The Dead Wife

: The Yellow Fairy Book

From the Iroquois.



Once upon a time there were a man and his wife who lived in the

forest, very far from the rest of the tribe. Very often they

spent the day in hunting together, but after a while the wife

found that she had so many things to do that she was obliged to

stay at home; so he went alone, though he found that when his

wife was not with him he never had any luck. One day, when he

was away hunting, the woman fell ill, and in a few days she died.



Her husband grieved bitterly, and buried her in the house where

she had passed her life; but as the time went on he felt so

lonely without her that he made a wooden doll about her height

and size for company, and dressed it in her clothes. He seated

it in front of the fire, and tried to think he had his wife back

again. The next day he went out to hunt, and when he came home

the first thing he did was to go up to the doll and brush off

some of the ashes from the fire which had fallen on its face.

But he was very busy now, for he had to cook and mend, besides

getting food, for there was no one to help him. And so a whole

year passed away.



At the end of that time he came back from hunting one night and

found some wood by the door and a fire within. The next night

there was not only wood and fire, but a piece of meat in the

kettle, nearly ready for eating. He searched all about to see

who could have done this, but could find no one. The next time

he went to hunt he took care not to go far, and came in quite

early. And while he was still a long way off he saw a woman

going into the house with wood on her shoulders. So he made

haste, and opened the door quickly, and instead of the wooden

doll, his wife sat in front of the fire.



Then she spoke to him and said, 'The Great Spirit felt sorry for

you, because you would not be comforted, so he let me come back

to you, but you must not stretch out your hand to touch me till

we have seen the rest of our people. If you do, I shall die.'



So the man listened to her words, and the woman dwelt there, and

brought the wood and kindled the fire, till one day her husband

said to her, 'It is now two years since you died. Let us now go

back to our tribe. Then you will be well, and I can touch you.'



And with that he prepared food for the journey, a string of

deer's flesh for her to carry, and one for himself; and so they

started. Now the camp of the tribe was distant six days'

journey, and when they were yet one day's journey off it began to

snow, and they felt weary and longed for rest. Therefore they

made a fire, cooked some food, and spread out their skins to

sleep.



Then the heart of the man was greatly stirred, and he stretched

out his arms to his wife, but she waved her hands and said, 'We

have seen no one yet; it is too soon.'



But he would not listen to her, and caught her to him, and

behold! he was clasping the wooden doll. And when he saw it was

the doll he pushed it from him in his misery and rushed away to

the camp, and told them all his story. And some doubted, and

they went back with him to the place where he and his wife had

stopped to rest, and there lay the doll, and besides, they saw in

the snow the steps of two people, and the foot of one was like

the foot of the doll. And the man grieved sore all the days of

his life.



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