An elderly man and his old wife lived together in a small village near Hyderabad. One day the little old lady told her husband that she was going into Hyderabad to do some shopping. There are many big shops in Hayerabad, and the old lady liked shopping there. So early the next morning the man woke his wife with a hot cup of tea. 'Wake up, dear,' he said softly. 'I have made you a hot cup of tea, and I am putting it on the mat near your pillow. I am also leaving a hundred-rupee note next to the cup. Dont't go back to sleep, or you will miss the bus,'He shook her gently and then went out off to work in the fields.
The old lady lay on her mat and thought about what she was going to buy that day. She dozed off and then woke up with a start. 'Oh dear!' she said, looking at the clock, 'I will have to hurry, or I will miss the bus.' The old lady washed and dressed very quickly. She grabbed her bag and walked as fast as her little old legs would take her. When she got to the bus stop she was huffing and puffing.
Soon the bus arrived and the little old lady fought to ge on. What a crowd there was on the bus! Everyone in the district seemed to be going to Hyderabad that day. It was market day and many of the villagers were going to sell their wares in the city. There were men with baskets and sacks. There were women with babies and bags. There were children and old people with chickens and ducks.The roof of the bus was piled high with boxes and bags, baskets and sack, trunks and containers of all shapes and sizes. Somehow, the little old lady got a seat. She sat on the edge of a seat next to a very fat women. The fat women was holding a large bag on her lap.
Soon the bus began to move. It creaked and grooned; it rattled and clanked. The engine roared and off it went, faster and faster down the road. With some difficulty the little old lady peered out of the window. She could see the fields and trees, and the shops and houses beside the road. The little old lady was bounced up and down and when the bus went round a corner she had to hold on tight. It was not too uncomfortable as she had a nice, plump cushion on one side! It was hot and stuffy in the bus and the old lady yawned and then fell fast asleep. After a few minutes there was a loud bang. The little old lady woke up suddenly. A large box had fallen off the roof of the bus.
The bus screeched to a halt and tow or three men got out and ran off down the road to fetch the box. The passengers all laughed and cheered. The little old lady rubbed her eyes and said to herself, 'I really must stay awake. I have a lot of money in my purse, and if I fall asleep someone might take it.' She carefully took out her purse and opened it. She just wanted to check if her money was still there. To her shock and dismay the purse was empty! She put her purse away quickly and sat quietly. She was thinking about what she should do. She looked at the fat woman sitting beside her. The fat woman's eyes were shut and she was snoring loudly. 'Aha!' said the old lady to herself. 'I think you are pretending to sleep, my dear fat woman. And I think you must have stolen my hundred-rupee note!'
The little old lady noticed that the fat woman's bag was quite dirty. She also noticed that the fat woman's clothes were old and worn. The fat woman was certainly not rich. She felt sorry for the fat woman, but she also felt very cross. She decided not to make a big fuss or call for the police. Very carefully and quietly, the little old lady opened the fat woman's bag. And there on top of a larger red handerchief lay the hundred-rupees note. She put her hand into the bag an pulled out the note. She tucked it away in her purse and sat quietly till the bus reached Hyderabad. When the bus arrived at the main bus station, woman and the men, the children and the chickens, the sacks and the boxes and the bags all poured out of the bus. With some difficulty the little old lady got out too.
The little old lady had a wonderful time in the city. she went to the market and walked up and down. She stopped to look at the people and the traffic. She stopped to look al all the wonderful things in the shops, and to talk to some of the shopkeepers. She bought lots of things. The day in the big city went very quickly. Soon it was time to catch the bus home. A young boy helped the little old lady with her bags and parcels. Luckily, ther little old lady was early and found a good seat on the bus. She looked around at the people on the bus. She saw faces she knew and many new faces, too. One of the faces that she remembered was that of the fat woman. The fat woman was sitting at the back of the bus, and she looked very angary, indeed. Soon the bus was on its way, and in no time at all the bus arrived at the village. The little old lady's husband was at the bus stop waiting to meet her. He helped her to unload all her bags.
When the little old lady got off, the husband scratched his head and looked very puzzled. He stared at all the bags and parcels. 'Hello, my dear he said. I see you have bought many things today. But where did you get the money? What a silly question! replied the old lady. Why you gave me a hundred-rupee note this morning!' I did said man. But when I got home from the fields, the note was still on the mat where I left it. The little old lady said nothing. She turned and looked at the bus. It was going off at great speed, leaving behind it a huge cloud of dust and smoke. She now knew why the fat woman looked so angry.
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