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123. TWO TREES: HIGH AND LOW
In a town there lived a weaver. A number of young men worked for him in his workshop. One of them, a clever young fellow, had a sweet voice and he often sang as he worked on the loom. The weaver's daughter, a pretty looking young person, felt considerable fancy for the melodious singer and one of these days he suggested that they should run away from her father's house, without being noticed by any one and go to a distant place to get married. The young woman liked the idea but she had, as she told him now, come to an arrangement with her dear friend, the princess of the town, that they should both marry one and the same husband. To this the young man readily agreed and said she should inform the princess and fix a day for their departure together.
Accordingly, on the appointed day the princess got out of the palace fairly early in the morning. Fortunately no one had noticed her. As she was slowly and stealthily walking down to her friend's place she heard a song, some one was singing somewhere there. It was about two trees, one Mango and the other Karnikāra. This inferior tree has come into bloom and the Mango has not - it has been delayed on account of an extra-month that has been added to the year. In the song it seems the Mango - a tree of noble birth - is being warned not to be impatient. The princess quickly saw sense and said to herself that she should not behave like that ordinary weaver girl and rush out to get a husband for herself. She quickly turned back toward the palace, telling them that she had forgotten her jewellery which she must fetch.
In the palace there had already come the prince of a small town around there. He wanted her father to help him out of a difficult situation which had threatened his kingdom. The father agreed but before that fixed his daughter's marriage, with him. The Mango tree soon enough blossomed and the perfume spread far and wide.
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