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father? Whom does he want?"
The elder's son again repeated his father's message to Ivan. "Your
aged parent is at our house dying, and he wants to see you and bid you
good-bye. Won't you go now, uncle Ivan?" the boy said.
Finally Ivan understood, and followed the elder's son.
When Ivan's father was carried from the oven, he was slightly injured
by a big bunch of burning straw falling on him just as he reached the
street. To insure his safety he was removed to the elder's house, which
stood a considerable distance from his late home, and where it was not
likely that the fire would reach it.
When Ivan arrived at the elder's home he found only the latter's wife
and children, who were all seated on the brick oven. The old man was
lying on a bench holding a lighted candle in his hand (a Russian custom
when a person is dying). Hearing a noise, he turned his face toward the
door, and when he saw it was his son he tried to move. He motioned for
Ivan to come nearer, and when he did so he whispered in a trembling
voice: "Well, Ivanushka, did I not tell you before what would be the
result of this sad affair? Who set the village on fire?"
"He, he, batiushka [little father]; he did it. I caught him. He placed
the bunch of burning straw to the barn in my presence. Instead of
running after him, I should have snatched the bunch of burning straw
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