ry early every
morning, and would not return till late at night, the little fellow
always found plenty of spare time to gather into little piles fine dry
wood for their winter use.

Thus the four brothers lived happily for a long time. One day while out
gathering and piling up wood, the boy heard a rustling in the leaves
and looking around he saw a young woman standing in the cherry bushes,
smiling at him.

"Who are you, and where did you come from?" asked the boy, in surprise.
"I am an orphan girl and have no relatives living. I came from the
village west of here. I learned from rabbit that there were four orphan
brothers living here all alone, and that the youngest was keeping house
for his older brothers, so I thought I would come over and see if I
couldn't have them adopt me as their sister, so that I might keep house
for them, as I am very poor and have no relations, neither have I a
home."

She looked so pitiful and sad that the boy thought to himself, "I will
take her home with me, poor girl, no matter what my brothers think or
say." Then he said to her: "Come on, tanke (sister). You may go home
with me; I am sure my older brothers will be glad to have you for our
sister."

When they arrived at the hut, the girl hustled about and cooked up a
fine hot supper, and when the brothers returned they were surprised to
see a girl sitting by the fire in their hut. After they had entered the
youngest brother got up and walked outside, and a short time after the
oldest brother followed him out. "Who is that girl, and where did she
come from?" he asked his brother. Whereupon the brother told him the
whole story. Upon hearing this the oldest brother felt very sorry for
the poor orphan girl and going back into the hut he spoke to the
girl, saying: "Sister, you are an orphan, the same as we; you have no
relatives, no home. We will be your brothers, and our poor hut shall be
your home. Henceforth call us brothers, and you will be our sister."

"Oh, how happy I am now that you take me as your sister. I will be to
you all as though we were of the same father and mother," said the girl.
And true to her word, she looked after everything of her brothers and
kept the house in such fine shape that the brothers blessed the day that
she came to their poor little hut. She always had an extra buckskin
suit and two pairs of moccasins hanging at the head of each one's bed.
Buffalo, deer, antelope, bear, wolf, wildcat, mountain lion and