“Verily, do I,” returned the Jolly Doctor, earnestly. “I can conceive of nothing more dreary than endless riches--the wealth that is by the cradle--that from birth to death is as easy to one’s hand as water. How should he know the sweet who has not known the bitter? Man! the thorn is ever the charm of the rose.” It was discovered in the chat which followed the Red Nosed Gentleman’s tale that Sioux Sam might properly be regarded as the one who should next take up the burden of the company’s entertainment. It stood a gratifying characteristic of our comrade from the Yellowstone that he was not once found to dispute the common wish. He never proffered a story; but he promptly told one when asked to do so. He was taciturn, but he was no less ready for that, and the moment his name was called he proceeded with the fable of “Moh-Kwa and the Three Gifts.” CHAPTER XIX.--MOH-KWA AND THE THREE GIFTS. This is in the long time ago when the sun is younger an’ not so big an’ hot as now, an’ Kwa-Sind, the Strong Man, is a chief of the Upper Yellowstone Sioux. It is on a day in the Moon-of-the-first-frost an’ Moh-Kwa, the Wise Bear, is gathering black-berries an’ filling his mouth. As Moh-Kwa pulls the bush towards him, he pierces his paw with a great thorn so that it makes him howl an’ shout, for much is his rage an’ pain. Moh-Kwa cannot get the great thorn out; because Moh-Kwa’s claws while sharp an’ strong are not fingers to pull out a thorn; an’ the more Moh-Kwa bites his paw to get at the thorn, the further he pushes it in. At last Moh-Kwa sits growling an’ looking at the thorn an’ wondering what he is to do. [Illustration: 0295] While Moh-Kwa is wondering an’ growling, there comes walking Shaw-shaw, the Swallow, who is a young man of the Sioux. The Swallow has a good heart; but his spirit is light an’ his nature as easily blown about on each new wind as a dead leaf. So the Sioux have no respect for the Swallow but laugh when he comes among them, an’ some even call him Shau-goh-dah-wah, the Coward, for they do not look close, an’ mistake lightness for fear. When the Swallow came near, Moh-Kwa, still growling, held forth his paw an’ showed the Swallow how the thorn was buried in the big pad so that he could not bite it out an’ only made it go deeper. An’ with that the Swallow, who had a good heart, took Moh-Kwa’s big paw between his knees an’ pulled out the great thorn; for the Swallow had fingers an’ not claws like Moh-Kwa, an’ the Swallow’s fingers were deft an’ nimble to do any desired deed. When Moh-Kwa felt the relief of that great thorn out of his paw, he was grateful to the Swallow an’ thought to do him a favor.