Atondido Stories
Then the old queen took Kubik by the hand and led him to
the royal coach, where she made him sit between her and the
princess. Music played and the people cheered, and in this style
they drove to Kubik’s native village and to his father’s house.
The old man was in the yard chopping firewood and his older
sons were helping him. They, too, had brought home their
brides, plain country girls from poor farms, and at that moment
they were all awaiting Kubik’s arrival.
“Look, father,” the oldest son cried, “some fine folk are turn-
ing in here!”
“We’re not behind in our taxes, are we?” the second son
asked.
“Hush!” the old man whispered. “I have nothing to fear. My
affairs are all in good order.”
He put his cap respectfully under his arm and stood bare-
headed and both his sons followed his example.
The coach drove straight into the yard and a handsome
young lord and two beautiful ladies alighted. The handsome
young lord greeted the old man and his sons and they bowed
and scraped and pressed their hats under their arms tighter and
tighter.
Then they all stepped into the old kitchen that was black
with the smoke of many years and the handsome young lord sat
down on the bench behind the table as though that was where
he always sat. The two brothers and their brides shrank back
against the oven and held their breath.
Then the handsome young lord said to the old man: “Don’t
you know me?”
“Where could I ever have seen your lordship?” the farmer
asked, humbly. He kept bobbing so low it was a wonder he did-
n’t bump his head against the floor.
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