A Guide to MythologyClarke, Helen A. (Helen Archibald)
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A Guide to Mythology
Clarke, Helen A. (Helen Archibald)
Mythology -- Juvenile literature
The cruel Ranee was much vexed at hearing this, and all next day she
stayed in her room, and told the Rajah that she had a very bad headache.
The Rajah at hearing this was deeply grieved, and said to his wife,
“What can I do for you?” She answered, “There is only one thing that
will make my headache well. By your dead wife’s tomb there grows a fine
pomelo tree; you must bring that here, and boil it, root and branch, and
put a little of the water in which it has been boiled on my forehead,
and that will cure my headache.” So the Rajah sent his servants, and had
the beautiful pomelo tree pulled up by the roots, and did as the Ranee
desired; and when some of the water in which it had been boiled was put
on her forehead she said her headache was gone and she felt quite well.
Next day, when the seven princesses went as usual to the grave of their
mother, the pomelo tree had disappeared. Then they all began to cry very
bitterly.
Now there was by the Ranee’s tomb a small tank, and as they were crying
they saw that the tank was filled with a rich, cream-like substance,
which quickly hardened into a thick white cake. At seeing this all the
princesses were very glad, and they ate some of the cake, and liked it;
and next day the same thing happened, and so it went on for many days.
Every morning the princesses went to their mother’s grave, and found
the little tank filled with nourishing, cream-like cake. Then the cruel
step-mother said to her daughter, “I cannot tell how it is; I have had
the pomelo tree which used to grow by the Ranee’s grave destroyed, and
yet the princesses grow no thinner, nor look more sad, though they never
eat the dinner I give them. I cannot tell how it is!”
And her daughter said, “I will watch.”
Next day, while the princesses were eating the cream cake, who should
come by but their step-mother’s daughter. Balna saw her first, and said,
“See, sisters, there comes that girl again. Let us sit round the edge of
the tank, and not allow her to see it; for if we give her some of our
cake she will go and tell her mother, and that will be very unfortunate
for us.”
The other sisters, however, thought Balna unnecessarily suspicious, and
instead of following her advice they gave the Purdan’s daughter some of
the cake, and she went home and told her mother all about it.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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