tle trousers, and moccasins, all
beautifully beaded. In her turn she told the story to the doll.

Singing Stream told her daughter of the making of the world, as the Sioux
believe the story of creation; of the "Four who Never Die"--Sharper, or
Bladder, Rabbit, Turtle, and Monster; likewise of the coming of a mighty
flood on which swam the Turtle and a water-fowl in whose bill was the
earth atom, from which presently the world began to grow, Turtle
supporting the bird on his great back, which was hard like rock. The rest
of the myth, that deals with the rising and setting of the sun, Singing
Stream could not tell her daughter, as the old Sioux chiefs did not think
it wise to let their women folk know too much about matters of theology.
Nor did they relate to squaws the sun myth, with its account of much
cutting-off of heads--thinking, perhaps, with wisdom, that these good
ladies saw enough of carnage in their every-day life without introducing
it into their catechism.

But Singing Stream knew the story of "Sharper," or "Bladder," as he is
called by some of the people, because he is round and his grotesquely fat
figure resembles a bladder blown to bursting. Bladder's province it is to
make a fool of himself, diving into water after plums he sees reflected
there from the branches of the trees. He dives again and again in his
pursuit of folly, even tying stones to his wrists and ankles to keep
himself down while he gathers the reflected fruit. After his rescue, which
he fights against valiantly, as he lies gasping on the bank of the stream,
he sees the fruit on the branches above his head. It is this same Bladder
who is one of the _dramatis personae_ in the moon myth, and that is told to
women as safely without the limits of that little learning that is a
dangerous thing. Bladder met Rabbit hunting; and Bladder kept throwing his
eye up into the tree-tops to look for game. The Rabbit watched him
enviously, thinking what a saving of effort it would be if he could do the
same thing. Wherefore Bladder promised to instruct him, telling him to
change eyes after using one four times, but Rabbit did not think that the
first time counted, as that was but a trial. So he lost his eye after
throwing it up the fifth time. And the eye of the rabbit is the moon, and
the face seen in the full moon is the reflection of the rabbit seen in his
own eye as we see ourselves reflected in the eye of a friend if we look
closely. The little girl was