Three superb short stories from the first great Russian writer to emerge from the ranks of the proletariat, including the title story, in which a thieving vagrant takes on a young, unwilling apprentice; "Makar Chudra," the story of a an ill-fated romance between two gypsy lovers; and "Twenty-six Men and A Girl," widely regarded as Gorky's best short story, which describes how a wretched crew of bakery workers destroy their only source of joy and simple pleasure.