THE PURSE WITH COPPERS TWO
by Ion Creanga
Once upon a time, there lived an old woman and an old man. The
old woman had a hen and the old man a rooster. The old woman’s
hen used to lay eggs twice a day, so the old woman ate lots of eggs,
while the old man got none from her. One day, the old man lost his
patience and told the old woman:
“Hey there, old woman, you eat eggs like there’s no tomorrow!
Come on, give me some too, for my mouth waters when I see you
eating!”
“Well, well, go ask someone else!” said the old woman, who was very
stingy. “If you feel like eating eggs, just beat your rooster up, for
that’s what I did with my hen and look at it now how it lays eggs!”
The old man, who was greedy and foolish, listened to the old
woman’s advice. He caught the rooster in a hurry and beat it black
and blue, saying:
“That’s it! Either you start laying eggs or just go away from my
home, for I am wasting my food on you!”
The poor rooster, having gotten out of the old man’s hands, fled
from home and started wandering dizzily down the road. And, as
he was walking, he suddenly came across a purse with two coppers
inside. He lost no time picking it up with his beak and making for
the old man’s house.
But there was a carriage coming down the road, with a rich boyar
and some ladies riding in it. The boyar looked closely at the rooster,
saw the purse hanging from its beak and told the coachman:
“Hey! Jump off and see what that rooster’s carrying in its beak!”
The coachman quickly jumped off the carriage and shrewdly
caught the rooster, took the purse and gave it to the boyar. The
latter took it carelessly, put it into his pocket and they hurried on.
However, the rooster, angry about the whole story, didn’t give up,
but followed the carriage, saying ceaselessly: