“A blue jay soon flew over the smoke-hole of the house and dropped a ripe elder-berry down through the opening. As the berry touched the snow, the ice and sleet melted and soon vanished so that the roof was clear.
“Now little sister took the berry and wherever it touched ice or sleet or snow, the frozen magic melted and left off being.
“The blue jay flew over the other houses and dropped a berry down each smoke-hole. In many homes the berry was used as advised and these families were soon out of the ice and cold. In other places the people were too busy shoveling snow to bother with the blue jay’s berry and they remained frozen still. Some used the berry to melt a way out of the house and then wasted no more effort so the smoke-hole never worked right and nourishment was scarce.
“When the bird had dropped a berry down every smoke-hole it flew back to little sister’s home and said: ‘Now I must be on my way again. Who will come with me to visit heaven, where I go?’
“Most of the children were eager to go so they climbed upon the bird’s back or clung to his wings and feet until he came to the clouds where heaven was hidden away from earth-dwellers’ sight.
“Once in heaven, the blue jay flapped his wings and rolled the children off and told them he had to leave them for a short time to report what he had done on the earth.
“Left alone, the children walked about enjoying the novel sights, until one of the boys saw a djo’lgi sniffing about. He threw a rock at the animal and stunned it, then he ran over and tore it to bits and scattered the fragments about, although the poor djo’lgi had not done anything to merit this cruelty.
“The children now felt hungry and said they would go and seek for something to eat, as the blue jay had failed to return to help them find bread.
“As they walked, they came to a house where a woman stood looking anxiously about as if in search for someone.
“The children drew near and she said: ‘Have you seen my child playing about?’