e of the past that had opened a wide breach forever between
her and Tyope. Might not that occurrence have prompted the latter to his
accusation against Say? This was an entirely new idea to him, and, while
he felt ashamed of having yielded to Tyope against his own wife, he now
began to suspect the real motives which inspired the man in his
denunciations. He replied hastily,--

"I am not with Tyope."

"He is your best friend," Hayoue objected.

"That is not true."

"Hachshtze," Say said in a tone of serious reminder, "speak not thus. I
know that you and Tyope are good to each other. I know that he gives you
advice, and I know too"--her voice rose and grew solemn--"that you have
told him many things which neither Tzitz hanutsh nor Tanyi hanutsh like
him to know."

"Tyope is wise."

"And he is also very bad," the younger brother exclaimed. This made
Zashue angry.

"If he is such a bad man why do you want to throw away Okoya, that
jewel," he said with a grin of irony, "on that bad man's daughter? It
seems that you have called me in, only in order to slander the best of
my brethren. I am Koshare, and will remain Koshare, whether it pleases
you, koitza, or not. The mot[=a]tza here," alluding to Hayoue, "has
still less to say about it. He is Cuirana and has his people; I am
Koshare and have my people. Okoya may do as he pleases. If he thinks
that his father's brother is nearer to him than his father himself, let
him believe it forever. Now let me alone; and as to his makatza, do as
you please. I will return to my brethren!" He rose angrily and went out.

Hayoue shook his head and looked sad; Say drew a suppressed sigh and
stared before her in silence. After a while she rose and fed the fire,
and a more vivid glow spread over the room where both sat again
motionless, absorbed by their own thoughts.

A shuffling sound was heard outside, a muffled step in the outer room.
Then the woman's father entered the kitchen with the usual salutation,
spoken in a hoarse voice.

"Guatzena." He sat down near the hearth, where his daughter had placed a
deerskin for him.

Holding both hands up to the fire, his quick glance shot from one of
those present to the other, scanning the expression of their features.
Then he asked quietly,--

"Where is Zashue?"

"He went to the Koshare," Hayoue explained.

"Why did you call me?"

Say answered in a meek, submissive manner,--

"We wished to speak to you, nashtio, for Okoya, my child