A TKEASURY OF ESKIMO TALES 



stood in the entrance to the house and heard what 

 he said. It angered the son to hear the husband 

 gloating over him. He hid in the passage and 

 waited until the people inside were asleep, when 

 he crept into the house and, seizing the woman 

 by the shoulders, began dragging her away. 



Just as he reached the doorway he was over- 

 taken by the husband who caught the woman by 

 her feet. The two held on like grim death and 

 tugged and pulled until it ended in the woman 

 being torn in two. The thief carried the upper 

 half of the body away, while the husband was left 

 with the lower portion of his wife. 



Each man set to work to replace the missing 

 parts from carved wood. After these parts were 

 fitted on they came to life; and thus two women 

 were made from the halves of one. 



Owing to the clumsiness of her wooden fingers, 

 the woman of the south was a poor needlewoman, 

 but was a fine dancer. The woman of the north 

 was very expert in needlework, but her wooden 

 legs made her a poor dancer. Each of these 

 women gave these traits to her daughters, so that 

 to the present time the same difference is noted 

 between the women of the north and those of the 

 south, " thus showing that the story is true." 



86 



