The Story of How Ivan Ivanovich Quarreled with Ivan Nikiforovich Summary

Ivan Ivanovich is a much admired and well-off man living outside the town of Mirgorod. His friend and neighbor is Ivan Nikiforovich who is also an excellent person, though just a notch below Ivanovich. Ivanovich discovers that his neighbor has a gun and concludes that Nikiforovich does not need it. Ivanovich visits Nikiforovich and asks him for the gun in exchange for a brown sow and two sacks of oats. Nikiforovich is insulted and refuses and calls Ivanovich a goose. Ivanovich is highly insulted and the two are no longer friends. A family friend, Agafya Fedoseevna comes to visit Nikiforovich. She is a very domineering woman who discourages Nikiforovich from reconciling with Ivanovich. Nikiforovich builds a goose pen that overlaps onto Ivanovich's property.

One night...