pushed it from him in his misery and rushed away to the camp and told
them all his story. And some doubted, and they went back with him to
the place where he and his wife had stopped to rest, and there lay the
doll, and besides, they saw in time snow the steps of two people, and
the foot of one was like the foot of the doll. And the man grieved
sore all the days of his life.

PUNCHKIN

By E. Frere

ONCE upon a time there was a Raja who had seven beautiful daughters.
They were all good girls; but the youngest, named Balna, was more
clever than the rest. The Raja's wife died when they were quite little
children, so these seven poor Princesses were left with no mother to
take care of them.

The Raja's daughters took it by turns to cook their father's dinner
every day, while he was absent deliberating with his Ministers on the
affairs of the nation.

About this time the Prudhan died, leaving a widow and one daughter; and
every day, when the seven Princesses were preparing their father's
dinner, the Prudhan's widow and daughter would come and beg for a
little fire from the hearth. Then Balna used to say to her sisters,
"Send that woman away; send her away. Let her get the fire at her own
house. What does she want with ours? If we allow her to come here, we
shall suffer for it some day."

But the other sisters would answer, "Be quiet, Balna; why must you