61. Money-Spitter

61. MONEY-SPITTER (77)

There was a girl without father or mother living with her grandmother. One day she started out; she started out after hogs. She carried with her bread made of chaff because there was then no flour mill. As she was traveling along she met two old women. "What have you?" said they. "Chaff bread," she answered. "Do you want some?" "No; where are you going?" She replied, "I am hunting for hogs." Then the old women said, "We will find the hogs."

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Then the girl started on toward home with them. While they were going along one ran away. She chased it about. By and by she got tired and coughed. When she got tired again, she coughed and spit up a nickel. Then she drove the hogs along again, but presently the same hog again ran off. When she got tired again from chasing it about she coughed repeatedly. She threw up a dime. The same thing happened again and the third time she coughed she coughed up a quarter of a dollar. Just as she reached home she coughed again and coughed up quarters, dimes, and nickels. She threw up a whole box full. When the white people saw that money they liked what the girl coughed up and got it.

Another old woman's only daughter went to hunt hogs. She carried a sack full of biscuits. On the way she met the two old women. "What have you?" they said. "Biscuits," she answered, but she did not offer them any. Then they said to her, "Where are you going?" "I am hunting for hogs." Then the old women told her they would find the hogs for her. They went out and brought them to her and she started off with them. While they were on the way she coughed and threw up a frog. She drove the hogs along again. Presently she coughed again and threw up another frog. This happened many times. She got home and coughed continually and spit up frogs until she fell sick and died.