if people had run around in a ring until the grass was
trampled down. As he could see no marks of footsteps leading away from
the ring, he wondered very much whose feet could have marked out the
circle. Then he made up his mind to hide, so that he might see if any
one came.

After awhile, he heard the sound of beautiful music. It seemed to come
from the sky. As he looked up he saw something coming down through the
air, and the music sounded like the singing of girls. As the object
came closer, he saw that it was a wicker basket, and in it were twelve
beautiful maidens. When the basket reached the ground, they all jumped
out and began to dance around the circle. They were all very
beautiful, but Waupee picked out the youngest as the one he liked best.
He watched them as long as he could, then ran out to clasp the youngest
in his arms. But as soon as the maidens saw the figure of a man, they
ran to the basket, jumped in, and were at once drawn up to the sky.

Waupee was left alone on the prairie, and he felt very sad to think he
had frightened away the beautiful maidens. He went back slowly to his
lodge, but could not rest all night. The next day he came again to the
magic circle.

This time he changed himself into an opossum. He had not waited long
when the wicker basket again floated down. The sisters jumped out and
began the same dance. Waupee crept towards them; but when they saw
him, they at once ran to the basket and climbed in. It began to
ascend, but stopped when a short distance up.

"Perhaps," said the oldest sister, "he has come to show us the way the
mortals dance."

"Oh, no!" said the youngest; "let us go up quickly." They all began to
sing their sweet song, and the basket rose out of sight.

Again Waupee was sad, but he made up his mind that the next day he
would act more wisely. So, when he came back, he found the stump of a
tree where a family of mice lived. He moved the stump over near the
circle and changed himself into one of the mice. Again the sisters
came, and began their dance.

"Look," said the youngest sister, "that stump was not there before."
But the other sisters laughed at her and ran over to it. Then out came
all the mice, Waupee among them. The sisters began to chase and kill
the mice, and at last only one was left alive. The youngest sister ran
after it, and was just about to hit it, when it changed into Waupee.
He clasped her in his arms, while the other siste