But the Indians did not love Kabibonokka, for he was cold and cruel.
Shawondasee was not like either of his brothers. He was fat and lazy. He loved to lie upon green banks under shady trees. He loved the sweet flowers, and the warmth of the South Land. He was far too lazy to send strong winds such as came from the North Land. His breezes were soft and traveled slowly, and they were sweet with the perfume of southern groves and meadows.
Shawondasee, like his brother Wabun, saw a beautiful maiden that he loved. Do you remember the story? Her hair was of golden yellow, and she nodded and swayed in the breeze. Her home was in the meadows, and Shawondasee looked for her day by day, and wafted sweet odors and fair flowers to her, and he won her love, even as Wabun won the love of the prairie maiden. But he was too sluggish to go himself to win her, and to bring her to his home in the South Land. Instead he said to himself each morning, “To-day I will go and seek the golden-haired maiden, and bring her to my home,” but each day he was too indolent.
The days went by, and at last the golden hair of the maiden turned silvery white, and when Shawondasee saw this he heaved a great sigh, so great a sigh that it reached even to the maiden, and lo, all the silver white of her hair was scattered over the meadow!
So Shawondasee still lives alone in the South Land, and sends gentle sighing breezes to the meadows of the North.
Transcriber’s Note
Minor punctuation errors have been repaired.
Pukwudjee was also spelled as Puckwudjee in the table of contents and illustration captions. These have been amended to Pukwudjee for consistency with the story The Pukwudjee and the Morning Star.
On page [15], be amended to he—... but neither could he break ...
The list of other books by the author and the frontispiece have been moved to follow the title page. Other illustrations have been moved where necessary so that they are not in the middle of a paragraph.