The Wednesday and Thursday Story

There was once upon a time a town called Atpat. In it there lived a prince who had seven sons and seven daughters-in-law. Every day there used to come to the prince’s house two Brahmans, an uncle and a nephew. But when they asked for alms the daughters-in-law sent word that they were too busy to give them any. Some time afterwards the prince lost all his riches and became very poor. The two Brahmans again came to beg, but the elder daughter-in-law said to them, “We are no longer busy, but we have nothing to give you. If we had, we should give it to you.” The youngest daughter-in-law, however, was a clever little girl, and she thought to herself, “The Brahmans will get very angry with us. When we had money, we gave them nothing; and now we give them nothing because we have nothing to give.” So she fell at the elder Brahman’s feet and said, “We have been very wicked and have deserved to become poor. But please forgive us and tell me how we may become rich as we were before.” The elder Brahman said, “Every Wednesday and every Thursday you must invite a Brahman to dinner. And if you have no money to pay for the dinner, draw a pair of cow’s feet on your money-box. If you want grain for the dinner, draw a pair of cow’s feet on your corn-bin. Then worship the feet and welcome the Brahmans. For you will find that you will have money in your box and grain in your corn-bin. And in time you will all get as rich as you were before.” The little girl did what the Brahman told her. And whenever she invited Brahmans to dinner, she drew the cow’s feet on the cash-box and on the corn-bin, and there was always money and grain sufficient for the meal.

So the little daughter-in-law was crowned queen, but she did not let the other daughters-in-law who were also working at the tank know of her good fortune. As queen, she gave a great feast to all the workers on the tank. But in her own palace she took some wheat flour, and she kneaded it into shapes resembling human feet and human fists. And when the other daughters-in-law were with the crowd of workers eating at the feast, she went up to them, and to each daughter-in-law who had kicked her she gave a flour foot, and to each daughter-in-law who had struck her with her hands she gave a flour fist. Then the daughters-in-law recognised who the little queen was, and they fell at her feet and begged for her forgiveness. So the little queen forgave them and took them back with her into her husband’s palace. And they all lived together happily ever afterwards.