THE GIRL WHO MARRIED A STAR. 57 
stone, saying, “Do not harm the boy, but kill the mother.” Down— 
down—went the stone, and struck the young mother on the head; it 
cut the rope and her body fell; but the boy was safe. The boy stayed 
by his mother’s body and fed himself at her breast for a time. Her 
body began to decay. 
The boy went off and got into a cornfield, not knowing that it 
was corn. When lonesome he returned to his mother. The owner of 
the field was an old woman. She saw the footprints in her field. She 
wondered what it could be. She made a little ball and a crooked stick, 
also a little bow and arrows. She thought if it was a girl she would 
take the ball and crooked stick, but if it was a boy he would take the 
bow and arrows. When the old woman looked she found the little 
fellow had taken the bow and arrows. 
The old woman was very joyful. The little fellow had done much 
damage to her squash vines with his bow and arrows. She went out 
and hid in the field, waiting for the little fellow. The boy came as 
usual with his weapons and the old woman sprang out and caught him, 
saying, “Oh, atine, atine; you are to come home with me.” 
She took the boy home and gave him food, such as fresh corn 
mush, succotash, and squash. The boy seemed quite happy. When 
the woman went out to work he amused himself with his arrows, shoot- 
ing little birds in the field, and on his grandmother’s return he would 
bring the birds for her to eat. She was a happy grandmother, proud 
of her little grandson. The boy grew larger. When he began to make 
his own bows and arrows to his taste he began to bring home larger 
game, such as deer and antelope. His grandmother was still happier. 
The boy’s grandmother was accustomed to place under a curtain 
which was always closed, a big wooden pan of whatever they had 
to eat, before she went to her work. The boy, noticing this, made up 
his mind to find out what it was. While she was gone, he moved the 
curtain and beheld a huge serpent with large yellow eyes. The boy 
said within himself: “Ah! here is the one that eats up everything 
that grandmother puts here.” He took his bow and arrows and shot 
and shot, until he killed it. 
The boy’s grandmother came in. The boy spoke up, and said: 
“Grandmother, I have killed the bad one that ate up everything you 
placed under that curtain.” The old woman appeared glad of it, but 
was hurt at heart. She covered the serpent and placed it in a pool. 
The serpent said that he could not do anything, because the boy was 
gifted with a great mysterious power of his father. The dead serpent 
was the husband of this grandmother. 
