Once upon a time there lived a village rich man. He could neither write nor read, but he considered himself the first person in the village. His fellow villagers disliked him for his greed and evil character. The rich man had a favorite dog, Azor. He often said to his farmhand Martyn:
“You know, Martyn, this dog is smarter than you: she understands everything, but she just doesn’t know how to speak.” If there were schools for dogs, I would spend a lot of money to teach my dog to talk.
And Martin turned out to be a proud guy. It was bitter for him that the owner only knows what to feed him with offensive words, and keeps him from hand to mouth - as long as he doesn’t stretch his legs. He endured, endured until he could no longer bear it, and decided to get even with the owner.
- Don’t you know that there are schools for dogs? - he once asked the owner.
- What nonsense! - the rich man interrupted him angrily.
- Not nonsense at all, master. Recently, my old friend the forester told me that there is a school where smart dogs are taught to speak and tell everything they see and hear.
- Wonderful! - the owner was delighted. - Do you know where this school is?
“The forester said that this school is far beyond our forest and mountain, and the road there costs twenty crowns.”
- Well, twenty, so twenty! Pick up Azor tomorrow and take him to school.
“Okay, but they charge a hundred crowns for training there,” the farmhand remarked.
- Oh, no matter what! I won’t be poor without a hundred crowns! - The rich man waved his hand.
“Wait a minute,” thought Martin, “I’ll teach you a lesson. You haven’t paid me for my work for a year, but you don’t spare money for such stupidity.”
The next day, the owner counted out one hundred and twenty crowns to the farmhand, gave him a piece of bread and a pinch of salt for the journey, and a large ham for the dog.
Martyn Azor took him into the forest to the forester, who was his godfather. They sat down at the table, drank, ate, and ate the whole ham, and threw the dog a bone. The forester laughed for a long time when he learned what business the farmhand had brought to him.
“Leave the dog with me,” he suggested. “There is no living soul here, no one will know anything.”
Martyn stayed with his godfather for three days, and on the fourth he returned to the village. The owner asked him how the dog behaved at school.
“It’s a pity that you didn’t come with me, master!” - answered the farmhand. “We barely had time to enter the classroom when Azorka sat down at his desk and pricked up his ears. The teacher liked the dog and said that he would teach it for a whole year. I paid him a hundred crowns for training, and when I come for Azorka, I will have to pay another hundred.
“I won’t regret five hundred, if only my dog could speak,” exclaimed the rich man. - And then beware, lazy people! Azorka will report to me what you are doing and what you are talking about. And when I go out into the street with him, the whole village will gather to look and marvel at such a miracle.
Less than six months later, Martyn’s owner sent him to visit Azor and inquire about his successes. He gave the farm laborer money for the journey, a piece of bread and a pinch of salt, and sent the dog a gift - a large smoked ham.
And again Martin went to his godfather. They ate the ham, Martyn helped godfather mow the hay, and returned home on the fourth day.
The owner first of all asked him if Azorka was healthy and studying diligently.
- Hey, hey, master. An exemplary student of Azorka, he is quickly moving forward and is already reading in vocabulary. The teacher praised him and said that Azorka would soon begin to speak.
A year has passed. The rich man sent a farm laborer to get the dog. He gave him a hundred crowns for the teacher and another twenty for the journey, gave him a loaf of bread and a pinch of salt, and for Azorka - smoked ham. Martin went to his godfather, they ate and drank. He helped his godfather stock up on firewood for the winter and returned on the fourth day.
-Where is Azorka? - asked the owner.
“Our Azorka has spoiled,” answered the farmhand. “Probably other dogs had a bad influence on him, because he was a smart, respectful dog.” And now he says this - his ears are withering. If only you had heard! He says that you are a stupid arrogant and a liar, that you have appropriated half of the community pasture and are sucking the blood of the poor, lending them money at high interest rates, that you have deceived your own sister and are raising your hand even against your own mother. He also threatened that as soon as he returned home, he would tell the whole village about your crimes. These obscene words angered me so much that I tied a stone around his neck and threw it into the river.
The rich man was struck by thunder.
- Ugh, what an ungrateful dog! - he was indignant. “I spent so much money on him, and he decided to repay me with black ingratitude!” You did well, Martin. If Azorka returned, he would disgrace me throughout the village.
Since then, the rich peasant did not even want to hear about taking a dog into his home. The learned Azor stayed with the forester, but never learned to speak.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru