Joyful sound daycare: Child Care and Preschool in Parkersburg, WV

[d]

I

– Volodya has arrived! someone shouted outside.

– Volodichka has arrived! Natalya yelled, running into the dining room. – Oh my god!

The whole Korolyov family, who had been waiting for their Volodya from hour to hour, rushed to the windows. There were wide sledges at the entrance, and a thick fog was rising from a trio of white horses. The sleigh was empty, because Volodya was already standing in the entryway, untying his hood with red, chilled fingers. His gymnasium coat, cap, galoshes, and hair at the temples were covered with frost, and he emitted such a delicious frosty smell from head to toe that, looking at him, you wanted to go cold and say: “Brrr!” His mother and aunt rushed to hug and kiss him, Natalya threw herself at his feet and began to pull off his felt boots, the sisters raised a screech, the doors creaked and slammed, and Volodya’s father, wearing only a waistcoat and with scissors in his hands, ran into the hall and shouted in fright:0003

– And we were waiting for you yesterday! Did you get well? Safely? My God, my God, let him say hello to his father! That I’m not a father, or what?

– Woof! Woof! – roared bass Milord, a huge black dog, banging his tail on the walls and furniture.

Everything was mixed into one continuous joyful sound that lasted about two minutes. When the first impulse of joy passed, the Queens noticed that in addition to Volodya in the hall there was another small man, wrapped in scarves, shawls and hoods and covered with frost; he stood motionless in a corner in the shadow cast by a large fox coat.

– Volodya, who is this? asked the mother in a whisper.

– Ah! – Volodya caught on. – This, I have the honor to present, is my comrade Chechevitsyn, a second grade student … I brought him with me to stay with us.

– Very nice, you are welcome! – said the father happily. – Excuse me, I’m at home, without a frock coat … Please! Natalya, help Mr. Cherepitsyn undress! My God, my God, let this dog go! This is punishment!

A little later, Volodya and his friend Chechevitsyn, stunned by the noisy meeting and still rosy from the cold, sat at the table and drank tea. The winter sun, penetrating through the snow and patterns on the windows, trembled on the samovar and bathed its pure rays in the rinsing cup. The room was warm, and the boys felt how in their chilled bodies, not wanting to give in to each other, warmth and frost tickled.

– Well, Christmas is coming soon! – said the father in a singsong voice, rolling a cigarette out of dark-red tobacco. – How long has it been summer and your mother was crying, seeing you off? and you came… Time, brother, goes fast! You won’t have time to gasp, as old age comes. Mr. Chibisov, eat, please, do not be shy! We simply have.

Volodya’s three sisters, Katya, Sonya and Masha – the oldest of them was eleven years old – sat at the table and did not take their eyes off their new acquaintance. Chechevitsyn was the same age and height as Volodya, but not so plump and white, but thin, swarthy, covered with freckles. His hair was bristly, his eyes were narrow, his lips were thick, he was generally very ugly, and if he hadn’t been wearing a gymnasium jacket, he might have been taken for a cook’s son by appearance. He was gloomy, kept silent all the time and never smiled. The girls, looking at him, immediately realized that he must be a very intelligent and learned person. He thought about something all the time and was so busy with his thoughts that when he was asked about something, he shuddered, shook his head and asked to repeat the question.

The girls noticed that Volodya, always cheerful and talkative, this time spoke little, did not smile at all, and seemed not even glad that he had come home. While we were sitting at tea, he addressed the sisters only once, and even then with some strange words. He pointed his finger at the samovar and said:

– And in California they drink gin instead of tea.

He, too, was preoccupied with some thoughts, and, judging by the looks he occasionally exchanged with his friend Tchechevitsyn, the boys had common thoughts.

After tea, everyone went to the nursery. The father and the girls sat down at the table and began to work, which was interrupted by the arrival of the boys. They made flowers and fringes for the Christmas tree out of multi-colored paper. It was exciting and noisy work. Each newly made flower was greeted by girls with enthusiastic cries, even cries of horror, as if this flower had fallen from the sky; papa also admired and occasionally threw the scissors on the floor, angry with them for being stupid. Mom ran into the nursery with a very preoccupied face and asked:

– Who took my scissors? Again, Ivan Nikolaitch, did you take my scissors?

– Oh my God, they don’t even give you scissors! answered Ivan Nikolaevich in a weeping voice, and, leaning back in his chair, assumed the pose of an offended man, but a minute later he was again admiring.

II

On his previous visits, Volodya also made preparations for the Christmas tree or ran into the yard to see how the coachman and the shepherd were making a snowy mountain, but now he and Chechevitsyn paid no attention to the multi-colored paper and never even went to the stable, but sat by the window and they began to whisper about something; then they both opened the geographical atlas together and began to examine some kind of map.

– First to Perm… – Chechevitsyn said quietly… – from there to Tyumen… then Tomsk… then… then… to Kamchatka… From here the Samoyeds will be transported by boat across the Bering Strait. . That’s America for you… There are a lot of fur-bearing animals here.

– And California? Volodya asked.

– California is lower… Just to get to America, and California is just around the corner. You can get food for yourself by hunting and robbery.

Chechevitsyn kept aloof from the girls all day and looked at them from under his brows. After evening tea, it happened that he was left alone with the girls for five minutes. It was awkward to be silent. He coughed sternly, rubbed his left hand with his right hand, looked sullenly at Katya, and asked:0003

– Have you read Mine-Read?

– No, I haven’t read it… Listen, can you skate?

Immersed in his thoughts, Chechevitsyn did not answer this question, but only puffed out his cheeks and sighed as if he were very hot. He once again raised his eyes to Katya and said:

– When a herd of bison runs through the pampas, the earth trembles, and at this time the mustangs, frightened, kick and neigh.

Chechevitsyn smiled sadly and added:

– And also the Indians attack the trains. But worst of all are mosquitoes and termites.

– What is it?

– It’s like ants, only with wings. They bite very hard. Do you know who I am?

– Mr. Chechevitsyn.

– No. I am Montigomo, Hawkclaw, leader of the invincibles.

Masha, the smallest girl, looked at him, then at the window, beyond which evening was already falling, and said in thought:

– And we cooked lentils yesterday.

The completely incomprehensible words of Chechevitsyn and the fact that he was constantly whispering with Volodya, and the fact that Volodya did not play, but kept thinking about something – all this was mysterious and strange. And both older girls, Katya and Sonya, began to watch the boys vigilantly. In the evening, when the boys went to bed, the girls crept up to the door and overheard their conversation. Oh what did they know! The boys were going to run somewhere to America to mine gold; they had everything ready for the journey: a pistol, two knives, crackers, a magnifying glass for making fire, a compass, and four rubles of money. They learned that the boys would have to walk several thousand miles, and along the way fight tigers and savages, then mine gold and ivory, kill enemies, become sea robbers, drink gin, and eventually marry beauties and work plantations. Volodya and Chechevitsyn talked and interrupted each other in enthusiasm. At the same time, Chechevitsyn called himself: “Montigomo the Hawk Claw”, and Volodya – “my pale-faced brother.”

– Look, don’t tell your mother, – Katya said to Sonya, going to bed with her. – Volodya will bring us gold and ivory from America, and if you tell your mother, they will not let him in.

On the eve of Christmas Eve, Chechevitsyn spent the whole day looking at a map of Asia and writing down something, while Volodya, languid, plump, as if stung by a bee, sullenly paced the rooms and ate nothing. And once, even in the nursery, he stopped in front of the icon, crossed himself and said:

– Lord, forgive me a sinner! God save my poor, unfortunate mother!

By evening he burst into tears. Going to sleep, he hugged his father, mother and sisters for a long time. Katya and Sonya understood what was the matter, but the youngest, Masha, understood nothing, absolutely nothing, and only when she looked at Chechevitsyn would she think and say with a sigh:

– When fasting, the nanny says to eat peas and lentils.

III

Early in the morning on Christmas Eve, Katya and Sonya quietly got out of bed and went to see how the boys would flee to America. They crept up to the door.

– So you won’t go? Chechevitsyn asked angrily. – Say: won’t you go?

– Lord! Volodya wept softly. – How can I go? I feel sorry for mom.

– My pale-faced brother, I beg you, let’s go! You assured me that you would go, you lured me yourself, but how to go, so you chickened out.

– I… I’m not afraid, but I… I feel sorry for my mother.

– You say: will you go or not?

– I’ll go, just… just wait. I want to live at home.

– In that case, I’ll go myself! Chechevitsyn decided. – I’ll manage without you. And I also wanted to hunt tigers, fight! When so, give back my pistons!

Volodya wept so bitterly that the sisters could not stand it and also wept softly. There was silence.

– So you won’t go? – once again asked Chechevitsyn.

– I’ll go… I’ll go.

– So dress up!

And Chechevitsyn, in order to persuade Volodya, praised America, growled like a tiger, pretended to be a steamship, scolded, promised to give Volodya all the ivory and all the lion and tiger skins.

And this slender, swarthy boy with bristly hair and freckles seemed unusual and wonderful to the girls. He was a hero, a determined, fearless man, and he roared so that, standing outside the door, one could really think that it was a tiger or a lion.

When the girls returned to their rooms and dressed, Katya said with tears in her eyes:

– Oh, I’m so scared!

IV

Until two o’clock, when they sat down to dinner, everything was quiet, but at dinner it suddenly turned out that the boys were not at home. They sent them to the servants’ quarters, to the stable, to the clerk’s wing – they were not there. They sent him to the village, but they didn’t find him there. And then they also drank tea without the boys, and when they sat down to supper, mother was very worried, she even cried. And at night they again went to the village, searched, walked with lanterns to the river. God, what a commotion!

The next day a constable came and wrote some paper in the canteen. Mom was crying.

But now the sledges stopped at the porch, and steam poured from the three white horses.

– Volodya has arrived! someone shouted outside.

– Volodichka has arrived! Natalya yelled, running into the dining room.

And Milord barked in bass: “Woof! woof!” It turned out that the boys were detained in the city, in the Gostiny Dvor (they went there and kept asking where gunpowder was sold). As soon as Volodya entered the hall, he sobbed and threw himself on his mother’s neck. The girls, trembling, thought with horror about what would happen next, heard how papa took Volodya and Chechevitsyn to his office and talked with them for a long time; and mother also spoke and cried.

– Is it possible? Dad assured. – God forbid, they will find out in the gymnasium, you will be expelled. Shame on you, Mr. Chechevitsyn! Not good! You are the instigator and hopefully you will be punished by your parents. Is it so possible! Where did you spend the night?

– At the station! Chechevitsyn answered proudly.

Volodya then lay down, and a towel soaked in vinegar was put to his head. They sent a telegram somewhere, and the next day a lady, Chechevitsyn’s mother, arrived and took her son away.

When Chechevitsyn was leaving, his face was stern, arrogant, and, saying goodbye to the girls, he did not say a single word; just took a notebook from Katya and wrote in memory:

Montigomo Hawkclaw.