Part 9 (1/2)

Again, the husband made a basket so narrow at the top that it was difficult to put anything into it, and also the mouth was of rough material so that the hand would be scratched in putting in or taking out the cotton. ”Surely, this will anger her,” thought the husband.

Turning it from side to side, the wife said, ”Now, this, too, is just right, for when the wind blows, the cotton will be caught on the rough wood at the mouth and cannot blow away.”

The two men in hiding all day heard nothing but gentle words, so, in the evening, they returned to the rich man, saying, for they knew not the efforts of the husband to provoke his wife, ”Those two know not how to quarrel.”

Gladdened, the seeker for virtue commanded them to be given the silver, for they loved peace.

The Widow's Punishment

Once there lived a woman who had a son and a nephew living with her. And upon a day they came to her desiring money that they might go and trade in the bazaar. She gave each a piece of silver of equal value, and bade them so to trade and cheat that they might bring home much money.

At the bazaar, one bought a large fish, the other, the head and horns of a buffalo, and, as they rested by the roadside on their way home, they tied the large, living fish and the buffalo head together, and threw them in a muddy stream. When they threw the stones at the fish, it jumped, thus causing the buffalo head to move as though it were alive.

A man saw the head in the water and desired to buy the buffalo. The boys named the price of a live animal, and, having received it, they fled.

As they went along, not long after, they found a deer which a wild dog had killed, but had not eaten of it. It they took with them, and, a drover, seeing it, asked where they had found it.

”Our dog,” said the boys, ”is so trained, it goes to the jungle and catches the wild animals for our food.”

The drover desired to buy the dog.

”No,” said the boys, ”we will not sell it.”

Their words but made the drover more eager to possess the dog, and he offered ten of his best cattle in exchange. The exchange pleased the boys, and, having received the cattle for their useless dog, they hastened to a large city, where they sold them for much money and returned home. On reaching it, they divided the money equally, but the mother was dissatisfied and desired that her son have the larger portion, therefore she insisted that they make an offering to the spirit in the hollow tree near by, before the money could be rightly divided.

While the boys were preparing the offering, the mother ran and hid in the hollow tree, and when they had made their offering and asked the spirit, ”What division must we make of the money?” a voice replied, ”Unto the son of the widow, give two portions--unto the nephew of the widow, give one portion.”

Greatly angered, the nephew put wood all about the tree and set fire to it. Though he heard the voice of his aunt, saying, ”I beg that thou have mercy on me and set me free,” he would not recognize it, and the widow and the tree perished. Thus, she who had taught him to cheat, by her own pupil was destroyed.

Honesty Rewarded

In the far north country there lived a father, mother, and son. So poor and desolate were they that their only possession was an old ax. Each morning, as the eye of day opened on the earth, they went to the woods and there remained until the evening, cutting the wood, which, when sold, furnished their only source of a living.

Upon a day, when the cutting was done, they placed the ax near the wood and went deeper into the jungle for vines to bind the wood. It happened the chow of the province came that way with twelve of his men; one of whom bore an ax of gold, another bore an ax of silver and both belonged to the chow. Yet, when the chow saw the old, wooden-handled ax lying near the wood, he commanded that it be taken home with them.

The family returning found their ax gone. Deeply distressed, they sat down and wept, and thus in trouble, did the chow and his men find them as they came that way again.

”Why are your hearts thus troubled?” inquired the chow.

They answered: ”O chow, we had but one ax and it is gone and no other means of earning food have we!”

The chow replied: ”I found your ax. Here it is.” And he commanded they be given the ax of silver, whose handle even was silver.

”That is not ours,” they cried, ”not ours.”

The chow commanded the ax of gold be given them. Yet they wept but the more, saying, ”The golden ax is not ours. Ours was old, 'twas but of steel and the handle of wood, but 'twas all we had.”