Feb., 1904. Traditions of the Osage — Dorsey. 49 



40. — Splinter-Foot Girl". 



Once there were four boys living together. Having left .the young- 

 est one at home, they went hunting. When they came back from their 

 hunt they noticed that as he walked around he was crippled. They 

 found out what was the matter with him, but they could not find the 

 splinter in his foot. After a while, the boy's foot swelled up big. 

 The older brothers would carry water and get wood for him. The 

 boy squeezed the swollen foot and there came out matter and a little 

 girl baby. 



"It makes me mad that I should have been suffering for so long a 

 time," said he. The boy took a club, killed the baby and threw her 

 away. The child came to life and came back. The boy killed her 

 again and threw the baby away. The baby came again, crawling and 

 laughing. So the boy killed her and cut her up. in pieces and threw 

 them into the creek. As soon as he had returned from the creek the 

 baby came again, walking. The boy killed the baby again, and the 

 baby came walking back, and said, "My uncle." The boy was too good 

 of heart not to heed her. He said : "I will let my brothers see you 

 when they come back." He combed her hair and hid her in the brush, 

 saying, "My brothers will be back pretty soon, and when they come 

 back I will call you." The boy's brothers came back from their hunt. 



"Brothers, I have healed my foot, — just after you went away. It 

 was a baby that was making the trouble. I killed it," said the boy. 

 "What did you do that for?" said one of the brothers. "Well, it has 

 come back," said the boy. So the boy called the girl and she came 

 out of the brush. The oldest brother said : "Well, brother, we have 

 had no sister. We must be good to her." 



The brothers would not go hunting unless the girl went on ahead 

 and called the deer, elk and buffalo. All these would come, and the 

 boys would call them. The youngest brother would watch the girl. 



The oldest brother now told his niece that a monster was coming 

 to get her ; that she must not look at him. The monster came and fell 

 right down at the door, and said, "I have broken my leg." But the 

 girl never said a word. When the brothers came back from the hunt 

 the girl told them that the monster had been there, but that she had 

 not looked at it. Again they cautioned the girl not to look at the 

 monster if he should come again. 



The brothers all went hunting again. The monster came and threw 

 itself right on the fire, and the girl looked at it. It was an Elk, and it 



