The Boys Who Were Not Appreciated

: Wonders of Wisdom
: Laos Folk-lore Of Farther India

Once there were two brothers. The elder watched and tended the younger

during the day, while their mother went to labor for food. It had

happened that the father had died, and the mother had taken another

husband who ever sought to teach the mother to dislike and neglect the

brothers.



And it fell upon a day that the children waited and watched for their

mother's return until they were hungry, for all day
ad they had no

food. When the eye of day closed, they sought food and found some green

fruit. This they ate and then lay down to sleep.



Long after darkness had settled, came the mother and her husband home,

and the mother cooked rice which they sat down to eat.



Awakened by the odor of the rice, the children heard the talking, and

the elder led his younger brother to his mother and begged food, but the

husband said, "Do not give them of our food," and the mother beat them

and drove them from home. The elder brother carried his little brother

back to sleep under the house, but even thence were they driven. At last

they sought and found shelter with a neighboring widow, who gave them

mats to sleep on. As the eye of day opened, the two children set out to

find a new home. For many days did they walk, and upon an evening they

found a sala near the chief city of another province. There they

slept. In the morning the elder boy sought food, and behold, he saw two

snakes wrestling under the sala. Both were wounded. One, however,

killed the other and then left it and ate some grass growing near, and,

lo, immediately the snake was whole as before. Waiting only until the

restored snake had gone, the boy gathered some of the grass, and put it

in the mouth of the dead snake, and forthwith it came to life and

blessed the boy. Gathering more of the grass, the boy returned to his

brother and they both ate of it and were strengthened.



Not long after, a servant of the chow of the neighboring province came

to the sala, and the boys asked, "For whom is the mourning in the

city?" The servant replied, "The young daughter of the chow; and the

chow mourns. If any one will restore her unto life, the chow declares,

unto him will he give half of his province and goods."



Eager to try the wonderful grass, the boy carried his young brother and

some of the grass even unto the chow's house, where he sought permission

to restore the child with the grass. Gladly the chow consented. The boy

placed the magic grass in the maiden's mouth, and immediately she came

to life. Full of joy, the chow shared his province and goods with him

and even gave his daughter in marriage, as promised.



And upon a day after they had lived happily a long time in that province

and had grown wise and strong, the two young men thought of their

mother, and said, "We will go and visit her and her husband."



They made ready joints of bamboo and closed them, after having filled

them with gold, in such a way that no one could see the gold. When all

was ready, with a great number of elephants and servants, they returned

to their native province.



On reaching their home, they gave of the bamboo joints to their friends

and relatives, one each, but to their mother and her husband, gave they

five of the largest joints, and two of the largest gave they to the kind

widow.



"The bamboo makes fine firewood," they said to their mother. "Cut it up

and burn it."



The mother and her husband were angry and would not speak to the sons

who had brought but wood as a gift, and sorrowfully they returned to the

other province.



Upon a day the widow visited the mother and urged that she cut the

bamboo joints.



"Your sons say that the bamboo makes a good firewood. Where is yours?"

the widow asked.



The mother replied, "It is outside. Our children came from a great

distance and brought to us but this firewood. We shall never touch it."



But the widow urged, "I would believe and trust the love of my children.

I beg that you cut up the wood." At last they did so, and when the

husband cut into the joints, lo, he found them all gold. Then ran they

both to find the sons to thank them, but they were already too far

distant. Unable to endure their remorse, there the mother and her

husband died on the wayside.



More

;