Children and a dog One guardsman had a wife and two children: a boy and a girl. The son was seven, and the daughter was five. They had a shaggy dog with a nice white muzzle and big clever eyes. One day the guardsman went to forest for brushwood and told his wife not to let the children go out since wolfs had wandered at night round the hut and disturbed the dog. Wife said: “Children, don’t go to forest”; and set her work. When mother sat to work, the boy told her sister: “Let’s go to forest. I saw an apple tree yesterday, and apples became ripe already.” The girl agreed, and they ran to the forest. When mother had finished her work, she called the children, but there was no answer. She got out to the porch and started to call them. However, the children didn’t answer. When the husband returned to home and did not see his children, he became angry with the wife and ran to search them. Suddenly he heard his dog’s yelp. He strived there and saw both children sitting under the bush crying, and a wolf seizing and gnawing the dog. Guardsman snatched out his axe and killed the wolf. After that he picked up his children and ran home with them. When they came home mother locked the door and they sat to have lunch. Suddenly they heard the dog’s crying outside the hut. They went out intending let it in but the dog was covered with blood and couldn’t walk. The children brought some bread and water to her, but it couldn’t neither eat nor drink and could only licking their hands. After that, the dog laid down and stopped crying. The children thought it slept, however it, actually, died. Leo Tolstoy, for children.

An elephant (True story) One Indian has an elephant. The owner fed it badly and made it work a lot. One day the elephant became angry and stepped on his master with its foot. The Indian died. After that, the Indian’s wife started crying. She brought her children to the elephant, threw then to its feet, and said “Elephant! You killed the father, now kill them too!” The elephant looked at children, grabbed an eldest boy, lifted him carefully and seated him onto its neck. Since that time, the elephant has started to obey the boy and work for him. Leo Tolstoy, for children