The Rajah’s son, who was tired of acting the part of a servant-girl, was only too glad to do this; and the Sowcar, rather than let anybody know of his disgrace in having lost his nose, left the country, and thus his wife gained her ends.
BEY HUSLO
Bey Huslo was a very extravagant woman, who was always being found fault with by her husband, who held up as her examples other women who were thrifty in their habits, and who saved money, and helped to make and build up their husbands’ homes.
On hearing this Bey Huslo took a pick-axe, and began digging here and there like a mason. Her husband asked what she was doing, and she replied: “Trying to build you a house.”
He tried to explain that that was not literally meant, and explained again the duties of a wife. “When a good wife falls short of supplies, she borrows two cuttorah’s full (or small earthen vessels full) of flour from her neighbour, and thus saves herself the expense of buying any large quantity.”
That night Bey Huslo, who had taken this saying literally, borrowed two small earthen vessels, and, breaking them into small pieces, put them on the fire to cook!
Her husband heard the sound as they grated against the cooking-pot, and asked what she was cooking that made such a noise; but he was very angry indeed when she told him, and scolded her roundly.
He told her she was perfectly useless, and that, while he had to go about without clothes, other women were able to spin and weave. She replied that if he would only give her some wool, she could do the same.
The man was delighted, and gave her some wool; so she took it to the pond, and told the frogs and toads to weave it into cloth for her.