er way
of thinking. She was a great admirer of romantic places, and paid very
little attention to the numerous young men who came to her father's
lodge for the purpose of seeing her. Her elder sisters were all
solicited in marriage from their parents, and one after another, went
off to dwell in the lodges of their husbands, or mothers-in-law, but
she would listen to no proposals of the kind. At last she married an
old man called OSSEO, who was scarcely able to walk, and was too poor
to have things like others. They jeered and laughed at her, on all
sides, but she seemed to be quite happy, and said to them, "It is my
choice, and you will see in the end, who has acted the wisest." Soon
after, the sisters and their husbands and their parents were all
invited to a feast, and as they walked along the path, they could not
help pitying their young and handsome sister, who had such an
unsuitable mate. Osseo often stopped and gazed upwards, but they could
perceive nothing in the direction he looked, unless it was the faint
glimmering of the evening star. They heard him muttering to himself as
they went along, and one of the elder sisters caught the words,
"Sho-wain-ne-me-shin nosa."[37] "Poor old man," said she, "he is talking
to his father, what a pity it is, that he would not fall and break his
neck, that our sister might have a handsome young husband." Presently
they passed a large hollow log, lying with one end toward the path. The
moment Osseo, who was of the turtle totem, came to it, he stopped
short, uttered a loud and peculiar yell, and then dashing into one end
of the log, he came out at the other, a most beautiful young man, and
springing back to the road, he led off the party with steps as light as
the reindeer.[38] But on turning round to look for his wife, behold, she
had been changed into an old, decrepit woman, who was bent almost
double, and walked with a cane. The husband, however, treated her very
kindly, as she had done him during the time of his enchantment, and
constantly addressed her by the term of ne-ne-moosh-a, or my sweetheart.

When they came to the hunter's lodge with whom they were to feast, they
found the feast ready prepared, and as soon as their entertainer had
finished his harangue (in which he told them his feasting was in honor
of the Evening or Woman's Star), they began to partake of the portion
dealt out, according to age and character, to each one. The food was
very delicious, and they were