I^Ew,'^] LEGENDS 545 



one paid the slightest attention to the recumbent figure, which was 

 heavily covered with robes of skin from head to foot. Hence her 

 curiosity was thoroughly aroused, especially as it was on this bed 

 that her mother had directed her to sit. 



The next day, when all the other persons of the lodge except the 

 recluse and the bride wife had gone out into the forest on their 

 various errands, she arose from her couch, and crossing over to the 

 other side of the fire, went to the bed on which lay the covered 

 figure and cautiously drew down the covering from the head of the 

 person who was fast asleep. There she saw with longing eyes and 

 half-suppressed passion a handsome youth of finely developed figure. 

 She stood there partly bent over the sleeping youth, sorely in- 

 fatuated. By gently shaking the young man she finally succeeded in 

 awakening him, whereupon she said to him, "Arise, my friend, and 

 come to my couch and let us talk together." But the youth neither 

 arose nor would he speak to her, notwithstanding all her fervent 

 entreaties to embrace her. Naturally this conduct only intensified 

 the young wife's desii-e. so she continued during the entire day to 

 tease and coax the youth to go over to her own couch. But he made 

 no response to her persistent efforts. When she thought it was 

 about time for the other persons living in the lodge to return, she 

 went back to her couch, where she had remained of her own choice 

 the previous night. She did not love her husband since she found 

 out his misfortune and her great mistake in choosing his couch 

 (contrary to her instruction) for a resting place when she first came 

 to the lodge. 



When all the family had returned to the lodge for the night and 

 had prepared, cooked, and eaten their supper of coi-n bread, boiled 

 venison, and spicebush tea, they retired to their several couches, 

 whereupon the bride began to tell her husband a story invented for 

 the occasion. She declared that when he and his brothers and 

 sister had left the lodge the day before and she was alone with his 

 deanod'do"''. or recluse brother, the latter had come over to the side of 

 her bed and had made impi'oper proposals to her, and that she liad 

 great difficulty in resisting his attempted assaults. Her husband, 

 however, made no reply to this carefully concocted story. 



Again, the next day, when all the brothers excepting the recluse, 

 and their sister, had left the lodge, the bride went to the bedside of 

 the i-ecluse, and after awakening him, coaxed and begged him to come 

 to her own couch. Knowing her motive, the youth made no response 

 to her importunities except to tell her that she should be satisfied 

 with her own choice of a husband, reminding her that she had been 

 satisfied to reject the speaker when she first came to the lodge, 

 although she had been instructed to take a seat on his bed as a token 



