My Mother Sends Her Wisdom

Country shrewdness rooted in the earth and the seasons is featured in this original story cast in the form of a traditional tale. In it a clever peasant woman and her daughter attempt to outwit a greedy moneylender. Old Boris was much hated in the countryside, for his loans at high interest often caused the small farmers to lose their land. When Katya and her mother were threatened with the same prospect, they devised a plan to catch Boris in a net of their own. Three times Katya went to the crowded, noisy city to pay the debt, and on each trip she also offered the sneering Boris her mother's wisdom by reciting a riddle. The moneylender's predictable refusal sprung the trap, and Katya and her mother found themselves able to seek justice in court.