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sisters of your sister-in-law who went away. As many as you are, so many 
are the women. In the order of our ages they will take their seat by your 
sides, when they enter,” he said. 
Oh, very glad was Matchihkiwis that he was to have a woman. When 
they had groomed themselves, that youth went out to go call the women. 
When he came to where they were, “Truly, you are late in coming 
back,” his wife said to him. 
“Yes, for my brothers had much to do, grooming themselves. Ever 
since I went away, they have been staying in that one spot and have taken 
no care of their appearance, because, when they did not see me in time, 
they thought of me, ‘No doubt he has gone to his destruction,' ” he told his 
wife; “Now then, sister-in-law,” he said to that eldest sister, “There by 
the door sits my oldest brother; he is the one with whom you will keep 
company. You will enter last, when all your sisters here have entered. Do 
not enter promptly. Walk back and forth outside the door. Let us try 
to make my eldest brother suffer from hope deferred,” said that youth. 
“Very well,” said the Silly Maiden. 
“Come!” 
Then they set out, Silly Maiden laughing all the while, glad that she 
was to have a husband. And as those young men sat there, and Mat- 
chihkiwis kept peering out through the door, in time he saw them approach, 
and one he saw who was beautiful and wore the finest clothes. At last 
they arrived, and they heard how some one of them jingled as she moved. 
When their youngest brother entered and took his seat, in came their 
sister-in-law. 
“Splendid, splendid!” cried the young men, when they recognized their 
sister-in-law. And then another came in, and she took her seat by the side 
of the youth who was next to the youngest. After that they came in at 
short intervals, and each one sat down by a young man. At last they had 
all come in. Only that Silly Maiden would not come in. And so Mat- 
chihkiwis was left as the odd one, and he kept looking at the doorway, 
looking out for the woman to enter, who could be heard walking up and 
down with her clothes a-jingling. At last she came in. Hah, she was 
beautifully clad! When she sat down by Matchihkiwis' side, he was 
delighted. So now all of them had wives, and they talked and talked and 
jabbered, and told stories, and laughed. 
Presently Matchihkiwis said, “Why, brothers, why do you sit here 
like this? Do not forget we are newly married!” he said. 
He took some charcoal, ground it up, and painted himself, blackening 
his face round the eyes. He took his club and went out of the tipi, and 
where, close by, there was a small knoll in the land, he knocked with his 
club; then he heard the growling of a bear; he killed it. He took it back 
to the lodge with him; he brought it inside. 
“Here, this is for you, my wife! I daresay you were looking forward 
to this kind of food when you decided to come here and marry me,” said 
Matchihkiwis. 
“Oh, fiune! Truly, I am glad that I am to eat bear's meat,” said the 
Silly Maiden. 
So then she cut up the bear and put it in the kettle, and they all ate 
of it. When they had eaten, it was dark, and so they went to bed. 
