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.