So the young man breathed easily as he hoed hard to finish his task ere the noon-day, and when the maiden looked down and saw that he still labored there, she said to herself: “Ah, indeed he must love me, for still he is there! Well, it _may be_, for only a little longer and they will leave him in peace.” Hastily she placed venison in the cooking-pot and prepared fresh _héwe_ and sweetened bread, “for _maybe_,” she still thought, “and then I will have it ready for him.”
Now, alas! you do not know that this good and beautiful maiden had a sister, alas!--a sister as beautiful as herself, but bad and double-hearted; and you know when people have double hearts they are wizards or witches, and have double tongues and paired thoughts--such a sister elder had the maiden of Mátsaki, alas!
When the sun had climbed almost to the middle of the sky, the maiden, still doubtful, looked down once more. He was there, and was working among the last hills of corn.
“Ah, truly indeed he loves me,” she thought, and she hastened to put on her necklaces and bracelets of shells, her earrings as long as your fingers--of turquoises,--and her fine cotton mantles with borders of stitched butterflies of summerland, and flowers of the autumn. Then she took a new bowl from the stick-rack in the corner, and a large many-colored tray that she had woven herself, and she filled the one with meat broth, and the other with the _héwe_ and sweet-bread, and placing the bowl of meat broth on her head, she took the tray of _héwe_ in her hand, and started down toward the corn-field by the river-side to meet her lover and to thank him.
Witches are always jealous of the happiness and good fortune of others. So was the sister of the beautiful maiden jealous when she saw the smile on her _háni’s_ face as she tripped toward the river.
“_Ho há!_” said the two-hearted sister. “_Tém-ithlokwa thlokwá! Wananí!_” which are words of defiance and hatred, used so long ago by demons and wizards that no one knows nowadays what they mean except the last one, which plainly says, “Just wait a bit!” and she hastened to dress herself, through her wicked knowledge, exactly as the beautiful maiden was dressed. She even carried just such a bowl and tray; and as she was beautiful, like her younger sister, nobody could have known the one from the other, or the other from the one. Then she passed herself through a hoop of magic yucca, which made her seem not to be where she was, for no one could see her unless she willed it.