The old lady was somewhat pacified; at first
she issued a mandate for him to be brought back without delay to Moscow;
afterwards, however, she declared that such an ungrateful creature was
absolutely of no use to her. Soon after this she died herself; and her
heirs had no thought to spare for Gerasim; they let their mother's other
servants redeem their freedom on payment of an annual rent.
And Gerasim is living still, a lonely man in his lonely hut; he is
strong and healthy as before, and does the work of four men as before,
and as before is serious and steady. But his neighbors have observed
that ever since his return from Moscow he has quite given up the society
of women; he will not even look at them, and does not keep even a single
dog.
"It's his good luck, though," the peasants reason, "that he can get on
without female folk; and as for a dog--what need has he of a dog? you
wouldn't get a thief to go into his yard for any money!" Such is the
fame of the dumb man's Titanic strength.
THE SHOT
BY
ALEXANDER POUSHKIN
From "Poushkin's Prose Tales." Translated by T. Keane.
CHAPTER I.
We were stationed in the little town of N--. The life of an officer in
the army is well known.
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