Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review. Volume 10, 1899.djvu/247

 Rh and found none. "I wonder who lives here and where they are. That's a fine blanket," he added, as his eye fell upon the bed; "I should like a blanket like that." And he moved over to admire it. As he held the blanket up a piece of wood fell from it. It was just an ordinary piece of wood with a hole in it. "I wonder what this is doing in the bed?" he said, as he picked it up. "It can't be of any great value, I'll throw it on the fire; it will keep us warm for a little while." And as he spoke, he threw the piece of wood on the fire. His brother Benign-face chid him for so doing, saying it might have been valued by the people of the house for some reason or other. The wood, being dry, soon burnt itself out, leaving an outline of its original form in the embers. The sound of a man's voice was now heard at the smoke-hole. He seemed to be talking to some one within. "Take care, little wife," he said. "Get back from below there, I am going to throw the fire-wood down; "and a moment later down clattered a pile of fire-wood, which he immediately followed. The boys hid themselves when they saw the man descending. When he got down he called out: "Little wife, where are you hiding? Ah, you want to have a game with me." He threw himself, as he spoke, upon the bed, and began feeling for something under the blanket. Not finding what he sought, he went on: "Oh, you are funny to-day! Now where can you be hiding?" and he felt all over and under the blanket. "I wonder where she is," said he, as he shook the blanket out and found nothing in it. "She must be hiding from me somewhere, and I shall find her presently." And with that he went to put some wood on the fire. As he did so his eye fell upon the charred outlines of the piece of wood which Funny-boy had thrown on to the fire, and whose familiar form in the ashes he recognised at a glance. He no sooner saw it than he cried out in great distress, and seemed overcome with grief. "O dear wife, you are burned to ashes! How could you have fallen into the fire? Oh! what shall I do for a wife now?" And he sobbed aloud in his grief. The boys at once perceived that the piece of wood that they had burned was the man's wife. "Didn't I tell you," whispered Benign-face to his brother, "not to burn that piece of wood? Now see what distress you have caused this poor man. I must go and comfort him." With that he came out from his hiding place and addressed the man. Said he: "Was that block of wood really your wife?