Everyone who once crossed the Airanbai’s house threshold could clearly see what its master did. There was a black dirty table on Airanbai’s knees, leather scrapings and vein threads are lying about around him as well as awl, knife, bar, boot tree and needle.

Airanbai, in a sheepskin sleeveless jacket on the naked body was sewing a new head to the old boot leg. A disheveled girl was playing near his legs going over ends of bizarre form.

Airanbai wasn’t handsome at all, his face could be hardly seen behind his pitch-black shaggy beard. When you first met Airanbai, you could involuntary think “This shaitan must be fifty at least”. Brows were gloomily frown ant it seemed that there was such a spite boiling in that shaitan that he was ready to pull to pieces any unknown enemy. There he lighted the shoe-thread very much and touched the girl came to hand. Hardly containing himself he pushed her off:

“What are you doing, you, poor child! How many times did I tell you: don’t come close to me when I am working.”

The girl looked at her father guilty and tears shone in her eyes.

“They…don’t play with me…They...hurt me,” she babbled as if apologizing for that she had to stay home.

A big furious woman ran into the dugout as a steppe whirlwind.

“Those are all your relatives! They wouldn't even look at you when you peg out!..”

The women had an old dress patched up anyhow, sloppy patched kerchief, on her legs she had raw hide boots worn to whiteness. From her angry look she must has a big scrap with Airanbai and was ready to clutch him by the first chance. That was his wife, Raushan.

Airanbai was laid duties in ten puds of grain out of a clear sky and he was going to the city with a complain. It was clear that he was going but he had nothing to go in, his boots have completely felled apart. You couldn't make a new had from pieces and ends and he sent Raushan to Kemelbai to take some leather. Kemelbai and Airanbai were relatives. If there was a lack of something, Airanbai could go to Kemelbai at the same moment. That time he sent his wife. It appeared that wives were sitting at the last toi smoking one tobacco and have argued because of a slab of meat. At that it wasn't Raushan who started the row. Kemelbai’s wife having felt abused that she was sat near a dog-poor beggar began giving meat for children crowding near the door before the meal began. Feeling that the meat was flowing right before her eyes, Raushan took a neck bone from a tray and was going to give it to her daughter when Kemelbai's wife cried: “Put it back! Where did you only come from, you, stray glutton? Nobody could take a piece because of you!” and she snatched the bone from her hands. Old women sitting with the main tobacco in a dignified manner stared at Raushan too. “You, poor woman! Did you come from a hungry land? Why did you run at the meat?!” It was just as it was Raushan who was guilty. Since that time she passed the Kemelbai’s house from far off. The whole aul was going there to drink kumis but Ruashan. Taibagar’s wife, the old friend of Raushan, was bringing her gossips from the bai’s house sometimes. “This harridan must become off her chumps soon. She dinned into my ears until I have drawn kumis tostagan. She's only speaking about you. Let her raging, that bitchy, she says…What she can do more, she says…” Raushan was getting angrier because of such news.

“God, be mercy, I would never met this vile women! I would better die from hunger than appear in her house!”

And then her husband wanted to send her to Kemelbai. “I would never go there!” Raushan was stubborn. Then Airanbai threw a boot three in her. Raushan understood that it wasn’t the end and went to the house that she hated so much. And then she finally came back, completely angry.

She set near the stove and at the same moment her eyes felt on the black boot tree, that one that Airanbai threw right to her knee. Raushan took it angrily as if it was a reason of all her problems and threw it to the wall where a trunk box was standing lonely at a stand as an eaten tooth in an old man's mouth. The boot tree banged at it.

Airanbai startled and raised his hand:

“You, dog! Beat, breake!..”

***

Airanbai didn’t began asking Raushan in details why Kemelbai gave no leather piece and what his wife answered. What for? Kemelbai’s wife was a very angry women. Such women could easily give a stroke with her knee than a piece of leather and furthermore Raushan went to her forcing herself being angry of beating. She could tell anything then out of spite. She could turn each word so you couldn’t differ the truth and the lie. It was the most disgraceful thing quarrel with the relative for women gossips. Airanbai learned that truth of the Zhake deceased very good. Zhake used to say: “Woman is Azrail sowing the seeds of discord and dissention among men.”

And because Airanbai gave no meaning to women gossips, he preferred that others would do the same. Kemelbai could do a service to him. Airanbai felt a strange annoying every time when he was thinking about it. Lately this filling came to him oftener and oftener. Many times having taken offence Airanbai decided inside not to make any deal with kemelbai but having slept good he forgot at once both his offence and that his decision and went to him to drink kumis. Thereto Kemelbai had such a feature: as soon as Airanbai was angry with him, Kemelbai began fawing and humbling himself and telling his silly son “Did you say hello to your uncle?", "Now then give kumis to your uncle!" Any offence left Airanbai's soul after that and he thought that he was happy to have such a rich and honorable man as Kemelbai as his relative.

At that time Airanbai was also trying to calm himself thinking about it as a usual misunderstanding but a deep irritation arose instead of a relieve. It wasn't Raushan who was the reason of it although he wished it was so, it was Kemelbai. He remembered at once that Kemelbai was in that committee that put duties on a nonexistent harvest. He knew very well that nothing grew at Airanbai's fields, that he didn't grow a handful of millet. He has been talking about it for six months - every time when he came to Kemelbai to drink kumis he began that taling. Those who have sown ten or twenty land areas paid the duty easy but Airanbai has got into an unexpected mess and it was Kemebai whom Airanbai was blaming. When the aulnai came to take the duty, Airanbai ran to his relative and tell many bitter words right into his eyes. And then Kairanbai begrudged a piece of leather to him. That was the last thing that has completely driven him wild. He winkled out the nasibai behind his lip, threw him flicking and asked:

“So, he wasn’t at home, was he?”

“He was.”

“And didn’t he make any order to give?”

“You wait! As if he make an order…It was he, your relative, who said: “This beggars would drain us dry soon too…” But would you ever believe me? You are good only in swearing. But you couldn’t see or understand anything. That was Kemelbai who put that duty on you. Yes, yes! Marzhan, daughter-in-low, was drinking kumis in their house yesterday and she heard as your relative said: “What are those ten puds of grain for him?! He has charged much more for work from us?!” Have you heard that?.. And what did he gave to you? You have been sewing for him for your whole life and got no rotten thread from him…”

Airanbai sighed:

“Could dogs remember the good?”

Having untangled veined threads, he took on sewing again. His thoughts were flying far away. He began remembering all those good and bad thinks that felt to him from Kemelbai and other bais.

All his past was a darkness. There must be no light beam in that darkness. How long he remembered himself, he has been always tormenting for Kemelbai and others like him and he has got nothing for his work. It was even unknown what he has got, what he has spent his power, health and pains for… With those thoughts Airanbai has suddenly remembered an instructor who came to the aul a week ago. He was so young but there was no stumble when he began speaking. Each second word was about poor men, about that all fruits of their labor go to bais. Who has being shepherding the bai’s animal? The poor man has. Who has being cutting the hay for rich men? The poor man has. Who has been using the hay? The bai has. The poor man has been working and the rich man has been enjoying. So, think now, the poor man, what is what! Crew the cud for a time!...

What right words. Airanbai was forty at that time. Even if the first part of his life wasn’t counted, other twenty years he has been sweating without any rest. And what did he earn? He has been slaving day and night and still was hungry and had no close or shoes. And Kemelbai hadn't picked any tuft of grass for all his life. But he still has been living on the cushion, satisfaction, and had everything to his heart’s content...

Airanbai has been thinking for a long time and decided: “That is the bai who assumed the labour of poor men. The instructor is right.” And he wished to tell those his works loud to calm his wife.

“Wife!” Airanbai said solemnly. “I broke off with Kemelbai once and for all. From no we wouldn't even come close to his door. Please God, we wouldn't die from hunger. We could sing to kamenesies.[1]. The poor man isn’t in honor nowadays. You can only hear; “Kedei!”, “Kedei!” Kamenesies would feed us better than Kemelbai. The power would never leave them in the lurch.

Raushan cheered. She said to their daughter:

“Bring the kizyak, apple of my eye. Your father must be hungry. I would make him some tee at least.

Airanbai started as if he threw a heavy load bearing on his shoulders and came to life only then. Smiling to his wife he began singing a naughty song named “Cuckoo”:

Behind the window a cuckoo cuckooing. My horse began with his legs hoofing...

1924