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DECEMBER, 1886.)
FOLKLORE IN SOUTHERN INDIA.
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one-eyed Kurudi. His aunt's dearest ambition Thâņuji returned to the lacquered mansion had always been to unite her daughter to the He noticed the hut in front of the palace prince, but she now thought that she must gates, but did not care to enquire who lived in banish all hopes of its fulfilment, as long as it, and went on and touched the gate, which the four fair princesses lived. Her daughter, opened to him. He entered in and gave his however, was a scheming sort of girl, and wives all their father-in-law's presents, for the determined somehow to get one of the four old king had sent them through his son several princesses of Taūjai into her own quarters, and costly ornaments and cloths. The ladies put him there to murder her.
a thousand questions as to how he spent the "Then the other three ladies will spurn the month, and were eager to see Sivapuri, and to live prince," thought Kurudi, "and he will have there as Thâņuji's queens, under the kind prono other course open to him but to marry me." tection of their good father-in-law. But the
For this task she engaged a doubled-up old prince told them to wait for a few more months woman, instructed her as to the position of the till his aunt could dispose of Kurudiin lacquered palace, and told her that she was to marriage to some one, for he hated the idea of try her best to get into the good graces of the taking them to the palace while his cousin and princesses. She was to serve them for a time as enemy dwelt in it, -that consin whose hand a faithful servant, and wait her opportunity to he had repeatedly refused, and whom he could bring one of them away. Should she succeed never hereafter marry as long as he lived. in this, Kurudi promised her ample rewards. The prince's wives then told him about the
The doubled-up old witch started with provi- old woman, and Thâņaji had great doubts as sions for a month, and erected for herself a to the wisdom of admitting her into the temporary hut in the forest at the gate of the mansion. Having studied tricks at courts and lacquered mansion. Her nights she spent on a elsewhere, he suspected that the old woman platform on a tree for fear of beasts of prey, and came from his one-eyed enemy; but she left her days in her hut. After cooking and eating nothing unaccomplished on her part. Her a little rice in the morning she would take her repeated cries, with which the serene palace of stand near the gate of the mansion and bawl the wilderness began to echo, at last aronged out:
some pity for her in the heart of the prince. "My children! Have you all forgotten me, “Never mind," said he at last," let us admit your poor old foster-mother? Oh, how tenderly her and watch her character. If it is susI brought you all up in your earliest days! picious, we will pupish her; if on the contrary And remembering you, I have deserted all it is good, we shall be glad of having secured my relations, children and friends at Tafijai, her services." and have traced you to this wood. If you would Thus with his permission the old hag was take me into your service, I shall still continue entertained, and from that moment, it was as if to render you what help I can, in washing a serpent had been entertained to sting its own your clothes, in preparing your meals, in comb- master, who fed it with milk and fruits. Deep, ing your hair, and other domestic duties, which tricky, and a trained witch, the old hag pretendit was once my delight to perform while I haded to do all sorts of kindnesses to the Tañjai the charge of you all till your seventh year. princesses and their affectionate husband. What a foolish old king he was to think of There was nothing which she would not do marrying you to himself, and thus to have lost with her own hands. Early she rose, bathed you!"
and cooked, and attended to the wants of the These and a thousand mournful tales of the ladies, who aftor pleasant nights of singing and past, which she had carefully learnt from the dancing slept very late in the mornings. The one-eyed Kurudi and her mother, she would princesses found her invaluable, and this bawl out. Bat the ladies would never do any. necessity for her services, in addition to the thing without the consent of their husband, assumed kindness of the hag, increased their and their doors, too, would never open to any liking for her. The ladies loved her, and one except their lord.
their lord Thåņoji saw no reason, for the five After living with his father for a month, months he remained for the second time in the
