Page:Oregon, her history, her great men, her literature.djvu/55

52 time, came out and went in again. But the third time the tree refused to open; and pound and kick as he would, he could not get out. Then he called on the birds to help him. The little wren came first but her bill was not strong enough to make a hole. All the other birds came and pecked at the trunk of the tree, and finally the big wood-pecker made a hole large enough to see through. The Tallapus being too big to crawl through the hole tore himself to pieces and tossed the pieces out of the opening. When the pieces were all out, he put himself together again. But a crow had flown off with his eyes; so he was blind. He felt his way along the trail and presently met an old woman who ridiculed him. He took courage, however, and having put two roses in place of his eyes he offered to trade with her, declaring he could see things that she could not. To this the simple-minded old woman was quite willing. Thereupon he took her eyes and in exchange gave her his worthless roses. For her foolishness she was changed into a snail; and even now we have blind snails.

The summer was passing and the winds blew colder and colder and the green leaves were changed to gorgeous colors till the trees looked like great flaming torches. The mother tree sorrowed as she thought of the leaves that would soon fly away from her; and the Great Spirit was moved with pity as he looked down and beheld the bright colors that would fade and be lost. So when the strong wind loosened their hold and the leaves fluttered to the ground he gave them new form and new life, and the brown leaves became robins and wrens, and the red ones red birds; I and they builded their nests in the branches of the mother tree where they once danced so merrily in the breeze.