58 STORIES OF PLANTS AND ANIMALS 



" Wenonah had grown up in this place alone 

 with her father ; for her mother had disappeared 

 one spring night when Wenonah was a babe. 

 Stolen by wild beasts some thought, but others 

 shook their heads, saying that she was the daugh- 

 ter of Weeng, the Spirit of Sleep, who had come 

 before day-dawn and carried her away ; but from 

 that day Kaniwa's wigwam was lonely. 



"Wenonah left the wigwam reluctantly and 

 returned eagerly. She loved Heart of Nature 

 and the things he ruled, more than those things 

 belonging to the third ruler, Heart of Man." 



(" Heart of Man ! that means people ; now I 

 know another why" whispered Tommy-Anne to 

 herself.) 



"The beasts all loved Wenonah. The Wild 

 Cat smoothed his snarl into a smile, and carried 

 his furry cubs in his mouth to her that she might 

 caress them. The shiest Moose would kneel 

 before her to have his head rubbed. Chetowaik, 

 the Plover, every season brought for her eating 

 some of his most treasured eggs ; Subbe-ka-she, 

 the Spider, wove rare lace for her ; and Shi-sheeb, 

 the painted Wood Duck, moulted his gayest 

 feathers for her decking. The timorous Gray 

 Rabbits come forth in the moonlight, circling 

 about her and doing their dances and jumping 





