Sketches From Oldest America 



opposite, and she was not to be blamed if, at times, 

 she exercised her fiery tongue or wielded a stick. It 

 was the only way to excite a little energy in the man 

 she had accepted as her life partner. There was a 

 certain amount of affection existing between the 

 two; she looking upon him as a man she could con- 

 trol, while on his part, he viewed her with a con- 

 siderable amount of respect. 



Knowing the man's gossiping disposition so well, 

 she had ordered him to go up the river alone for 

 three or four weeks and lay in a winter's supply of 

 fish. He would much rather have taken a compan- 

 ion, for spending three or four weeks alone fishing 

 through the ice, with no one to converse with, did 

 not meet with his approbation ; yet he knew better 

 than to raise any objections with Mrs. Tungnaluke. 

 So he obeyed and went off. Feeling the loneliness 

 of his position, he worked with an unusual amount 

 of energy, trying to hurry the task through. Still 

 the feeling of, " Oh, if I only had some one to talk 

 to," would occasionally steal over him. 



One day, meeting with unusual success, he stayed 



at the task much later than usual and the twilight 



had begun to fade. At last casting his eyes toward 



his hut he was surprised to see the place brightly il- 



139 



