A hotel

"LET me tell you, my good man," began Madame Nashatyrin, the colonel's lady at No. 47, crimson and spluttering, as she pounced on the hotel-keeper. "Either give me other apartments, or I shall leave your confounded hotel altogether! It's a sink of iniquity! Mercy on us, I have grown-up daughters and one hears nothing but abominations day and night! It's beyond everything! Day and night! Sometimes he fires off such things that it simply makes one's ears blush! Positively like a cabman. It's a good thing that my poor girls don't understand or I should have to fly out into the street with them. . . He's saying something now! You listen!"

"I know a thing better than that, my boy," a husky bass floated in from the next room. "Do you remember Lieutenant Druzhkov? Well, that same Druzhkov was one day making a drive with the yellow into the pocket and as he usually did, you know, flung up his leg. . . . All at once something went crrr-ack! At first they thought he had torn the cloth of the billiard table, but when they looked, my dear fellow, his United States had split at every seam! He had made such a high kick, the beast, that not a seam was left. . . . Ha-ha-ha, and there were ladies present, too . . . among others the wife of that drivelling Lieutenant Okurin. . . . Okurin was furious. . . . 'How dare the fellow,' said he, 'behave with impropriety in the presence of my wife?' One thing led to another . . . you know our fellows! . . . Okurin sent seconds to Druzhkov, and Druzhkov said 'don't be a fool' . . . ha-ha-ha, 'but tell him he had better send seconds not to me but to the tailor who made me those breeches; it is his fault, you know.' Ha-ha-ha! Ha-ha-ha. . . ."

Lilya and Mila, the colonel's daughters, who were sitting in the window with their round cheeks propped on their fists, flushed crimson and dropped their eyes that looked buried in their plump faces.

"Now you have heard him, haven't you?" Madame Nashatyrin went on, addressing the hotel-keeper. "And that, you consider, of no consequence, I suppose? I am the wife of a colonel, sir! My husband is a commanding officer. I will not permit some cabman to utter such infamies almost in my presence!"

"He is not a cabman, madam, but the staff-captain Kikin. . . . A gentleman born."

"If he has so far forgotten his station as to express himself like a cabman, then he is even more deserving of contempt! In short, don't answer me, but kindly take steps!"

"But what can I do, madam? You are not the only one to complain, everybody's complaining, but what am I to do with him? One goes to his room and begins putting him to shame, saying: 'Hannibal Ivanitch, have some fear of God! It's shameful! and he'll punch you in the face with his fists and say all sorts of things: 'there, put that in your pipe and smoke it,' and such like. It's a disgrace! He wakes up in the morning and sets to walking about the corridor in nothing, saving your presence, but his underclothes. And when he has had a drop he will pick up a revolver and set to putting bullets into the wall. By day he is swilling liquor and at night he plays cards like mad, and after cards it is fighting. . . . I am ashamed for the other lodgers to see it!"

"Why don't you get rid of the scoundrel?"

"Why, there's no getting him out! He owes me for three months, but we don't ask for our money, we simply ask him to get out as a favour. . . . The magistrate has given him an order to clear out of the rooms, but he's taking it from one court to another, and so it drags on. . . . He's a perfect nuisance, that's what he is. And, good Lord, such a man, too! Young, good-looking and intellectual. . . . When he hasn't had a drop you couldn't wish to see a nicer gentleman. The other day he wasn't drunk and he spent the whole day writing letters to his father and mother."

"Poor father and mother!" sighed the colonel's lady.

"They are to be pitied, to be sure! There's no comfort in having such a scamp! He's sworn at and turned out of his lodgings, and not a day passes but he is in trouble over some scandal. It's sad!"

"His poor unhappy wife!" sighed the lady.

"He has no wife, madam. A likely idea! She would have to thank God if her head were not broken. . . ."

The lady walked up and down the room.

"He is not married, you say?"

"Certainly not, madam."

The lady walked up and down the room again and mused a little.

"H'm, not married . . ." she pronounced meditatively. "H'm. Lilya and Mila, don't sit at the window, there's a draught! What a pity! A young man and to let himself sink to this! And all owing to what? The lack of good influence! There is no mother who would. . . . Not married? Well . . . there it is. . . . Please be so good," the lady continued suavely after a moment's thought, "as to go to him and ask him in my name to . . . refrain from using expressions. . . . Tell him that Madame Nashatyrin begs him. . . . Tell him she is staying with her daughters in No. 47 . . . that she has come up from her estate in the country. . . ."

"Certainly."

"Tell him, a colonel's lady and her daughters. He might even come and apologize. . . . We are always at home after dinner. Oh, Mila, shut the window!"

"Why, what do you want with that . . . black sheep, mamma?" drawled Lilya when the hotel-keeper had retired. "A queer person to invite! A drunken, rowdy rascal!"

"Oh, don't say so, ma chère! You always talk like that; and there . . . sit down! Why, whatever he may be, we ought not to despise him. . . . There's something good in everyone. Who knows," sighed the colonel's lady, looking her daughters up and down anxiously, "perhaps your fate is here. Change your dresses anyway. . . .

                        100 के फरे और खेल खेल में डूबा

दूसरी कहानी बंदरगाह एक ऐसे लड़के की कहानी है जो पैसे के बदले लोगों को समुद्र किनारे डूबने का करतब दिखाता है। कहानी की शुरूआत में बंदरगाह पर एक सुप्रीम कोर्ट का अधिवक्ता चहल-कदमी करते हुए नजर आता है। तभी उसके पास एक लड़का आता है और कहता है कि वह मात्र 100 रुपए में अधिवक्ता को डूबने का करतब दिखाएगा। अधिवक्ता उसे हड़काते हुए वहां से चले जाने के लिए कहता है।
                                                बाद में लड़का अधिवक्ता से बार-बार खेल देखने का आग्रह करता है। तभी वहां एक पुलिस वाला आ जाता है। अधिवक्ता लड़के के बारे में पुलिस वाले को बताता है। पुलिस वाला 100 रुपए की बात सुनकर हैरान हो जाता है और अधिवक्ता को बताता है कि साहब पचास रुपए से ज्यादा कहीं रेट नहीं है। 100 रुपए बहुत ज्यादा है इसलिए आप उसे 50 रुपए ही देना। अधिवक्ता पुलिस वाले की बात सुनकर हैरान हो जाता है। पुलिस वाले के जाने के बाद लड़का फिर आ जाता और अधिवक्ता से फिर गुजारिश करता है। तब वकील कहता है कि वह सिर्फ पचास रुपए ही दे सकता है। लड़का मान जाता है डूबने से पहले लड़का अधिवक्ता को कहता है कि जब मैं सच में डूबने लगूं तो आप सामने बैठे उस आदमी को आवाज दे देना ताकि वह मुझे डूबने से बचा सके क्योंकि मुझे तैरना नहीं आता। अधिवक्ता हैरान होता है कि लड़का तैरना नहीं जानता तब भी डूबने का करतब करता है। कहानी के अंत में जब लड़का सच में डूबने लगता है तो अधिवक्ता बचाने वाले को आवाज देता है लेकिन अधिवक्ता उस आदमी का नाम ही भूल जाता है।
                                         जिसे आवाज देकर बुलाना था और लड़का सच में डूब जाता है। नाटक से बताया कि शिक्षित होने के बावजूद अधिवक्ता न केवल बेवकूफ बना, बल्कि एक बच्चे की मौत का गवाह भी। यदि तैरना नहीं जाने की बात सुनकर वह उसे रोक लेता तो शायद उसकी जिंदगी बच सकती थी।

Rip Van Winkle

                           Rip Van Winkle
Rip Van Winkle was the most popular person in his town. He told joke to the men at tavern, he tripped his hat whenever a lady passed him, he was polite with all the person in the town and he liked to join children that played in the parks. Nobody in the town had a bad thing to say to Rip Van winkle. Actually nobody except his wife
                Every funny thing that he did, everything that townspeople loved him for, he did while he was supposed to be doing the chores. Rip Van winkle hate doing chores and was very good at getting out from them. Once he was asked to sweep the house by his wife but when she came back she found that he had tied there bedsheet with the broom and was flying it like a kite outside the yard. But mostly he was found taking a nap instead of doing his chores.
                    There was nothing Rip liked than taking a nap at the middle of the day. & for this he was thrown stones( of word ) by his wife. There was nothing that his wife like except yelling at him.
                            One fine afternoon Mrs Van Winkle asked him to go to the woods and chop some firewood. On reaching the forest he saw dark forest with long trees and grass along with big rocks mot importantly he did not see his wife an the moment he laid down and went to take a deep sleep. Rip Van Winkle awoke with a groan to the felling that something was scratching his chin. He peered down his nose and saw that he had grown a long beered overnight. He thought to himelf that he must have a hair-splosion. He decided that the first thing he would do is to get a haircut assuming that his wife won't kill him for staying out all the night. When he got to pick the axe he found that the axe had somehow become old & rusty. He  said,' they don't make axes they used to '.
                As he neared the town he began to feel that something was wrong. The builings were bigger and there were lot more than the previous day. As he reached the town square, He realized that he didn't recognize anything. People began to crowd around him and whispered to one another.
                Eventually a man forced his way to the crowd and walked upto Rip Van Winkle.' Sir, I don't want to be rude but you look a little lost '. He said. Rip said,' Well I do fell a little lost. By the way who are you ?'. He proudly said,' Why I am the mayor of the town'. Rip said,' You are lying ! I know the mayor of this town and you aren't him'. The man began to lose his temper and said angrily,' Look, you old coot, you have no idea about what you are talking.'
                    'Who are you calling an old coot' yelled Rip, who had never considered him to be old.
        ' You. Have you looked in the mirror lately' replied the mayor.
           Rip said,'well not recently'. As he was talking someone handed him a mirror. Rip was shocked and kept staring his face. He looked at his faceand saw that he was old and wrinkled. He cried,' Oh my God. Winkle's face is Wrinkled. But how could this be possible. I was the most popular man in the town yesterday! Hasn't anyone heard of Rip Wan Winkle?'
               ' Now that you mention it I rembered a Rip Wan Winkle From when I was a boy. But my father told him that he dissapeared in the woods. That was twenty years ago.' said the mayor.
                      Rip gasped. He had been sleeping in the woods for twenty years. And suddenly asked,' My wife! Has she gone'. ' I'm afraid, so'
said the mayor. Rip was very happy at hearin this. Over the next few days he did everything he wanted to. He played with the children in the park. He took a nap wherever and whenever he wanted without the fear of being eaten alive by his wife. 
Slowy and steadiy he walked to his house and as he stood there he realized that something was missing. He knew it was not the utensils or jewellery but the warmth memories that he had spent with his wife. He collapsed in to a chair. He missed his wife. Tears streamed down his eyes and everyone knows that whenever Rip sit on a chair undoubtedly he would fall asleep. That time was no exception.
                    A cold breeze woke him up. He knew that his house would have holes and big spaces. But as sowly he opened his eyes he realized it was cold because he was in the middle of the woods. He was at that spot where he had slept for so long. When he noticed that his beard was gone he found that it had all been a dream. Rip had never been so happy in his life. He ran back home to tell his wife that he loved her and how he was a changed man. And of course, He forgot to bring the firewood.

" So, I hope you all would have enjoyed the funny story and keep writng coments on our stories & poems. And thanks everyone on the facebook who have liked us and our blog. Thanks a lot! "