62 STORIES OF PLANTS AND ANIMALS 



" The Red Brothers counted the time l>y notches 

 on a stick, one cut for each snow season. When 

 twenty were cut, they laid the slick away and 

 began another, as in Birdland we count by the 

 nesting seasons. 



" Wenonah saw that her father was sad, but 

 she kept on singing to A-moe and his work-people, 

 who were buzzing about the fragrant wild-grape 

 flowers. When she raised her voice, the bees flew 

 away in alarm, but when she dropped it to a mur- 

 muring like to their own speech, they crowded 

 about her, and the words that she sang were 

 these : 



" The poor little bee 

 That lives in the tree, 

 The poor little bee 

 That lives in the tree, 

 Has but one arrow in his quiver ! l 



(: ' Fiftean snows have gone,' muttered the war- 

 rior ; 'what if the old wives say truly, and my 

 child should leave me ? ' 



" Wenonah heard the words and started, a wild 

 look coming into her eyes, but she quickly grew 

 calm and laughed merrily to comfort him. 



" 4 Why do you laugh, my daughter ? ' 



1 Kaniga nursery rhyme. 



