Anton Pavlovich Chekhov. A Collection of Stories. The Fourth.

"Strong Feelings," "The Stupid Frenchman," "Papa," "The Female Pharmacist," "The Chameleon," "The Exam for Rank," "My Housekeeping."

"Papa" is one of A.P. Chekhov's early humorous stories (1880) about a funny incident centered on an elderly man. The text satirically exposes petty-bourgeois habits, vulgarity, and carelessness. The comedy largely rests on the hero's absurd actions and the absurd twists typical of the writer's early works.

Brief summary of Chekhov's "The Female Pharmacist"
In a small town, the pharmacist's wife languishes by the window: it is still quiet all around, everyone is asleep, including her elderly pharmacist husband. The woman cannot sleep—she is overwhelmed by boredom and melancholy. Suddenly voices and footsteps are heard from the street: a plump doctor and Obtesov pass by, discussing the pharmacist and speaking of him mockingly. But they praise his beautiful wife and dream of seeing her. The men come into the pharmacy, and the dejected хозяйка happily comes out to talk with them.