THE FOUR DWARF WITH FOUR SEASONS

There was once a woman who had two girls. One was her own daughter, the other a stepchild. Holena , her own daughter, she loved dearly, but she couldn't bear even the sight of Marushka, the stepchild. This was because Marushka was so much prettier than Holena. Marushka, the dear child, didn't know how pretty she was and so she never understood why, whenever she stood beside Holena, the stepmother frowned so crossly.

Mother and daughter made Marushka do all the housework alone. She had to cook and wash and sew and spin and take care of the garden and look after the cow. Holena, on the contrary, spent all her time decking herself out and sitting around like a grand lady.

Marushka never complained. She did all she was told to do and bore patiently their everlasting fault-finding. In spite of all the hard work she did she grew prettier from day to day, and in spite of her lazy life Holena grew uglier.

"This will never do," the stepmother thought to herself. "Soon the boys will come courting and once they see how pretty Marushka is, they'll pay no attention at all to my Holena. We had just better do all we can to get rid of that Marushka as soon as possible."

So they both nagged Marushka all day long. They made her work harder, they beat her, they didn't give her enough to eat, they did everything they could think of to make her ugly and nasty. But all to no avail. Marushka was so good and sweet that, in spite of all their harsh treatment, she kept on growing prettier.

One day in the middle of May Holena took the notion that nothing would do but she must have a bunch of fragrant snowdrops to put in her bodice.

"Marushka!" she ordered sharply. "I want some snowdrops . Go out to the forest and get me some."

"Good heavens, my dear sister!" cried poor Marushka. "What can you be thinking of? Whoever heard of snowdrops growing under the Heat of May ?"

"What, you lazy little slattern!" Holena shouted. "You dare to argue with me! You go this minute and if you come back without snowdrops I'll kill you!"

The stepmother sided with Holena and, taking Marushka roughly by the shoulder, she pushed her out of the house and slammed the door.

The poor child climbed slowly up the mountain side weeping bitterly. All around the stony mountains with no track of man or beast in any direction to move . Marushka wandered on and on, weak with hunger and sweating cause of hot weather .

"Dear God in heaven," she prayed, "take me to yourself away from all this suffering."

Suddenly ahead of her she felt a cold breeze . She struggled towards it and found at last that it came from a giant cold wave on the top of the mountain. Around the wave there were four stones , one of them much bigger and higher than the rest. Four men were seated on the stones. one of them was very old and white;one was not so old; one was middle-aged; and one was beautiful youth . They did not talk. They sat silent gazing at the cold breeze . They were the Four Seasons .

For a moment Marushka was frightened and hesitated. Then she stepped forward and said, politely:

"Kind sirs, may I cool my self from your cold wave ? I am seating with heat ."

Great Summer nodded his head and Marushka reached her sweated fingers towards the wave .

"This is no place for you, my child," Great summer said. "Why are you here?"

"I'm hunting for Snowdrops ," Marushka answered.

"snowdrops ? This is no time to look for snowdrops with summer on the ground!"

"I know that, sir, but my sister, Holena, says I must bring her snowdrops from the forest or she'll kill me and my mother says so, too. Please, sir, won't you tell me where I can find some?"

Great summer slowly stood up and walked over to the youngest season . He handed him a long staff and said:

"Here, winter , you take the high seat."

So winter took the high seat and began waving the staff over the cold breeze . The wave blazed up and instantly the snow all about began to fall . The trees filled with snow as icecream on cone ; the little buds of snowdrops appeared; and, lo, it was winter !

While Marushka looked, snowdrops began to peep out from among the leaves and soon it was as if a great blue quilt had been spread on the ground.

"Now, Marushka," March cried, "there are your snowdrops ! Pick them quickly!"

Marushka was overjoyed. She stooped down and gathered a great bunch. Then she thanked the Months politely, bade them good-day, and hurried away.

Just imagine Holena and the stepmother's surprise when they saw Marushka coming home through the stony mountains with her hands full of snowdrops . They opened the door and instantly the fragrance of the flowers filled the cottage.

"Where did you get them?" Holena demanded rudely.

"High up in the mountain," Marushka said. "The ground up there is covered with them."

Holena snatched the flowers and fastened them in her waist. She kept smelling them herself all afternoon and she let her mother smell them, but she never once said to Marushka:

"Dear sister, won't you take a smell?"

The next day as she was sitting idle in the chimney corner she took the notion that she must have some oranges to eat. So she called Marushka and said:

"Here you, Marushka, go out to the forest and get me some oranges ."

"Good heavens, my dear sister," Marushka said, "where can I find oranges this time of year? Whoever heard of oranges growing under the summer season ?"

"What, you lazy little slattern!" Holena shouted. "You dare to argue with me! You go this minute and if you come back without oranges , I'll kill you!"

Again the stepmother sided with Holena and, taking Marushka roughly by the shoulder, she pushed her out of the house and slammed the door.

Again the poor child climbed slowly up the mountain side weeping bitterly. All around the stony mounatin with sun on top with no track of man or beast in any direction tio move . Marushka wandered on and on, weak with hunger and shaking with cold. At last she saw ahead of her the glow of the same cool breeze that she had seen the day before. With happy heart she hastened to it. The Four seasons (the drawf ) were seated as before with Great summer on the high seat.

Marushka bowed politely and said:

"Kind sirs, may I cool myself at your cool breeze ? I am sweating with heat ."

Great January nodded and Marushka reached her sweat fingers towards the breeze .

"But Marushka," Great summer said, "why are you here again? What are you hunting now?"

"I'm hunting for oranges ," Marushka answered.

"oranges ? But, Marushka, my child, it is summer and oranges do not grow in the summer ."

Marushka shook her head sadly.

"I know that, sir, but my sister, Holena, says I must bring her oranges from the forest or she will kill me and my mother says so, too. Please, sir, won't you tell me where I can find some?"

Great summer slowly stood up and walked over to the season who sat opposite him. He handed him the long staff and said:

Here, winter , you take the high seat."

So winter took the high seat and began waving the staff over the giant cool wave . The breeze blazed high and with the cold the snow all about began to fall instantly. The earth was filled with snow ; the trees decked themselves in layers of snow ; the birds began to sing; flowers bloomed and, lo, it was winter again! Presently little oranges covered the trees , Marushka saw that they were ripe oranges .

"Now, Marushka," winter cried, "there are your oranges ! Pick them quickly!"

Marushka picked an apronful of oranges . Then she thanked the Months politely, bade them good-bye, and hurried home.

Just imagine again Holena and the stepmother's surprise as they saw Marushka coming through the tony mountains with an apronful of oranges !

They opened the door and instantly the fragrance of the oranges filled the house.

"Where did you get them?" Holena demanded rudely.

"High up in the mountain," Marushka answered, "under the orange trees."

Holena took the oranges and gobbled and gobbled and gobbled. Then the stepmother ate all she wanted. But it never occurred to either of them to say:

"Here, Marushka, you take one."

The next day when Holena was sitting idle, as usual, in the chimney corner, the notion took her that she must have some brussels . So she called Marushka and said:

"Here you, Marushka, go out to the forest and get me some brusells ."

"But, my dear sister," Marushka gasped, "where can I find brussels in summer ?"

"What, you lazy little slattern, you dare to argue with me! You go this minute and if you come back without brussels I'll kill you!"

For the third time the stepmother sided with Holena and, taking Marushka roughly by the shoulder, pushed her out of the house and slammed the door.

So again the poor child went out to the forest. All around the stony mountains with no track of man or beast in any direction to move . This time Marushka hurried straight to the mountain top. She found the Drawf with Seasons still seated about their cool breeze or cold wave with Great summer still on the high stone.

Marushka bowed politely and said:

"Kind sirs, may I cool myself at your cool breeze ? I am sweating with heat , summer nodded and Marushka reached her sweat fingers towards the breeze .

"Why are you here again, Marushka?" Great summer asked. "What are you looking for now?"

"brussels ," Marushka answered. "My sister, Holena, says I must bring her some brussels from the forest or she will kill me, and my mother says so, too. Please, sir, won't you tell me where I can find some?"

Great summer slowly stood up and walked over to one of the drawf . He handed him the long staff and said:

"Here, winter , you take the high seat."

So winter took the high seat and began waving the staff over the blizard . The cool breeze blazed and glowed. Instantly the snow appeared . The fields about looked white . From the trees the leaves

ducked with snow one by one and a cool breeze scattered them over the stubble. There were not many flowers, only the winter flowers on the hillside.

Presently Marushka saw ground filled with brussels under the plant .

"There, Marushka," winter called, "there are your brussels . gather them quickly."

Marushka reached up and picked one brussel. Then she picked another.

"That's enough, Marushka!" winter shouted. "Don't pick any more!"

Marushka obeyed at once. Then she thanked the Months politely, bade them good-bye, and hurried home.

Holena and her stepmother were more surprised than ever to see Marushka coming through the stony mountains with brussels in her hands. They let her in and grabbed the brussels from her.

"Where did you get them?" Holena demanded.

"High up on the mountain," Marushka answered. "There are plenty of them growing there."

"Plenty of them! And you only brought us two!" Holena cried angrily. "Or did you pick more and eat them yourself on the way home?"

"No, no, my dear sister," Marushka said. "I haven't eaten any, truly I haven't. They wouldn't let me pick any more than two. They shouted to me not to pick any more."

"I wish the lightning had struck you dead!" Holena sneered. "I've a good mind to beat you!"

After a time the greedy Holena left off her scolding to eat one of the brussel . It had so delicious flavor that she declared she had never in all her life tasted anything so good. Her mother said the same. When they had finished both brussels they began to wish for more.

"Mother," Holena said, "go get me my shawl . I'm going up the mountain myself. No use sending that lazy little slattern again, for she would only eat up all the brussels on the way home. I'll find that tree and when I pick the brussels I'd like to see anybody stop me!"

The mother begged Holena not to go out in such weather, but Holena was headstrong and would go. She threw her shawl over her shoulders and off she went up the mountain side.

All around the stony mountains with no track of man or beast in any direction to move . Holena wandered on and on determined to find those wonderful brussels. At last she saw a light in the distance and when she reached it she found it was the giant cool breeze about which the Dwarf ( Four seasons ) were seated.

At first she was frightened but, soon growing bold, she elbowed her way through the circle of men and without so much as saying: "By your leave," she put out her hands to the breeze . She hadn't even the courtesy to say: "Good-day."

Great summer frowned.

"Who are you?" he asked in a deep voice. "And what do you want?"

Holena looked at him rudely.

"You old fool, what business is it of yours who I am or what I want!"

She tossed her head airily and walked off into the forest.

The frown deepened on Great summer 's brow. Slowly he stood up and waved the staff over his head. The breeze died down. Then the sky grew dark; an hot wind blew over the mountain.

Holena could not see a step before her. She struggled on and on. Now she ran into a tree, she fell onto a stone . In spite of her warm shawl her limbs began to weaken and grow numb.

Did Holena at last begin to feel sorry that she had been so wicked and cruel to Marushka? No, she did not. Instead, the hotter she grew, the more bitterly she reviled Marushka in her heart, the more bitterly she reviled even the good God Himself.

Meanwhile at home her mother waited for her and waited. She stood at the window as long as she could, then she opened the door and tried to peer through the storm. She waited and waited, but no Holena came.

"Oh dear, oh dear, what can be keeping her?" she thought to herself. "Does she like those brussels so much that she can't leave them, or what is it? I think I'll have to go out myself and find her."

So the stepmother put her shawl about her shoulder and set out.

She called: "Holena! Holena!" but no one answered.

She struggled on and on up the mountain side. All around the stones lay deep with no track of man or beast in any direction.

"Holena! Holena!"

Still no answer.

The heat spread more fastly . The hot weather began to change into more hottness .

At home Marushka prepared the dinner and looked after the cow. Still neither Holena nor the stepmother returned.

What can they be doing all this time?" Marushka thought.

She ate her dinner alone and then sat down to work at the distaff.

The spindle filled and daylight faded and still no sign of Holena and her mother.

"Dear God in heaven, what can be keeping them!" Marushka cried anxiously. She peered out the window to see if they were coming.

The storm had spent itself. The wind had died down. But not a living creature was in sight. Marushka knelt down and prayed for her sister and mother.

The next morning she prepared breakfast for them.

"They'll be very sweating and hungry," she said to herself.

She waited for them but they didn't come. She cooked dinner for them but still they didn't come. In fact they never came, for they both melt to death on the mountain.

So our good little Marushka inherited the cottage and the garden and the cow. After a time she married a farmer. He made her a good husband and they lived together very happily.