THE GIRL WHO MARRIED A STAR. 29 
15. THE GIRL WHO MARRIED A STAR. * 
Long ago there lived a large family—father, mother, and eight chil- 
dren, four girls and four boys. They were all beautiful children, espe- 
cially one of the girls, who was exceptionally beautiful. The time 
came when three of the girls were married, but the youngest and most 
beautiful would not receive the attention of any one. The girl was 
peculiar in her tastes and roamed around alone. She wished to go 
away somewhere, for she was tired of her home. One time while she 
was walking alone she began praying to the spirits to help her, that she 
might go wherever she wished. That night she was outside the lodge 
watching the stars, and she found that the stars were not all alike; that 
some were bright and some were very dim. Finally she saw one, the 
North Star, that was very bright, and then again she began to pray to 
the spirits to help her, and she wished that she might marry the star 
and become his wife. She ceased praying and did not know where she 
was fora while, and the first thing she saw was a very old man sitting by 
the fireside with his head down. She stood for a long while watching 
him. At first she could not believe herself, and she thought that she 
was only dreaming, but finally the old man looked up at her and said : 
‘You are the young woman who wished to marry me and you have 
your wish ; you are now in my home as my wife, as you wished.’’ She 
did not like the looks of the old man, and she wished that she might 
get away from him ; but her wish was not granted and she had to stay. 
She tried many ways to get away, but all failed, and she was about to 
give up when she thought of a great big round stone that the Star had 
told her not to move, for it was very dangerous to move it. One time 
when the Star was away on a visit she thought she would go over and 
lift the stone and see what was there. She lifted the stone and found 
that she could look clear down to the earth, and then she began to 
wonder how she could get down to the earth. She put the stone back 
in its place, and when the Star came back he asked her where she had 
been, and she told him that she had been at home all the time. When 
night came she went to bed, and as she was wondering how to get down 
to the earth she thought about making a long rope out of soapweeds, 
for she had heard the old story about the people making such a rope 
long ago. When the Star went away for his nightly trip she would go 
out and cut soapweeds ; but when he came back he would always find 
her at home, and so he never thought of her doing anything of the 
kind. Finally she had enough weeds cut, and then she began to make 
the rope. It took her a long while before she had the rope finished. 
*Told by Annie Wilson. 
