Since Dosmaganbet was chosen as a chairman the Eighth aul lost the peace at all. When Zakir and Zalman were aul governors all the affairs with visiting authorities they solved at their homes. In such a way aul inhabitants learnt about the arrival of a volost’s or district disposer only after their departure.

            Usually the first ones who brought this news were good-timers when they came to someone’s bai’s house to enjoy some costless kumis and talk to their hearts’ desire.

-         It turned out that an authorized representative had come to the aul chairman’s from the town, - they said. – He made a stay for sometime, ate a lamb and cleared out.    

            Who was this authorized representative, why he came – nobody cared about this. According to aul inhabitants’ imagination an authorized representative existed for to visit, make stays at bais’, eat meat, drink kumis and “entail” the aul authorities.

            Dosmaganbet became a chairman – and at once everything changed. People just lost any peace because of authorized representatives. Wherever they met you and no mistake they started inquiring and intruding on your feelings. Almost every day they began calling people for meetings.

-         Apyrmai, it is so uneasily to be alive now, - old men sighed dispiritedly picking at their proper beards, - it is no good!.. The youth stir up.

            And once in a bright summer day when respectable people enjoyed their deserved rest after drunk kumis in the shadows of the yourts it came to Dosmaganbet’s mind to perturb the whole aul. Exactly to perturb because when in the face of day all young women and girls are gathered – you cannot name it with some other words.

            And in addition a certain Artykbai – a good-for-nothing from the aul soviet – walked and cried from time to time:

-         Girls! Girls! Pullets, pullets! Let’s go everybody to the meeting!

-         The meeting! All and sundry must come! An authorized representative has come from the volost! He will deliver a speech!

-         And what will happen if we don’t go? – Old woman Demesina wondered.

-         In case if you don’t go we will draw up a protocol and bring you to justice! – Artykbai answered quickly.

-         Ah, I wish your bad tongue would dry out! I wish a snake would lay eggs in your mouth! – Women whispered after him.

            However, almost everybody came to the meeting. One people were really afraid of a protocol, the other ones were curious to listen to a person from the volost.

-         Where is this headman who has gathered us? Eh, he is that one, is not he?! – Sharp-tongued pullets talked over. – Is it this stump-shrimp?!

-         Say me, my daughter-in-law, what for does he need us? – Toothless old women mumbled picking at a flock which they brought along. – My god, what is happening in the world? They don’t let live in peace even women now…

            White-bearded old men, black-bearded dzhigits, beardless youngsters, tricksters, lazy bones in shirts worn outside, in canvas trousers-dambals and leather flog shoes on their bare feet scratching their bellies tense because of kumis – everybody turned up at the meeting. The shadow of the lop-sided poor Duisenbai’s hut was clearly not enough even for the half of the gathered people. Many of them had to take stand in a sunny spot hiding from the burning sun with the help of a gown or a sleeveless jacket.

            A hoyden pullet with black eyes and drops of sweat on the point of her nose was glibly chattering something and made laugh the women around her.

            - Well, that’s enough, Bikasap, - one girl called her down as if she was the wisest one. – Shame on you… People can hear.

            - Eh, what is shameful in this?! – Bikasap could not stop. – We don’t visit their meetings. It is the first time when they have thought out a meeting for women, so that’s where they have also got into!

            The old men’s faces were dark and unpleased. As if they had been waken up and brought here sleepy.

-         Where is this aul chairman? Why doesn’t he begin? – Somebody of them mumbled.

-         Don’t worry, Baieke… Not all the women are here yet, - Artykbai noticed smiling.

            What they have come to: a certain Artykbai, a nothing-for-good, but he goes the length of remarking on in Baimaganbet’s own person. Respectable Baieke stared at him angrily. If it were his will he would pierce this reprobate with an arrow!..  

-         What does it mean, “not all have gathered”? – Kekebai gave mouth and stretched glaringly his bare legs. – There they are, sitting already… It is impossible to gather all long flaps. Come on, let’s start, let’s start!

            Dosmaganbet came rapidly out from Duisenbai’s hut. He exchanged looks with the youth, slipped them a wink and then saw old men and grew dark.

-         We have called only women to this meeting. If old men are hot so, it is no problem, they can go home, - he said.

-         Eh, does it mean that you hunt us away?! – Kekebai snapped being ready to start a skirmish, but the chairman of the aul soviet replied composedly and calmly:

-         I address only to those ones who are hurrying. But who wants that one can sit even till the evening.

-         Oh, allah!.. You have to name it, we hear about it?! – Baimaganbet sighed.

            The fey wind roaming among the houses blew suddenly and tumbled groomed Baimaganbet’s beard as if it also wanted to laugh at him together with the malignant aul chairman.

            Dosmaganbet announced the meeting open and gave the floor to the authorized representative from the volost. A grey-faced young man with a huge brief-case stepped out onto the middle and gloomily and frowningly gave a glance around the crowd as if he asked to himself: “And who of them do I really need?” Having turned his face to the women he scrabbled in the brief-case and pulled out some papers. Young girls who were sitting at some distance moved closer to him and started casting covetous eyes towards the new authorized representative.

-         Our women have become so shameless; - a haughty woman with a flat face noticed and turned her back.

-         Why does she abuse us? – Young girls who circled Bikasap started making noise. – We have been called – that’s why we have come…

-         Comrades, - the authorized representative said. – “Learning makes people wise” – so people say. And our great teacher Lenin left as precept that any housewife and any kitchen maid should be able to conduct affairs of State…  

            Having marked all the advantages, which the education could give the authorized representative continued that in the auls there would be created schools for liquidation of illiteracy and that all men and women must attend them. And now he was going to make a list of all ones who wished.

-         Is everything clear? Do you have any questions?

-         As for us so we have understood everything long ago, - there heard a giggle among the men.

-         Hey, ask him, must everybody learn or it is at will? – A nimble black-faced man gave mouth on the fringe of a crowd.

-         Ask yourself! Has your tongue dried out?

-         No, it hasn’t… no matter… I am just poking about…

-         Nobody forces you to learn. At will.

-         Then… my youngest wife and my daughter-in-law do not wish to learn.

-         Eh, where from do you know?

-         I know if I say so. If I say that they will not want, it means that they will not want.

            Out of pique the authorized representative started explaining the same from the very beginning.

-         No, the dearest, - the nimble man insisted, - if you force them – so it is your business, but so they will not go.

-         Comrade! Let me! – A husky sooty man addressed to the authorized representative.

            He twisted up the peaks of his droopy moustache, looked at the crowd and smiled:

-         Comrades, I know my aul. Both who thinks about what and who just wants to say what, - I also know. Of course, you, comrade authorized representative, is sent and certainly we do not have anything against. However, as I know, there is no one in this aul who is fizzing to sit at the desk. But I am sure that in each house you will find a pesky little brat. And if you taught reading and writing these ones we would say you thanks. Am I right, old men?

            He looked fixedly at everybody and the men who had sat in semicircle started nodding and buzzing with one accord.

            However, the women kept silent. Glancing with their eyes they excitedly exchanged looks. They wondered who else would take the floor. Who would say what?

-         And what about the women, have they swallowed their tongues? – Dosmaganbet asked. – Don’t they really want to learn? So say directly about this.

-         What for to put pressure on the women? What can they say? – The former biy-judge mumbled disdainfully.

            Young women started moving, shuffling and murmuring. Some of them pushed clearly Bikasap frontwards. She set right her shaulyk, threw it off along the edges back and leant forwards by herself. 

-         The oldest brother-in-law cannot know! Nobody of us has announced that she does not want to learn. Reading and writing… we need it if only you find a teacher. All these women want to learn… But let them say themselves, all of them have tongues.

            The women grew red, were confused, dropped their eyes and kept their heads down. But everybody felt: all of them liked the words of this bold Bikasap.

            Aksakals, old women and aul top men raised their heads and angrily and offendedly rolled their eyes out at her.

-         What is she speaking about?

-         Where from is this bold girl?

-         Where is her husband?

            Most of them turned to the hog-nosed, black like cast iron freckled dzhigit and eyed him keenly and angrily. There heard:

-         Hey, she is plowing ahead…

-         You see, she wants to make her way in life!..

-         It means, she is only one such a girl in our aul!

            The freckled man was taken aback and all abroad. His cast iron face was in a bath of sweat. The mockery touched him very hurtfully. He jumped up and mumbled angrily:

-         Hey, callet, let’s go home!

-         What’s up, have you already missed me? – Bikasap wondered playfully. – But we have just stirred abroad…

            The offended husband bristled completely. But at the same time he was all abroad. Usually husbands are not ceremonious in such cases with their wives, in other words they just hit them. And now the freckled man could think out nothing else too.

-         Uh-uh… - He badly turned the air blue and having clenched his fists was about to run up to his wife but somebody’s strong hand pushed him away.

-         Hey, hey, calm down! It is not the right time to hit her now!

-         How can it be, not the right time?! Why do you shoulder me? – The offended husband started roaring. Artykbay restrained him. And now everybody shushed him up from all the sides.

-         Hey, and as for you? Why are you asking for trouble? She is his callet, but not yours!

-         There is not such a law which allows hitting a woman!

-         Allah! Allah! What a shame! What a shame! It is no good to break on the husband’s and his wife’s affairs. – The old women boiled over and tweaked their cheeks.

-         Let him, Artykbai, - Dosmaganbet cried having paled. – Let’s see how he will hit. Well, well, just try!..

            The anger of the freckled man went out at once and subsided. He froze, started winking and blinking like an offended child who was about to cry and having turned his back he shuffled off home.

            Then Dosmaganbet looked over the gathered people.

-         What does it mean? Why do you hallow the man like a dog? – He cried. – Who has called here the troublemakers-old men? And if you have come – so is it difficult just to sit and not to stick your necks out?

-         Hey you, Dosmaganbet, don’t shout so loudly! In fact you are not the only chief… - Baimaganbet was about to start but this time the chairman of the aul soviet brassily interrupted him.

-         Well, honorable! We know that some time ago you also were a judge. But it was long ago, under Nicolay’s. We don’t need such judges now. That’s enough to stir up people; I wish you would go home with a whole skin yet.

-         Listen, Dosmaganbet! Whom are you telling this?

-         I am telling you. Have you understood? Go, go, honorable. This is not a place for verbiage.

            The authorized representative bent severely his brows and looking from time to time at Baimaganbet was ready to write something down. The former judge who had been never shy of anybody during the whole his life suddenly subsided markedly. He felt how the crowd had suddenly become silent in a strange way and nobody even tried to come to the defense of him. If the chairman of the aul soviet wanted so this crowd would easily defect to his side. Now the former biy understood this especially clear.

            Keeping silent he stood up and went away. Some old men followed him like camels walking to pasturage.

            The authorized representative began writing down those who wish.

-         Hey, Kalampyr, will you sign up?

-         And what about you, Kumisai?

-         Please, write down my husband too, - Bikasap smiled.

-         Eh, but he has gone away being angry against the whole world.

-         No matter, we will make up this quarrel. He is easily appeased…

            In several days in aul Saken there was open a new school for liquidation of illiteracy. About forty persons came to visit the first lesson…