Native American Legends
The Little Mice
A Sioux Legend
Once upon a time a prairie mouse busied herself all fall storing
away a cache of beans. Every morning she was out early with her
empty cast-off snake skin, which she filled with ground beans and
dragged home with her teeth.
The little mouse had a cousin who was fond of dancing and talk,
but who did not like to work. She was not careful to get her cache
of beans and the season was already well gone before she thought
to bestir herself.
When she came to realize her need, she found she had no packing
bag. So she went to her hardworking cousin and said, "Cousin,
I have no beans stored for winter and the season is nearly gone.
But I have no snake skin to gather the beans in. Will you lend me
one?"
"But why have you no packing bag? Where were you in the moon
when the snakes cast off their skins?", the cousin asked.
"I was here," she said.
"What were you doing?" the cousin asked.
"I was busy talking and dancing." she replied.
"And now you are punished," said the other. "It
is always so with lazy, careless people. But I will let you have
the snake skin. And now go, and by hard work and industry, try to
recover your wasted time."
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