"Yes," she said, "there was a foolish woman mixed up in the story. It was
like this, as far as I can remember, and it is a story from the North
people. Long ago a man had a wife who was a very proud, vain woman. She was
not contented with having her husband and her own people saying nice things
about her, but she wanted to be flattered and admired by every creature.
You know that I have told you that, in old times, animals could talk and
do many things. Well, this conceited woman, with her silly foolish way,
began attracting the different animals around her. Almost everybody was
laughing at her, but she seemed to think it great fun to have so many
admirers. She got a lesson one day when flirting with the bear. They were
walking along together and she let him put his arm around her, but he gave
her such a hug that he broke two of her ribs. She was a long time getting
well and then her husband gave her a great lecturing. You would have
thought that this would have cured her, but not a bit of it. When she was
well again she was just as silly as ever, though she took good care not to
flirt with any animal that could hug like a bear. She next bewitched the
skunk with her foolishness. But one day, as they walked together, a dog
suddenly attacked the skunk and in his anger and excitement he so perfumed
the woman, instead of the dog, with his odor that her husband found her out
and gave her a beating.
"Everybody was now laughing at her on account of her silly ways, and as her
husband had persons employed to see what creatures she went out walking
with she had to remain at home in her wigwam.
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