entiful before the white man came to live on the world.
He found a shady place near a creek, and there made the robe that would
make Bad Sickness whenever he sang the queer song, but the robe was
plain, and brown in color. He didn't like the looks of it. Suddenly
he thought how nice the back of the Chipmunk looked after he had
striped it with his paints. He got out his old paint sack and with the
same colors made the robe look very much like the clothes of the
Chipmunk. He was proud of the work, and liked the new robe better; but
being lazy, he wanted to save himself work, so he sent the South-wind
to tell all the doe-deer and the cow-elk to come to him. They came as
soon as they received the message, for they were afraid of OLD-man and
always tried to please him. When they had all reached the place where
OLD-man was he said to them:

"'Do you see this robe?'

"'Yes, we see it,' they replied.

"'Well, I have made it from the skins of your children, and then
painted it to look like the Chipmunk's back, for I like the looks of
that Person's clothes. I shall need many more of these robes during my
life; and every time I make one, I don't want to have to spend my time
painting it; so from now on and forever your children shall be born in
spotted clothes. I want it to be that way to save me work. On all the
fawns there must be spots of white like this (here he pointed to the
spots on Bad Sickness's robe) and on all of the elk-calves the spots
shall not be so white and shall be in rows and look rather yellow.'
Again he showed them his robe, that they might see just what he wanted.

"'Remember,' he said, 'after this I don't want to see any of your
children running about wearing plain clothing, because that would mean
more painting for me. Now go away, and remember what I have said, lest
I make you sick.'

"The cow-elk and the doe-deer were glad to know that their children's
clothes would be beautiful, and they went away to their little ones who
were hidden in the tall grass, where the wolves and mountain-lions
would have a hard time finding them; for you know that in the tracks of
the fawn there is no scent, and the wolf cannot trail him when he is
alone. That is the way Manitou takes care of the weak, and all of the
forest-people know about it, too.

"Now you know why the Chipmunk's back is striped, and why the fawn and
elk-calf wear their pretty clothes.

"I hear the owls, and it is time for all young men