JUNIOR KING'S BUSINESS Edited by Martha S. Hooker
the baby without a name
by Carol Terry
T h e r e w a s a p o l i t e c o u g h little village in India. Mrs. Powar was in the comer cooking on a tiny fireplace made of two mud bricks on the ground. She wiped her eyes, which were hurting from all the smoke in the windowless room, and went to see who had come to call, for in India instead of knocking on a door to an nounce your presence, you cough at the doorway. She was surprised to see a friend who had moved to another village several years ago. “ Laxmibai! How long since I’ve seen you! Come in, come in.” “ Laxmibai smiled and continued standing there, sort of jigg ling a bundle in her arms. “What do you have there.-' Looks like a baby.” “ Yes, it is. Can we stay a few days with you?” Laxmibai asked. “ Of course you can. As you know, I just have this one room, but we can sleep together. I had not heard of the birth of your child. Is it a boy or a girl?” • “ She is a girl, eight days old.” “That is very young to be travel ing around, and you do not look well. Come in and have some tea.” The women sat and chatted over the tea for some time. “What is your baby’s name?” Mrs. Powar asked. “ I haven’t named her.” “You haven’t named her! But why?” “ She has but added to the sadness of my life. What should I call her? ‘Shadow’ or ‘Sorrow’ or something like that?” Laxmibai asked, almost scowling at the baby. “ Don’t start her life out with a name like that. Call her something joyous and happy, and maybe some day she will bring you joy instead of sorrow.” at the doorway of the mud hut in a
“ No, I just won’t name her, because there is no name bad enough to de scribe all that has happened to me. It is not possible for me to give her a name of happiness.” “Tell me all that has happened.” Laxmibai looked very sad as she started her story. “As you know, I was married a few years ago and left this village to live with my husband. A few months ago he became very ill and died. We had to spend all our money for the doctor and medicines. Then eight days ago my baby girl was bom. I have no money left for food and am very weak. I have two brothers and thought they would help me. I went to the home of one of them, and as soon as he saw me, he cried out, ‘Get away from here. You are a widow now, a curse to all, and you will bring us bad luck. Do not even let your shadow come near our house.’ When I tried to plead with him, he picked up a stone to throw at me, so I left and went to my other bro ther’s home. His face became very dark when he saw me, and he said. ‘The Hindu writings teach that you have done some terrible thing in your life, and that is why your husband died. Because of that you are now a curse to everyone, and you will cause sickness and death and ill fortune wherever you go. We never want to see your face again! Then I did not know what to do. Remembering that you also had become a widow, I de cided to come to you, thinking maybe you would help me until I am strong enough to work. The baby is so tiny yet, I cannot leave it alone.” Laxmi bai started to cry and could say no more. Tears rolled down Mrs. Powar’s
cheeks also, as she listened to the sad story of her friend, for her own story was similar, only she had not had a child. “You stay with me until you are well, and then we’ll find some kind of work you can do. I am poor, but have enough to eat and will glad ly share what I have with you.” Laxmibai was glad to accept the invitation, and after talking a bit more, she lay down and slept for several hours, as she was very tired after walking so far. For several days the women were quite happy togeth er, doing the cooking and looking after the baby. But on the fifth morn ing when dawn was just breaking, Mrs. Powar was awakened by the cry-' ing of the baby. She did not get up, thinking Laxmibai would take care of her, but the baby cried louder and louder. Mrs. Powar called to Laxmi bai, but there was no answer. She got up and looked around the room, but Laxamibai was not there. She went outside and looked all around, but she was not there either. “ That’s strange,” she thought, “ why should Laxmibai go out so early in the morning, when it isn’t even light yet?” She picked up the baby and the baby was hungry and wanted milk. She did not have any milk in the house, and even if she bought some, it would not be like the moth er’s milk and the baby might not like it. She had no bottle with a nip ple and would have to feed the baby with a spoon. How could so tiny a baby drink milk from a spoon? She hoped Laxmibai would come back soon. Mrs. Powar gave the baby some wa ter to drink, and when the baby still cried, she gave her some tea. Every-
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