That night Rising-sun told Hanging-flower that the time had come for
her to be married, and that Fleet-of-foot, the great runner, was ready
to accept her basket of corn bread. Saying not a word, Hanging-flower
got busy with the corn meal and before morning the basket of bread was
ready. Hanging-flower started on her way early, and by noon she had
reached Corn-planter’s village. The boys were running races when she
arrived. With wide open eyes she stood, as Fleet-of-foot rushed by
her, as if carried by the wind. Hanging-flower shut her eyes ... and
it seemed to her that she heard the rustling of the pines; she felt
herself lying in the wet grass, hot and trembling; and through the mist
she saw two shapes wrapped in blankets, bending over a nameless thing
which they buried in the ground....
When the races were over Hanging-flower saw Fleet-of-foot resting
on a stump of wood in front of his mother’s house. Then she stepped
forward and placed the basket of corn bread before him on the ground.
Fleet-of-foot rose and said nothing. He only looked at Hanging-flower
with a sharp, piercing look and, taking the basket, entered the
house. In a while Corn-planter appeared in the doorway. She invited
Hanging-flower to step inside, and Hanging-flower had her meal with
Corn-planter and her people. The sun was still high when she started on
her way back and before nightfall she reached her village.
When Hanging-flower fell asleep that night she saw some deer running
among the trees. One of the deer was larger and fleeter than the
others. Hanging-flower was trying to catch it. Again and again she felt
herself flying through the air, in pursuit, but just as she was about
to seize it, it eluded her.
In the morning of the following day Fleet-of-foot arrived before the
house where Hanging-flower lived with her people. As she saw him enter,
she rose to her feet. In his hand he held a necklace of blue and white
wampum beads. Presently he took them in both hands and placed them
about her neck. Then Hanging-flower knew that she had a husband.
The Long House in which Hanging-flower had lived with her mother
and several other families had been crowded for some time, and
Fleet-of-foot decided that they had to start a new home for themselves.
Many men and women, most of them relatives of Hanging-flower, helped
the young couple to build a small bark house, and before many moons had
passed the house was ready and Hanging-flower and Fleet-of-foot began
to live there.
As the summers passed, other couples came to live in the house, and
extensions were built to it, to accommodate the ever-growing numbers.
This continued for some time, until the house became a Long House, like
the others.