Once upon a time there was an old Indian couple who had three daughters,
but no son. The two older girls were very beautiful; but the youngest
was plain and unlovely. Yet she was the wisest of the three. Her name
was Little Bear.
Now, there came a time when the father and mother grew too old to work
as they had done all their lives. It became necessary that the two older
daughters, who were strapping big girls, should go away to find work in
order to take care of the family.
"Take me with you," begged Little Bear.
But the older sisters shook their heads.
"No," they answered; "you would be of no use to us. You are too little.
You must stay at home."
The two sisters started upon their journey alone. But they had not gone
far when they heard the patter of feet behind them. They looked around,
and there was Little Bear running after them as fast as she could go.
The sisters were very angry. They took Little Bear and tied her to the
posts of the wigwam, so that she should not follow them again. Then once
more they started upon their journey.
They had traveled but a short distance when again they heard a noise
behind them. And there was Little Bear running toward them with the
poles of the wigwam upon her back.
The sisters were astonished and very angry indeed. They undid Little
Bear from the posts and tied her instead to a huge pine tree which grew
close by. And they said: "Now will you stay where we leave you, bad
Little Bear?"
Once more they went upon their way. But a third time they had not gone
far when they heard a great noise behind them. _Bumpety-bump!
Bumpety-bump!_ Along came Little Bear with the pine tree upon her
shoulders!
The sisters were now very, very angry. They untied Little Bear crossly,
with many jerks, and fastened her to a great rock on the side of the
hill. And they said: "Now we shall see whether you are anchored or not,
you obstinate Little Bear!" So they went upon their way.
Presently they came to a wide river, and they had no boat in which to
cross. They sat down upon the shore and moped, seeing no way to continue
their journey.
But suddenly they heard a terrible noise behind them, and there once
more was Little Bear, running toward them with the great rock on her
back.
This time the sisters were glad enough to see her. They unfastened the
rock and threw it into the middle of the river. Then they laid the pine
tree upon the rock, and so they had a bridge upon which to cross.
Merrily they passed over, all three. For this time Little Bear went with
the other two. And they did not send her away, because she was so strong
and useful. Presently, on the other side of the river, they came to a
wigwam, where lived an old witch-woman with her two daughters.
"Where are you going?" asked the old woman.
"Our parents are very old," said the three girls, "and we are going to
seek our fortune."
"Come in," said the old woman kindly. "Come in and have supper with us,
and sleep to-night in the wigwam with my daughters."
The travelers were glad to go in, for it was growing late. They had a
nice supper in the tent, and when it was night the daughters of the old
woman and Little Bear's two sisters went to sleep in a huge bed. The
sisters of Little Bear were on the outside, with the two others between
them.
Little Bear did not go to bed. She sat up with the old woman beside the
camp-fire, telling stories, until it was very late and the old woman
fell sound asleep. She snored loudly; but to make sure, Little Bear
reached out and pinched her gently.
When she found that it was not shamming, she crept softly to the bed
where the four girls slept and changed their places. After this Little
Bear's sisters were in the middle, and the old woman's daughters on the
outside. When Little Bear had done this, she crept back to the fire and
lay down, pretending to be asleep.
In a little while the old woman awoke and pinched Little Bear to see
whether or not she was really asleep; and although it hurt dreadfully,
Little Bear did not stir, or make a sound, but seemed to be dreaming
fast. Then the wicked old woman sharpened her long, bright knife and
stole to the bed where the girls were sleeping, and before they knew
what was happening she had cut off the heads of the two girls on the
outer sides of the bed. But it was her own two daughters whom the cruel
creature had killed, though she did not know it, in the dark! The wicked
old woman lay down to sleep, chuckling to herself. But when all was
quiet, Little Bear awoke her two sisters and they all three crept away
from that cruel wigwam, hurrying on their journey.
Now, in the morning when the old woman awoke and found what a dreadful
thing she had done, she was annoyed. She screamed and cried and tore her
hair, and then she jumped up into the sky and pulled down the sun from
its place, hiding it away in her wigwam, so that Little Bear and her
sisters might be lost in the dark.
In the pitchy blackness, worse than night, because there were no stars,
the three stumbled on and on, groping their way; and it was very
uncomfortable indeed. At any moment they might run into some terrible
danger.
At last they saw the flicker of a little light, and made their way
toward it. They found that it was a man carrying a torch and looking
about for something.
"What are you looking for?" they asked.
"I am looking for the sun," answered the man. "The sun is lost, and we
are in great trouble because of it. Tell me, have you seen the sun?"
They said "No," and asked him to lead them to his village, which he did.
And when they came near they saw the twinkle of many lights. All the men
of the town were looking for the sun, and there was great distress among
them because their Chief was ill, and he could not get well until the
sun should be put back into his place in the sky, and the days be bright
again.
Little Bear asked to see the Chief, and they took her to where he lay
dying.
"Great Chief," said she, "I think that I can help you."
"Can you bring back the sun, Maiden?" asked the Chief feebly. "That is
the only thing that will help me."
"Yes, I can do so if you will give me two handsful of maple sugar and
your oldest son," said Little Bear.
The Chief agreed. Little Bear took the maple sugar and went back to the
wigwam of the wicked old woman. She climbed up on the outside and threw
the sugar down through the chimney-hole into the kettle of rice which
the old crone was cooking. Presently the hag tasted it and made a wry
face.
"Bah!" she cried; "it is too sweet. I must go and get some more water to
put in the kettle."
As soon as the old woman left the wigwam to get the water, Little Bear
jumped down from the tent-roof, ran inside, and found the sun where the
witch had hidden it away. Up she tossed it into the sky; and lo! the
world was bright and beautiful once more.
Then she returned to the village, where the old Chief received her
gratefully. As he had promised, he bestowed upon her his oldest son. But
Little Bear did not want him. So she gave the young Chief to her eldest
sister for a husband; and they were very happy.
Now, when the old woman saw the sun shining once more in his usual
place, she was very angry. She screamed and she cried and she tore her
hair. Once more she jumped up into the sky, and this time she tore down
the moon, hiding it away in her wigwam, just as she had hidden the sun.
Then again the good old Chief fell sick, because now the nights were
pitch dark; and he asked Little Bear if she could help him.
Little Bear said: "Yes, I will bring back the moon, if you will give me
two handsful of salt and your next oldest son."
The Chief agreed. Little Bear took the salt and went again to the old
woman's wigwam, doing as she had done before. She tossed the salt into
the kettle of soup, and when the old woman tasted it she made a face and
said: "Ugh! This soup is too salt. I must get some more water to put in
the kettle."
As soon as the old woman was out of the way, Little Bear ran in and
seized the moon, which was hidden in a corner. She tossed it up into the
night sky, where it hung like a lovely lantern, and every one grew happy
again.
Immediately the old Chief became well, and was glad enough to keep his
promise and to give Little Bear his second son. But she did not want him
for herself. She married the young man to her younger sister; and they
were very happy.
This time the old woman was very angry indeed. She came by night to the
village and stole the Chief's beautiful horse, all covered with little
tinkly bells. At this misfortune the old Chief fell ill once more; for
he was very sensitive.
Once more Little Bear offered to help him if he would give her two
handsful of maple sugar and two handsful of salt, and his youngest,
handsomest son. Of course, the old Chief agreed.
A third time Little Bear went to the old woman's wigwam and found her
making soup. She did just as she had done twice before; only this time
the sugar and the salt together made a horrid mess! When the old woman
went out to get more water for a quite new soup, Little Bear slipped
into the tent and found the horse. As a precaution she first took off
his little bells, so that he should not make a noise to bring back the
hag. She removed all the little bells but one, and that one she missed,
it being hidden under a lock of his mane.
Gently she led the horse away. But alas! The one little bell which she
had overlooked began to tinkle as they fled. _Tink! Tink! Tink!_ Through
the wood the old woman heard it and pricked up her ears. _Hop, hop,
hop!_ Along she came, hobbling after them faster than any horse could
gallop, and she caught Little Bear before she could escape.
"Now I will be even with you for all that you have done!" cried the old
woman.
She put Little Bear into a great bag and tied the bag to the limb of a
tree. Then she went away to get a big stick with which to beat her
victim to death.
But Little Bear did not wait for this to happen. While the old woman was
looking for the stick, Little Bear bit a hole in the bag and crept out.
She took the good horse, this time without any bells to give the alarm,
and hid him in the bushes ready for flight. Then she put into the bag
all the old woman's choicest things--her dishes and food, and the
breakable furnishings of her wigwam--until the bag was round and bulgy
as if Little Bear herself were inside.
Chuckling to herself, Little Bear hid in the bushes where she could see
what happened upon the old woman's return; and merry enough the sight
was! Little Bear nearly died of laughing, and had to stuff a corner of
her blanket into her mouth lest she should betray herself.
For the old woman came hurrying up with her huge club, and began to beat
the bag fiercely. _Crack! Smash!_ went the pots and pans. _Smash!
Crack!_ went the dishes and the other things. But the wicked old woman
went on beating harder than ever, thinking that she was breaking the
bones of poor Little Bear.
Presently Little Bear grew tired of the smashing and crashing, and
thought it was time to be off. She mounted the Chief's good horse and
galloped swiftly away to the village, where her sisters were awaiting
her anxiously, because she had been gone a long time.
When the Chief saw his good horse once more, he was greatly delighted
and grew well immediately; he was so sensitive. As he had promised, he
gave to Little Bear his youngest son, who was the handsomest of the
three, though not wise. Little Bear loved him dearly; so she married him
herself and they went to live in a fine wigwam which the Chief gave
them, near the other two brothers and sisters.
But the Little Bear's husband did not love her. He was sulky and said:
"I wish my wife were beautiful like the other maidens! Why must I marry
an ugly Little Bear? I wish I might have had one of her pretty sisters
instead!" And he was cruel to Little Bear and made her weep.
But after a while she dried her tears, and was angry to think how
foolish she had been in choosing this youngest son for herself, just
because he was so handsome. She thought about it for a long time.
One day she said to her husband: "You do not love me, because I am an
ugly Little Bear. Take me and throw me into the fire."
"I do not love you," said her husband, "but I cannot kill you, for then
the Chief would punish me."
"Do as I tell you!" said Little Bear, and she stamped her foot.
The young man was afraid, for he knew that Little Bear was very wise and
powerful. So he did as she bade him, and threw Little Bear into the
fire. This made a great noise in the wigwam, and presently up came
running Little Bear's two sisters.
"Wicked man! What have you done to our dear Little Bear?" they cried.
"I have done only as she told me," said the young man sulkily. "Little
Bear is not beautiful, but she is wise. So I did what she told me to do.
I threw her into the fire."
"Oh, wicked man!" cried the sisters again, bursting into tears.
Just then they heard a strange sound in the fire, and turning, they
beheld a most beautiful maiden with dark eyes and raven locks coming out
of the flames. She smiled at the two sisters, and turning to the young
man said:--
"Husband, do you know me? I am Little Bear, who was wise but not
beautiful. Now I have become beautiful, but I am still wiser than
before."
"O my wife!" cried the husband eagerly. "I do not care whether you are
wise or not--that matters little to me. But I love you with all my
heart, you are so beautiful!"
Little Bear laughed and said: "You were unkind to the ugly Little Bear,
though she loved you. You are like most men; you care more for beauty
than for wisdom. But I have grown wiser than I was when I married you
and I do not care what you think."
And Little Bear, now the most beautiful young woman in the village and
the pride of the tribe for wisdom, lived happy ever after.