A hardware merchant, who had occasion to go abroad, left his stock-in-trade in charge of a friend, but on claiming it on his return, was met with the reply that a colony of rates had invaded the store, and eaten up all the iron. He accordingly complained to Mariada Ramanna, who put him up to a trick of the same kind as his acquaintance had played upon him. The result was that he merchant, apparently, resumed friendly relations with his opponent, and, one festival day, invited his opponent's son home to participate in the merry-making. He, however, failed to return the boy as promised, and concealed him somewhere, and on being questioned by his opponent, replied that as he was bringing the lad home, a kite had pounced upon him and carried him off. The father having, in his turn, invoked the aid of Mariada Ramanna, the latter heard both parties, and after severely admonishing them for the parent falsehood of their amazing assertions, which seemed like an attempt to cover a whole pumpkin with a handful of rice, directed that each of them should forthwith return the other's property on pain of being incarcerated for perjury.
