“Father has become strange since mother’s death.” Brother said to the sister.
“Why do you say so?”
“He said a similar thing to me. How strange this world is.” Sister said in a sad tone.
“What is that?”
“He called me to a side and said that he cannot look after me any more. He wants me to stay in our paternal aunt’s house.”
“Oh my god!” Brother exclaimed
“I cannot live with her at all. But I cannot go against father too.”
“Do not worry,” said the brother, “I will come and see you from time to time.”
Things were done in the way the father desired. The brother was ushered into the monastery and given over to the wise man.”
The sister had to go to the paternal aunt’s house.
“You can meet each other whenever it is necessary.” The father said to the brother and sister.
“Look after your only sister. Let me live alone in the house.” The father said.
The monastery was a good place. But it was not the same for sister. While the brother could study well, the sister had to
exist under the pangs of her paternal aunt.
“I want you to look after my daughter well.” Father said to his sister and handed over gold coins. He was rich and he had to
manage several activities. He entrusted them with others. The servants knew the master’s nature. So they were up to mischief. They squandered money.
While the father visited his children, they too had the chance of meeting each other.
“We have to earn money for ourselves.” The brother said to sister one day.
“Yes, I have saved some money given by father. Let me give them to you.” Sister said.
“I have saved money too. I usually walk to save money when I visit you.”
He was happy to see his sister’s poems. He read them and remarked:
“We should publish these poems one day.”
“Are they that good?” Asked the sister.
“Yes they are.”
As time passed the brother and sister came to know the father’s marriage to a woman who is up to many evils. They discussed
this and kept it as a secret. One day an important event occurred in the monastery, where the brother lived. An elderly
person who looked like a scholar came to the monastery.
“I am planning to start a new newspaper for the province. Can you be one of my share holders in the project?” He asked.
“What do you want me to do?”
“I want you to help me promote the paper, you can be a shareholder by pooling some money, if you have any with you.”
“I have some money saved. I can invest that to the project. Then my sister who writes poetry can also be a contributor.”
“Oh that is excellent. Let’s start the work without any further delay.”
The brother and sister joined hands to bring out the provincial newspaper as one of their own treasures. They bought a small
house, where the printing machine was installed. Their father who got married for the second time was not seen for a long
time. But the brother and the sister yearned to see him. They had to do a lot of work to make the paper known by the
readers. So they went on inventing various new attractive methods of promoting the paper. It so happened that they started
writing their own story in episodes. One week the sister wrote an article in the form of a letter addressed to her brother.
The reply was written by the brother. So it went.
‘The Weekly Herald’ - so the paper was known - became gradually popular.
The owner of the paper fell ill and died. One day
as the brother and the sister were planning to promote their paper, an old wearied person who looked like a skeleton
appeared before them.
“Can you make me out?” He enquired. They could make him out.
“You are our father, at last you have come to see us.” The brother and the sister told him.
“Forgive me my children. I’m an poor old beggar now. I was rich when your mother lived. But today I regret what I did.”
Both siblings consoled the father.
“You need not worry. We can now afford to look after you. Please stay with us,” They said.
Then they decided to write the life story of their father, which too became popular.
Daily News
