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JULY, 1887.]
rubies, and putting it on one day she went with her heart full of joy near the cage of her pet parrot, and said:
FOLKLORE IN WESTERN INDIA.
"Pretty Polly! pretty Polly! What do I look like now ?. Don't I look every inch a queen, with this necklace of rubies reaching down to my toes ?"
The cunning bird, however, damped her spirits by exclaming:-"Oh, what is this necklace to a princess like you, when you cannot wear in your hair that sweet-smelling kêvrá flower which sends forth its fragrance for a hundred miles round!"
This made the princess unhappy again, and she said:" Where, do you think, Polly, I could get such a flower ?"
"Your father will procure it for you somehow, if you will sit dejected in a corner, refusing either to dress or to eat your food till he promises to get it for you."
The princess followed the advice of the parrot in every particular, and when the Raja saw his pet child so unhappy he could not but promise to get the flower for her at any cost, if she would but consent to be her usual self again. The princess, upon this, left off sulking,tree, and soon was as gay as ever, while the Râjâ ordered it to be proclaimed throughout the city that whoever brought the hévrá flower, that sent forth its fragrance for a hundred miles round, would be rewarded by having a large portion of the king's dominions made over to him.
Just about this time, Lalpart happened to remark to her husband that though she had been very happy with him, she had one source of grief. She had a sister, who was also a fairy, living far away in the jungles in a small box within an elephant's ear, and whom she had not seen for many years. She knew that her sister was very unhappy where she was, and would be only too glad to get out of her narrow prison to liberty and life. The prince, for his wife's sake, undertook to go and fetch her if she would but. describe to him her whereabouts.
"Walk on," she said, "towards the South, till you arrive at an extraordinarily large tree, and there you'll see a monstrous elephant lying under it. You must climb up the tree unseen, if you value your life, and must hide yourself in it for some time. You will then
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see that as soon as the elephant flaps his ears a box will fall out of one of them, from which a fairy will pop out and forthwith commence shampooing the monstrous beast. As soon as you see her, drop this letter, which I give you for her, right into her lap, and you'll find that as soon as the elephant goes to sleep, she will allow you to bring her away with you here. She is known by the name of Kêvråpari." "Yery well," said the prince, "I shall find her out, if only to please my dear Lâlpart."
So taking leave of the Râjâ, of his mother, and of both his wives, the Prince set out once more on a long, long journey. After some time he came to where the elephant was lying and climbing up the tree under which he lay he waited till Kêvrâpart popped out of her box, and shampooed the elephant till he went to sleep. He then gently threw the letter into her lap. She took it up and read it, and then looked up to him with a meaning smile, as much as to say that she would be glad to be delivered from the companionship of the loathsome brute. So when the elephant fell fast asleep, the prince cautiously slipped down the
and shutting the little fairy up in her box, he took her away with him, leaving the elephant to sleep at his ease.
Great was the joy of every one to see the prince once more amongst them. Everybody accorded him a cordial welcome, save his second wife, the princess, who had been staying at her father's house during her husband's absence.
The next morning, the lovely Kêvrâpari sat down to rinse out her mouth, when out of it dropped a beautiful sweet-smelling keurd flower, and the people for miles round were regaled with its powerful fragrance, so that every one thought that the kévrá flower, for which the Raja had proclaimed so great a reward had been found at last.
The sweet odour of the kevrá reached the princess, and her joy knew no bounds. She was all anxiety to set her eyes upon it, when her husband went up to her with the wonderful flower in his hand, and made her a present of it! Some days later the prince married Kêvrâparî too, and became the happy husband of three wives!
Twelve years had by this time rolled over the widowed queen's head. One day the prince
