As she crouched in the doorway of the hut, and gazed absently over the
distant view, the young woman was thinking of that day when her
grandmother had told her past history. Well she remembered, that night,
and the inspired look on her grandmother's face as she spoke of the
future of their people. It was the first time she had ever seen her in
that psychic condition, and it was almost terrifying. Since that day,
although at rare intervals, her grandmother had given proof of her
former power, and in instances touching the welfare of the tribe; but no
one save the young woman knew of it.

Then she traveled over in thought the following years, until she became
a woman, and was wooed by one of the young men of the tribe, a few
months before the date of our story. There had been much opposition to
this on the part of her grandmother and of the elders of the tribe; but
the young people won the day, and her husband had since made his home
with her at the hut. But his marriage with her, in a measure, cut him
off from the rest of the tribe; and gradually, as time went on, he had
found himself refused the company of his former associates in the hunt,
and was forced to make his livelihood, and that of the two women,
without the aid of numbers. Until his marriage, the two women had been
provided with food by the tribe, but one of the conditions of his
wedding the young woman was that all assistance in that line should
cease. Henceforward they were to live as though utterly alone. This they
had done, and a hard struggle it had been at times, when game was scarce
and hard to find. But, though suffering hunger and hardship, they had
stayed at the spring, dreading to leave their dwelling-place, and seek
other and better hunting-grounds, as is the custom of the Indians when
sore pressed for food.