you have had! You have fished up great good luck for yourself. Only now do as I advise you: Kill one of us three and divide him into four parts; give one piece to your wife to eat, the second to the mother-dog, the third to the mare, and bury the fourth in the ground just above your house. Soon your wife will bring twins into the world, the dog two pups, the mare two full-blooded stallions, and above your house will spring up two golden swords." The fisherman followed the Eel's advice, and indeed in the course of time everything happened as the Eel had predicted--his wife bore twins, the dog two pups, the mare two full-blooded stallions, and above his house two golden swords sprang up. When the sons grew large and had passed a certain number of years, one of them said to his father, "Father, I perceive that you are a poor man and cannot keep us any longer; so let me take a horse, a dog, and a sword, and go forth into the world. I am young and need experience; and where my head may rest, there also will my food be found." When he had thus spoken he turned to his brother with the words, "Brother, God keep you! I go to seek my fortune. Do you stay at home, work, make, and save, and honor our father. Take this vial of water and give good heed to it, for if the water in it becomes dark it will be a sure sign that I have perished." Thus he spoke and went to seek his fortune.