completely covered with butterflies of the most brilliant hues, as if it
were a gorgeous cloak that he was wearing, there suddenly appeared
before him a beautiful young girl.
The youth was startled, for he knew her face. He had seen her often; it
was the chiefs daughter, the prettiest maiden in the village, who had
died ten days before!
The truth was that she had loved this young man in secret, but he had
given no thought to her, for he cared only for the wild creatures and
had no mind for human ways. Now, as she stood silently before him with
downcast eyes, he looked upon her pure face and graceful form, and there
awoke in his heart the love that he had never felt before.
"But she is a spirit now!" he said to himself sorrowfully, and dared not
speak to her.
However, she smiled archly upon him, in his strange and beautiful
garment, for she read his thoughts. Toward sunset, the butterflies flew
away, and with them the ghost maiden departed.
After this the young man was absent more than ever, and no one knew that
the spirit of the maiden came to him in the deep woods. He built for her
a lodge of pine boughs, and there she would come to cook his venison and
to mend his moccasins, and sit with him beside his lonely camp-fire.
But at last he was not content with this and begged her to go with him
to the village, for his mother and kinsfolk would not allow him to
remain always away from them.
"Ah, my spirit wife," he begged, "can you not return with me to my
people, so that I may have a home in their sight?"
"It may be so," she replied thoughtfully, "if you will carefully
observe my conditions. First, we must pitch our tent a little apart from
the rest of the people. Second, you must patiently bear with my absences
and the strangeness of my behavior, for I can only visit them and they
me in the night time. Third, you must never raise your voice in our
teepee, and above all, let me never hear you speak roughly to a child in
my presence!"
"All these I will observe faithfully," replied the young husband.
Now it happened that after a longer absence than usual, he was seen to
come home with a wife. They pitched their tent some way from the
village, and the people saw at a distance the figure of a graceful young
woman moving about the solitary white teepee. But whenever any of his
relatives approached to congratulate him and to bid her welcome, she
would take up her axe and go forth into the forest as if to cut wood
for her fire, or with her bucket for water.
At night, however, they came to see the young couple and found her at
home, but it appeared very strange that she did not speak to any of
them, not even by signs, though she smiled so graciously and sweetly
that they all loved her. Her husband explained that the girl was of
another race who have these strange ways, and by and by the people
became used to them, and even ceased to wonder why they could never find
her at home in the day time.
So they lived happily together, and in due time children came to them;
first a boy, and a little girl afterward. But one night the father came
home tired and hungry from the hunt, and the little one cried loudly and
would not be quieted. Then for the first time he forgot his promise and
spoke angrily to the mother and child.
Instantly the fire went out and the tent was dark.
When he had kindled the fire again, he saw that he was alone, nor did
tears and searchings avail to find his wife and children. Alas, they
were gone from him forever!