Summary “White Poodle” by Kuprin


A small wandering troupe traveled around the Crimea: an organ-grinder Martyn Lodyzhkin with an old organ-grinder, a twelve-year-old boy Sergei and a white poodle Artaud.

On that day the artists were unlucky. They went from dacha to dacha, they went around the whole village, but they could not earn anything. At the last dacha with a sign “Dacha Druzhba”, Martyn hoped for luck. The actors were already ready to perform, as a boy of eight years old jumped out of the house, and after him another six people. The boy screeched, rolled on the floor, jerked his arms and legs, and the others tried to persuade him to take a potion. The boy’s mother wanted to drive the artists away, but the boy wished to see the performance.

After the performance, the boy demanded that he buy a dog. Mother offered incredible money for Artaud, but Lodyzhkin refused. The servants drove the actors out into the street.

After a while, a traveling house was found by the janitor of

the summer residence Druzhba. He reported. that the lady gives three hundred rubles – you can buy a tavern for a poodle, but Lodyzhkin is adamant. Bidding, the janitor fed Arto with sausage.

After a poor dinner the artists fell asleep. Before that, Lodyzhkin dreamed of how he would buy Serezha a beautiful tights, in which he would perform in the circus.

When they woke up, they found that Artaud had disappeared. Now without a dog, the artists will lose their earnings. The police Lodyzhkin not stated, because he lived on someone else’s passport.

Artists stopped for the night in a coffee house. Far after midnight, Sergei went out into the street. Having reached the “Friendship” dacha, he climbed over the cast-iron graceful fence. In one of the outbuildings near the house Serezha found Arto. Seeing the boy, Artaud loudly barked and woke the janitor. Frightened, Seryozha rushed away, Artaud ran after him. Intuitively, the boy found a hole in the fence, but the janitor was getting closer and closer. Picking up the poodle, a small acrobat climbed over the wall and jumped onto the road.

The janitor stayed in the garden.

In the coffee house, Artaud found Lodizhkin among the sleeping guests and licked his face. Well, Sergei did not have time to question Sergei, but he was already fast asleep.

Gisselle Adan recounted

A small wandering troupe composed of organ-grinder Martyn Lodyzhkin, 12-year-old Sergei and a white poodle Arto traveled across the Crimea.

The day did not come – went from the dacha to the country, without earning anything. Seeing the sign “Dacha Druzhba”, Martyn hoped for success. The actors prepared to perform, but at that moment a boy ran out of the house, looking about eight years old. Six more people followed him. The child yelled, rolled on the ground, jerked his legs and waved his hands. The rest persuaded him to take medicine. The lady, apparently, the mother, wanted to drive away the artists, but the boy wanted to see the performance.

The actors performed, and the child began to demand that the dog be bought to him. His mother offered unthinkable money for the poodle Artaud, but Martyn refused to sell his friend flatly. The servants pushed the artists away.

They left, and after a while they found a janitor, where the boy lived. He said that the lady gave 300 rubles for a poodle. You can buy a whole inn, but Lodyzhkin was adamant. Bargaining with the organ-grinder, the janitor fed Arto with sausage. After a poor dinner, Lodyzhkin dreamed aloud: how they will buy Sergei a beautiful circus tights, and he will have success in this circus. Then the actors fell asleep. In the morning it was discovered: Artaud’s poodle had disappeared. Without a dog, the artists will fall completely! But the police could not say Lodyzhkin, because he did not live by his passport.

The artists stopped at the coffee house. At night, after midnight, Seryozha left. He went to the dacha “Friendship”, climbed over the elegant cast-iron fence. In the annex of the house he found Arto. Sensing an acquaintance, the poodle barked so delightedly loudly that he woke the janitor. Seryozha got scared and ran away. The dog rushed after him. The boy was looking for a loophole in the fence, and the janitor in the meantime was very close. Then, picking up Arto’s hands, the acrobat jumped over the wall and found himself on the road. The unlucky pursuer remained in the garden. In the coffee house, the joyful Artaud found Lodyzkin among the other sleeping guests among the others and began to lick him in the face. To ask Sergei about the incident the old man did not have time – the boy was fast asleep.


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Summary “White Poodle” by Kuprin