HABRiNGioN) CHILDREN'S STORIES 363 



The Sphynx Moth and the Old Coyote 



There once lived at Picuris Pueblo a Sphynx Moth and his grand- 

 mother. The Sphynx Moth was a great believer; he believed every- 

 thing concerning the customs of the people. And he was very obe- 

 dient to his grandmother; he would go wherever his grandmother 

 would tell him, without talking back. 



Once his grandmother said to him: "My grandson, you must 

 make plumeros ' to-night and take them to Kan'in'cd, to the south- 

 east, early to-morrow morning. The Picuris youths and even Picu- 

 ris maidens take their plumeros there and supplicate. So early to- 

 morrow morning you must carry these plumeros and go there to 

 supplicate." So that night the Sphynx Moth made plumeros the 

 way his grandmother had told him. 



Early the next morning, carrying the plumeros, he set out for 

 Kfln'in'ai, to the southeast. As he went along through the fields, 

 he met Old Coyote, who was hunting around. "Good morning, 

 where are you going?" the Old Coyote said to the Sphynx Moth. 

 "I am going over southeast to Kan'in'ai," said the Sphynx Moth. 

 " What is it that you are carrying? " said the Old Coyote to the Sphynx 

 Moth. Then the Sphynx Moth said: "I am carrying my dead 

 grandmother over southeast to Kan'in'ai." Then the Old Coyote 

 said : "Then wait here for me, for I am going to get my grandmother." 



As Old Coyote told the Sphynx Moth thus, he ran toward Tciu- 

 thotha where his own grandmother was. When he arrived there he 

 hunted for a bag and went inside the house where his grandmother 

 was toasting com meal. And he said to his grandmother: "Grand- 

 mother, get into this bag!" But the grandmother woidd not get 

 into it. "Get in here, I tell you," said Old Coyote to his grand- 

 mother. But his grandmother woidd not get in. The Old Coyote 

 said: "If you do not get in, I will hit you on the head with a fire 

 poker and then put you m this bag." The Old Coyote told his grand- 

 mother thus several times, but he soon got disgusted and, taking the 

 fire poker which 'was lying by the fireplace, he struck his grand- 

 mother, where she was sitting toasting the corn meal, and then put- 

 ting her into the bag and carrj'ing her, he brought his grandmother 

 over to where the Sphynx Moth was waiting for him. "Now we 

 shall both take our grandmothers over southeast to Kan'in'ai," said 

 the Old Coyote to the Sphynx Moth. The Sphynx Moth assented. 



Then they both started off to Kan'in'ai, to the southeast. As 

 they went along talking on the road they reached Kan'in'ai. There 

 in a rocky place the Sphynx Moth dug, and laid his plumeros. When 

 the Old Coyote noticed what the Sphynx Moth was doing, he dis- 

 covered that instead of a dead grandmother it was plumeros that he 



' Spanish: feather bunches. 



