“Well, once, years and years ago,[2] there were two Indian homes. In each home there was a beautiful daughter; they were lovely, good friends, but they couldn’t see each other very often, for their wigwams were such a long ways apart. But one awful hot day, one of them asked her mother if she couldn’t go and see the other girl, and her mother said ‘no,’ ’cause she was so pretty. But the girl teased so hard she had to let her go.
“She hadn’t gone very far before a tall man came and walked beside her, and said such nice things to her she forgot all about where she was going, until she found right in front of them a big rock with a hole in it. The man said, ‘This is where I live. Won’t you come in?’
“She was afraid of the dark, so she wouldn’t go. But he coaxed, and finally she said she’d go in if he’d go first. So he went, but just the minute he got inside, he turned right into an ugly old Wi-will-mecq, and she was scared most to pieces.”
“May we ask what a ‘Wi-will-mecq’ is?” asked Mr. Farrar.
“‘I’VE SAVED YOU FROM THE GREAT WI-WILL-MECQ’”
“It’s a great, horrid worm, and the girl tried to run away from it, but just then an awful loud thundering was heard, and she didn’t know anything more until she opened her eyes in a great big room with an old man in it.
“He said, ‘I’m your grandfather. I’ve saved you from the great Wi-will-mecq.’ Then he showed it to her, out-doors, all chopped up in a hundred little pieces. He told the girl she must give him a smoke when he asked for it, to show she was grateful. Then he sent her home safe and sound. Do you like that story?”
“Very much,” answered Cousin Herman. “But I can see from her face that Gertie is wondering how in the world the girl could give old Thunder a smoke.”
“The Indians used always to do that after grandfather was so good to one of their people. They build a fire out-doors every time grandfather calls for it, and put some tobacco in it; it goes up in the smoke, and so he gets it.[3] Now you see I couldn’t be afraid, could I?”