d so nothing else matters."

One evening, the father asked his ten daughters and their husbands to
come to his lodge for a feast. On the way there, the nine sisters kept
saying, as they looked at the youngest maiden and her husband: "Our
poor sister, is it not a pity she is married to such an old man? See,
he can hardly walk. Would it not be a good thing if he were to fall
and kill himself?"

As they were saying this, they noticed that the old man kept looking up
at the Evening Star, and every once in a while he would utter a low
call.

"See," said one of the sisters, "he thinks the Evening Star is his
father and is calling to him."

Just then, they were passing a hollow log which lay by the roadside.
When the old man noticed it, he suddenly dropped on his hands and knees
and crawled in at one end. When he came out at the other end, he was
no longer an old man; he had been changed into a tall, handsome, young
chief. But his wife was no longer a beautiful maiden. She had been
changed into a bent, old woman, hobbling along with a stick. The young
husband was very kind to her and took good care of her all the rest of
the way to the father's lodge. He seemed very sorry that she had been
changed like this, but he loved her just the same as before. During
the feast the young husband heard a voice speak to him. It seemed to
come from the skies. Looking up, he saw the Evening Star shining in
through a crack in the roof.

"My son," the Star said to him, "many years ago an evil spirit changed
you into an old man, but that spirit has now lost its power. You are
free, and may come home and live with me. Your wife shall be beautiful
once more, and you shall have everything you can wish for."

The others had not heard this voice, so they were very much surprised
when they felt the lodge begin to rise in the air. As it floated
upwards, the bark changed into beautiful silver gauze. It was now a
lodge made of wings of insects. The young chief looked at his wife and
saw that she was a beautiful maiden once more. Her dress was changed
into one of shining, green silk, and her stick became a silver feather.
The sisters and their husbands had been changed into birds with
bright-colored feathers. Some were parrots, some blue jays, some
singing birds that flew around and sang their sweet songs. At the side
of the lodge was a large cage for the birds. Upwards, the lodge
floated till they found themselves in the Evenin