Atondido Stories
The Beast Slayer
Once upon a time there was a man and his wife who were very
poor. The man earned his living making wooden bowls and
platters to sell and worked early and late, but wooden bowls and
platters were so very cheap that he could barely support his fam-
ily no matter how hard he worked. The man and his wife were
the parents of three lovely daughters. They were all exceedingly
beautiful, and the man and his wife often lamented the fact that
they did not have money enough to educate them and clothe
them fittingly.
One day there came to the door of the poor man’s house a
handsome young man mounted on a beautiful horse. He asked
to buy one of the poor man’s daughters. The father was very
much shocked at this request. “I may be poor,” said he, “but I
am not so poor that I have to sell my children.”
The young man, however, threatened to kill him if he refused
to do his bidding; so finally, after a short struggle, the father con-
sented to part with his eldest daughter. He received a great sum
of money in return.
The father was now a rich man and did not wish to make
bowls and platters any longer. His wife, however, urged him to
keep on with his former occupation. Accordingly he went on
with his work. The very next day there came to his door another
young man, even handsomer than the other, mounted upon
even a finer horse. This young man made the same request that
the other had done. He wanted to buy one of the daughters.
The father burst into tears and told all the dreadful happen-
ings of the day before. The young man, however, showed no
pity and continued to demand one of the daughters. He made
fearful threats if the man would not yield to his request, and the
father became so frightened that he at length parted with his
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