3r6 Field Columbian Museum — Anthropology, Vol. V. 



"All right, but you must hide it as you walk back," said the sister, 

 reaching for the parfleche. Taking the wee bit, the sister handed it to 

 the little girl and told her to go back quickly and be quiet about it. 

 (This girl was standing outside, but reached with one hand for the 

 beef.) "All right, I wall run quickly and deliver it to him," said the 

 child. 



Before this girl had persuaded the sister for a parcel of food, the old 

 folks had been amusing themselves with their young baby, which at- 

 tracted the attention of the couple. 



The young wife ran, out and entered the old folks' tipi, to find out 

 about their different humor. Said she, looking around : "What makes 

 you people so jolly and contented? From your laughter it seems to 

 us that you have a young child." The little boy had seated himself be- 

 tween the parents, hiding his little sister, and in fact they looked very 

 innocent. "Oh, well," said the old woman, crossing her legs, which 

 pointed to the fire, "this little brother of yours is so jolly and mis- 

 chievous that we cannot help but have a social time. Sometimes we are 

 in good mood, daughter." 



While the little girl was walking back to her parents' tipi the son- 

 in-law came in sight of the tipis and saw a little girl just reaching the 

 old folks' tipi, on her return from his own. He reached his tipi, and 

 entered with different disposition. "Say, my wife, I think I saw a nice 

 little girl entering your parents' tipi. Oh ! I shall be glad to have an- 

 other wife later on," said he, smiling, "so I wish you would go out and 

 tell them that I have killed a nice fat buffalo, and it is lying just a short 

 distance from here. You know that sloping valley?" said he. "Yes, 

 I do," said his wife. "Well, it is over there, lying dead, and just tell 

 them that they can go there and skin it and have all of it," said he, 

 seriously. So she went out and walked over and entered the old folks' 

 tipi, and said in friendly voice : "My husband has just returned, having 

 killed a fat buffalo, and it is lying at that sloping valley. It is not 

 very far off. He says that he wants you folks to go over and skin it for 

 yourselves and keep it all. He would like to have your daughter a 

 little while to play with, to sing for it." Said the little boy : "Oh, 

 no ! You folks can keep your beef ! He cannot have the young girl ! 

 He has been cruel and stingy with us long enough ; we cannot stand 

 it much longer. We are going to get my sister to the other camp- 

 circle, and so tell him to remain stingy." So the older sister coolly 

 took what her young brother said and went lazily out. *'My brother 

 says we can keep the beef and objects roughly to giving up his sister's 

 company," said she to her husband, taking her seat again. "Oh, I 



