The two daughters-in-law, wives of the two
elder sons, had but recently been brought into the house, and were
both from one village a few miles away. Having no mother-in-law
living, they were obliged to appeal to their father-in-law whenever
they wished to visit their former homes, and as they were lonesome
and homesick they perpetually bothered the old man by asking leave of
absence.
Vexed by these constant petitions, he set himself to invent a method
of putting an end to them, and at last gave them leave in this wise:
"You are always begging me to allow you to go and visit your mothers,
and thinking that I am very hard-hearted because I do not let you go.
Now you may go, but only upon condition that when you come back you
will each bring me something I want. The one shall bring me some
fire wrapped in paper, and the other some wind in a paper. Unless you
promise to bring me these, you are never to ask me to let you go home;
and if you go, and fail to get these for me, you are never to come
back."
The old man did not suppose that these conditions would be accepted,
but the girls were young and thoughtless, and in their anxiety to
get away did not consider the impossibility of obtaining the articles
required.
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