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184
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
[MAY, 1891.
But the merchant urged and begged very much, saying: “Come, come, sell it to me at any price; my need is greater than yours, as I want it immediately, while you can wait for the rains, by which time you can collect another and bigger heap than this."
The páfél, however, said that he must consult his daughter-in-law before disposing of it. So he called her out, and told her that the merchart asked him to sell the firewood.
“No, no," answered the daughter-in-law, quick as lightning. "What are we going to burn during the rains, which will begin in a few days, if we sell the firewood now? If we buy is afterwards it will cost as twice or three times as much as we have paid for it now, and we could ill afford to pay even the present price !"
In this way she refused to sell the wood. But the merchant, who was in very great need of it, offered to give her even four times its value, and at last she consented, and sold the wood, which brought them near a thousand rapees. Thus, through the industry of the youngest daughter-in-law, the family now owned more money than it ever had before. Her next care was to take her father-in-law to a goldsmith's house, where she bought jewels for the pátél's other daughters-in-law. After this she bought more provisions. This time also, when she asked them to help her in the washing of the rice, grinding it, and so on, the ungrateful and lazy wretches refused to help her, and, again, she had to do it with the aid of the old párél and her husband.
With all this, she still had a large sum of money left; so she thought of using it in a way that would bring in still more. This time she suggested to her father-in-law to gather some stones into a large beap. The old pa!él, therefore, hired some labourers, and at once set to work, In a month or so they collected an enormous heap of stones.
It now happened that the king of that country was building a new palace, but, unfortanately, as one wall was erected and another was being built up, the first would give way and fall into rains. As soon as the first wall was rebuilt, the second wall gave way, because they were being built of mere earth. This went on for several months, and the king had already spent much time and a vast sum of money, bnt in vain. At last his kárbhárí thus advised him: -
"Your Majesty has already spent much time and money over this bailding, but apparently to little or no use. In my opinion it would be better to use stones for the building, which will ensure greater strength, and I feel confident that the work will not trouble you as it does now."
The king, who always abided by the council of his kárbhGri, agreed to the suggestion, and sent his men to seek for stones. The men chanced to pass by the págel's house, and, seeing the great beap of stones, asked him if he would sell them.
The pától, as instructed by his daughter-in-law, said :-No, these stones are not for sale ; we are about to rebuild our house, and so we shall want them ourselves."
The king's men, however, pressed him very much to part with the stones, telling him that as they were wanted by the king, he would pay him a high price for them.
Upon this the parel called out to his daughter-in-law, and said to her :- "Look here, here are the king's men, who want to buy up this heap of stones."
The daughter-in-law at once replied: - "Oh no, oh no! See, our house is in quite a dilapidated state, and it may tumble down at any moment. We must soon set about rebuilding it, and if you are going to sell these stones, what will you do? It will be difficult for us to get together such a heap in time. Do not talk of selling them."
But the king's people would not be quieted with this answer. They begged and urged very hard, till at last she yielded, and named the price of the stones at some thousands of rapees, which were paid, and the stones taken to build the king's palace, which was shortly completed to the great joy of the king.
