On Prisons
Semka, a boy of thirteen
Aksutka, a girl of ten
Palashka, a girl of nine
Vanka, a boy of eight
They are sitting at the well, with baskets of mushrooms which they have gathered.
Aksutka
Aunt Matrena was crying so desperately. And the children too would not leave off howling, all at the same time.
Vanka
Why were they howling?
Palashka
What about? Why, their father has been taken off to prison. Who should cry but the family?
Vanka
Why is he in prison?
Aksutka
I don’t know. They came and told him to get his things ready and led him away. We saw it all from our cottage.
Semka
Serves him right for being a horse-stealer. He stole a horse from Demkin’s place and one from Hramov’s. He and his gang also got hold of our gelding. Who could love him for that?
Aksutka
That is all right, but I am sorry for the poor brats. There are four of them. And so poor—no bread in the house. Today they had to come to us.
Semka
Serves the thief right.
Mitka
But he’s the only one that is the thief. Why must his children become beggars?
Semka
Why did he steal?
Mitka
The kids didn’t steal—it is just he.
Semka
Kids indeed! Why did he do wrong? That doesn’t alter the case, that he has got children. Does that give him the right to be a thief?
Vanka
What will they do to him in prison?
Aksutka
He will just sit there. That’s all.
Vanka
And will they give him food?
Semka
That’s just the reason why they’re not afraid, those damned horse-thieves! He doesn’t mind going to prison. They provide him with everything and he has nothing to do but sit idle the whole day long. If I were the Tsar, I would know how to manage those horse-thieves. … I would teach them a lesson that would make them give up the habit of stealing. Now he has nothing to worry him. He sits in the company of fellows like himself, and they teach each other how to steal. Grandfather said Petrusha was quite a good boy when he went to prison for the first time, but he came out a desperate villain. Since then he’s taken to—
Vanka
Then why do they put people in prison?
Semka
Just ask them.
Aksutka
He will have all his food given to him—
Semka
Agreeing. So he will get more accustomed to finding the food ready for him!
Aksutka
While the kiddies and their mother have to die of starvation. They are our neighbours; we can’t help pitying them. When they come asking for bread, we can’t refuse. How could we?
Vanka
Then why are those people put in prison?
Semka
What else could be done with them?
Vanka
What? What could be done? One must somehow manage that …
Semka
Yes, somehow! But you don’t know how. There have been people with more brains than you’ve got who have thought about that, and they couldn’t invent anything.
Palashka
I think if I had been a queen …
Aksutka
Laughing. Well, what would you have done, my queen?
Palashka
I would have things so that nobody would steal and the children would not cry.
Aksutka
How would you do that?
Palashka
I would just see that everybody was given what he needed, that nobody was wronged by anybody else, and that they were all happy.
Semka
Three cheers for the queen! But how would you manage that?
Palashka
I would just do it, you would see.
Mitka
Let us all go to the birch woods. The girls have been gathering a lot there lately.
Semka
All right. Come along, you fellows. And you, queen, mind you don’t drop your mushrooms. You are so sharp.
They get up and go away.