Once upon a time there were three brothers, Jack, Tom and Bill. Bill was the eldest, then came Tom, and last was Jack. They worked in a field far from home, and each took turns cooking dinner for everyone. On the first day, Bill, the eldest of the brothers, stayed home. Bill fried the meat over the fire, boiled the turnips and potatoes, cooked everything just right and blew the horn - at that time there were no bells to call for dinner. As soon as he blew the whistle, an old man appeared from the ravine
With a beard bluer than blue, With teeth sharper than a fork
and asks: “Did you call for dinner?” “I called, but not you,” Bill answers. He didn’t want the old man to eat all the dinner that he had prepared for himself and his brothers. “Well, we’ll see,” says Bluebeard. And he entered the house uninvited and ate the whole dinner. When the brothers returned from the field, they asked what Bill had been doing all day if he didn’t even have time to cook dinner. “I cooked a wonderful dinner,” said Bill, “but the old man came.”
With a beard bluer than blue, With teeth sharper than a fork
and without invitation sat down at the table and ate the whole dinner. To which Tom, the middle brother, said: “If I were at home, he wouldn’t see our dinner!” “Well,” Bill answered him, “tomorrow it’s your turn to cook, so we’ll see.” The next day Tom hung the meat to roast over the fire, and at that time he peeled turnips, potatoes and pumpkins, put them on the fire to stew, baked fresh bread - in a word, cooked a great dinner and went out to the doorstep of the house to blow the horn. sound the trumpet as an old man emerges from the ravine
With a beard bluer than blue, With teeth sharper than a fork
and asks: “Did you call for dinner?” “I called, but not you,” answers Tom. “Well, we’ll see,” says Bluebeard. And he went into the house and ate the whole dinner, only leaving a little pumpkin. When the brothers returned, Jack asked Tom: “Why didn’t you save dinner for us?” To which Tom replied: “Tomorrow it’s your turn to cook, we’ll see how you save it.” The next day Jack prepared dinner and left the house to blow the horn. Then an old man appeared from the hollow
With a beard bluer than blue, With teeth sharper than a fork,
and Jack says to him: “Come in, grandpa, try my cooking.” “I don’t want to!” - Bluebeard answers. - Well, how can that be, be sure to come in and have lunch with us. - I don’t want to! - says Bluebeard, then he walked around the house and headed back to the ravine. And Jack, don’t be a fool, followed him and saw Bluebeard go down into a deep cave. Just by this time the brothers returned home, did not see Jack and thought that Bluebeard had eaten him instead of dinner. But as soon as they sat down at the table, Jack appeared and told them everything. After dinner, the brothers decided to go together to Bluebeard’s cave. They took with them a large round basket with a leather handle, to which they tied a long rope. “Well, sit in the basket, we’ll lower you into the cave!” - Bill said to Jack. - No, take turns, - said Jack. - Whoever is the eldest is the first. Bill had to sit in the basket first, and the brothers lowered him into the cave. And when he pulled the rope, they pulled him out and asked what he saw. “I went down until I saw the house.” Then I pulled the rope. “Why did you pull the rope so quickly?” - Tom was surprised. “We had to see what kind of house this was.” “Now it’s your turn to go down, so you’ll have a look,” Bill answered. Tom sat in the basket, and the brothers lowered him into the cave, and he found himself right on the roof of the house. But he got scared and immediately pulled the rope. “You’re both good for nothing,” said Jack and sat down in the basket. He went down to the bottom of the cave where the house stood and looked out the window. In the room he saw a very pretty girl! “You are the most beautiful girl in the world,” Jack told her. “I’ve never met a more beautiful one.” Marry me! “No,” she answered. - Better get out of here quickly! Bluebeard will kill you. - Why, Bluebeard won’t touch me. He and I are friends! Get in the basket and my brothers will lift you up. And after you, I will rise.” The girl happily agreed, only before climbing into the basket, she took the ring off her finger and handed it to Jack. “This is a wish ring,” she said. “Take care of it!” Jack took the ring and pulled the rope. When the brothers pulled the basket up and saw a pretty girl in it, they immediately fell in love with her and began to argue about who she would marry. And not only to argue - it even came to a fight, although the girl directly told them that she would not marry anyone except Jack. “No, that won’t happen,” said the brothers. “We’ll leave Jack downstairs.” And they threw the basket away and began to argue and fight again over the girl. And poor Jack waited and waited for the basket to be lowered after him, but he never did. And he would have sat in this cave for who knows how long if he had not remembered the ring that the dear girl gave him. Jack twirled the ring and said: “Eh, it would be nice for me to sit at home now, by the hot fire, and puff on my heather pipe!” Before I had time to say it, I found myself at home. A bright fire was burning in the hearth, and a sweet girl was sitting in front of the hearth. “Oh, Jack!” - she exclaimed when she saw him. And they got married. And when I saw them for the last time, they were very pleased and happy.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru