Page:Buddhist Birth Stories, or, Jātaka Tales.djvu/405

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31. — ON MERCY TO ANIMALS.
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"We don't know anything about righteousness. Hand them over for money!" said they.

"I want no money; I will only give to the righteous," was her reply.

"This must be some mad woman!" said they, and left her.

But when Well-born heard what had happened, she thought, "This must be meant for me!" and went and asked for some cucumbers.

"Do you live a righteous life, lady?" was the question.

"Certainly, I do," said she.

"It's for your sake that I brought these here," replied the old woman; and leaving all the golden cucumbers, and the cart too, at the door of the house, she departed.


And Well-born still continued in righteousness to the end of that life; and when she changed her existence, she became the daughter of a Titan named 'The Son of Misunderstanding;' but in consequence of her virtue she became exceeding beautiful.

When she was grown up, her father assembled the Titans together that his daughter might choose for a husband the one she liked best. Sakka was looking about as before to find out where she was; and when he discovered it, he took the form of a Titan, and went to the place, — thinking that when choosing a husband, she might take him.

Then they led Well-born in fine array to the meeting place, and told her to choose whomsoever she liked as her husband. And when she began to look at them, she saw