So the brothers built houses, and began to live apart; and Iván finished the harvest work, brewed beer, and invited his brothers to spend the next holiday with him. His brothers would not come.
“We don’t care about peasant feasts,” said they.
So Iván entertained the peasants and their wives, and drank until he was rather tipsy. Then he went into the street to a ring of dancers; and going up to them he told the women to sing a song in his honour; “for,” said he, “I will give you something you never saw in your lives before!”
The women laughed and sang his praises, and when they had finished they said, “Now let us have your gift.”
“I will bring it directly,” said he.
He took a seed-basket and ran into the woods. The women laughed. “He is a fool!” said they, and they began to talk of something else.
But soon Iván came running back, carrying the basket full of something heavy.
“Shall I give it you?”
“Yes! give it to us.”
Iván took a handful of gold and threw it to the women. You should have seen them throw themselves upon it to pick it up! And the men around scrambled for it, and snatched it from one another. One old woman was nearly crushed to death. Iván laughed.