The winter passed, and the spring, sparkling in the clear northern air, cheered the spirits of the lonely little people in the lodge.
The girl, being the eldest, directed her brothers, and she seemed to feel a tender and sisterly affection for the youngest, who was slight of frame and of a delicate temper. The other boy soon began to break forth with restless speeches, which showed that his spirit was not at ease. One day he addressed his sister as follows:
"My sister, are we always to live as if there were no other human beings in the world? Must I deprive myself of the pleasure of mingling with my own kind? I have determined this question for myself. I shall seek the villages of men, and you can not prevent me."
The sister replied:
"I do not say no, my brother, to what you desire; we are not forbidden the society of our fellow mortals, but we are told to cherish each other, and to do nothing that shall not be agreeable to all our little household. Neither pleasure nor pain ought, therefore, to separate us, especially from our younger brother, who, being but a child and weakly withal, is entitled to a double share of our affection. If we follow our separate fancies, it will surely make us neglect him, whom we are bound to support by vows both to our father and mother."
The young man received this address in silence, still took his course as though nothing out of the ordinary way had occurred, and after a while seemed to recover his spirits. Now as they lived in a large country, where there were open fields, the two brothers often amused themselves in playing ball. One afternoon Owasso, the elder brother, chose the ground near to a beautiful lake, and they played and laughed with great spirit, and the ball was seldom allowed to touch the ground.
In this lake there happened to harbor a wicked old Manito, Mishosha by name. He looked at the brothers as they played and was vastly pleased with their nimbleness and beauty. He thought to himself, "What shall I do to get these lads to accompany me? I know—one of them shall hit the ball sideways and it shall fall into my canoe."
It so happened, and it somehow seemed as if Owasso had purposely given the ball that direction. But when he saw the old man, he professed to be greatly surprised, as the other, Sheem by name, was in truth, for he had not noticed the old Manito before.
"Bring the ball to us," they both cried ont. "Come to the shore."
"No," answered the old magician. He, however, came near enough for either of them to wade out to him. "Come, come," he said. "Come and get your ball."