One day a fox came to his neighbor the bear and said:
- Neighbor, you have a lot of strength, but I have skill. Let’s plow the field together, sow it, and when the harvest is ripe, we’ll divide it equally and take it to the market.
- Aren’t you going to deceive me?
- What are you talking about, Mishenka! How can you think such things about me?.. - the fox was offended. -You will choose the half of the harvest that you like.
“Okay,” the bear agreed.
They plowed the field and sowed turnips. The bear walked in a harness, carried a plow - seven sweats came off him. The fox behind was waving a twig and shouting at the bear: they say, you’re working lazy, I got involved with you on my own account - now I’m not happy myself.
In the autumn, when the harvest is ripe, the fox says:
- Well, Mishenka, choose: do you want tops or roots?
The turnip tops were juicy and thick. “I’ll take the tops,” the bear thought. “The roots are of much use!” He took the tops, and the fox dug up the turnips. They took me to the market to sell. Lisa quickly sold her goods. But no one buys tops from the bear, and they even laugh at him: “Oh, you simpleton child!”
The bear got angry. “Okay,” he thinks, “I won’t make a mistake next time.”
Spring has come. The bear comes to the fox and says:
- That's it, neighbor, let's sow the field again. Only now you can’t deceive me when sharing - I know how to choose.
Again the bear plowed and strained, and the fox reproached:
- Pulling a plow - what is that! You should try walking behind the plow...
They sowed rye. When it was ripe, they began to divide the harvest.
“What will you take for yourself, Mishenka,” asks the fox, “tops or roots?”
- Roots! - said the bear.
“As you wish, neighbor, as you wish,” the fox sang in a touching voice. -You see for yourself, I’m not deceiving you, but I’m taking what’s left.
The fox threshed the grains, and the bear dug up the roots. So they took me to the market to sell. They quickly bought grain from the fox, they laugh at the bear even more, point fingers at him, and call him offensive names. The bear got angry.
“Well,” he says, “neighbor, this won’t go in vain for you!” Sit down next to me and let’s roar with you. Whoever outbursts whoever will eat him. You can't fool me here, this time I'll have the upper hand.
They sat opposite each other on the hummocks. The bear roared in a thick voice, the fox howled in a thin one. The bear tried his best, opened his mouth wide and closed his eyes. Roars - hears nothing, sees nothing. The fox leaps from the hummock, jumps over the bush - and remember his name. When the bear fell silent, he opened his eyes - and the fox had long since disappeared.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru