Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review. Volume 22, 1911.djvu/103

 Collectanea. TJ

Ram acquiesced doubtfully. He would have preferred the red thread daily.

But after all it was our European nurse whe, impressed by the stories the natives told her about the power of the Holy Saints who are so numerous near the Indus, asked a peculiarly fat one to pray for the child. She gave him a rupee, and was sorry she had, because after blowing on the coin and waving it three times round the head of the infant, above whom he then breathed heavily with a saintly breath, he only prayed that he might become a Com- missioner, — a person of importance, but not at the head of the Official Hierarchy. " Pray for him to be a Lieutenant Governor, a Lord-Sahib," she asked. Just then I emerged from the Rest- house, and the fat man was saved any further trouble.

A. J. O'Brien.

Armenian Folk-Tales {continued). 5. Tenthousandfold}

Once upon a time there lived a man and a woman. This man was very pious. He goes to church every day. He gives a piastre to the priest each day, and every day the priest says to him, — "Blessed one, may Tenthousandfold give you a thousand in place of one." The man rejoices 3 he says to himself, — " This is a good thing. I give one ; I shall receive a thousand ! "

In the course of time he gives all that he has to the priest, and is left penniless. His wife says to him, — " Arise, go to the priest ; bring one thousand to give for bread and food, to last us till he pays us the remaining thousands little by little."

The man goes. — " Blessed of the Lord ! "

" God bless thee ! "

" O priest dear, I gave you so much that you might return thousands and thousands. Now, bring me a thousand to carry home, and I'll come later for the rest."

" Blessed one," says the priest, " you gave to me in order that Tenthousandfold should return you a thousand in place of one." ^ This is the third story in Manana.