--- title: The Star Boy — The Punishment of the Stingy, and Other Indian S… · full text with trees description: The Star Boy, «The Punishment of the Stingy, and Other Indian Stories» by George Bird Grinnell: the whole chapter, every sentence with its dependency tree and pragmatics. It begins: One hot night in summer two girls climbed up on an arbor in front of an earth lodge to sleep where it was cool. --- [Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg66596/9/) [home](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [corpora](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/) / [tales](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/) / [The Punishment of the Stingy, and Othe…](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg66596/) / The Star Boy # The Star Boy The Star Boy of «The Punishment of the Stingy, and Other Indian Stories» by George Bird Grinnell: the whole text, 118 sentences and 2115 words. The small number after every sentence leads to its own page with its syntax tree and pragmatics, parsed by Mova itself. One hot night in summer two girls climbed up on an arbor in front of an earth lodge to sleep where it was cool.[1](1/ "tree and pragmatics") As they lay there before they went to sleep, they were talking about the different stars that they saw in the sky above them, saying how pretty they were.[2](2/ "tree and pragmatics") One of the girls saw a bright star, and pointed to it and said: “I like that one best of all.[3](3/ "tree and pragmatics") I choose it for mine.”[4](4/ "tree and pragmatics") After a little while the girls went to sleep.[5](5/ "tree and pragmatics") When this girl that had chosen the star awoke, she was in a strange country, and saw strange people about her.[6](6/ "tree and pragmatics") She cried, and wanted to go back to her home, but the man in whose lodge she was told her that he was the star she had said she liked, and that, as she had chosen him, he had taken her for his wife.[7](7/ "tree and pragmatics") Finally, she got over feeling badly and was content to stay with him.[8](8/ "tree and pragmatics") Every day when the evening came he would get ready for his journey.[9](9/ "tree and pragmatics") He would comb his hair and paint his face red, and then start out to travel.[10](10/ "tree and pragmatics") When it was morning he would be back again.[11](11/ "tree and pragmatics") About three years after this the girl had a baby boy.[12](12/ "tree and pragmatics") One day after this she went out to dig roots.[13](13/ "tree and pragmatics") Her husband had told her not to dig too deep in the ground, and for a long time she was careful, but one day she dug too deep and dug through that ground.[14](14/ "tree and pragmatics") There before her was a hole, through which she could look down and see this world below her.[15](15/ "tree and pragmatics") She could see a camp, and near it a party of men playing the stick game.[16](16/ "tree and pragmatics") They were very small and looked like ants.[17](17/ "tree and pragmatics") She looked at them and looked at them for a long time, and then suddenly she felt that she wanted to go back to where she had come from, and wanted again to see her people—the Pawnees.[18](18/ "tree and pragmatics") After she had thought about this for a long time, she went home and asked her husband to bring her a lot of sinews.[19](19/ "tree and pragmatics") He brought them to her, and from the sinews she began to make a rope.[20](20/ "tree and pragmatics") It took her a long time to make the rope, and in making it she used all the sinews that she had.[21](21/ "tree and pragmatics") After she had finished it, she waited until her man had gone out on his journey, and then put her child on her back and went to the hole, carrying the rope of sinew.[22](22/ "tree and pragmatics") She took with her also a long stake, and drove it into the ground near the hole.[23](23/ "tree and pragmatics") To this stake she tied the rope, and then let it down through the hole.[24](24/ "tree and pragmatics") It seemed to her that it did not reach the ground, but she thought that perhaps it reached almost down to it, and she made up her mind that she would try to descend.[25](25/ "tree and pragmatics") All around the hole she dug the earth away so as to make it large enough for her body to pass through.[26](26/ "tree and pragmatics") Then she put her child on her back, and let herself slide down by the rope.[27](27/ "tree and pragmatics") For a long time she went down, and at last she came to the end of the rope, but it did not nearly reach the ground.[28](28/ "tree and pragmatics") That was far below her.[29](29/ "tree and pragmatics") She clung to the rope, crying, for she was afraid to let go and no one came to help her, for there was no one near to hear.[30](30/ "tree and pragmatics") It was a long way to the camp.[31](31/ "tree and pragmatics") After a time the woman’s husband came back to their lodge and found that his wife was gone.[32](32/ "tree and pragmatics") He looked for her everywhere, but could see nothing of her.[33](33/ "tree and pragmatics") At last he found the hole that she had dug, and when he looked down through it he saw her there hanging to the rope.[34](34/ "tree and pragmatics") Then he was angry.[35](35/ "tree and pragmatics") He looked about on the ground for a stone just the size of the hole, and dropped it through, and it fell on the woman’s head and killed her, but by his power the Star Man took care of the little child so that when it fell to the ground it was not hurt.[36](36/ "tree and pragmatics") When the woman fell the boy crawled out from under her.[37](37/ "tree and pragmatics") He stayed there by his mother three days.[38](38/ "tree and pragmatics") Every now and then he would start to go off somewhere, and would go a little way, and then would come back to his mother and try to rouse her; but she was dead.[39](39/ "tree and pragmatics") The fourth day he started to go off a long way, and as he was going along he came to a patch of corn and squashes, and he walked among the corn and pulled some ears and ate them.[40](40/ "tree and pragmatics") Near by this field was a poor little lodge, in which lived an old woman and her little grandson.[41](41/ "tree and pragmatics") One day the little boy went into the corn patch and saw there the footprints of a little child.[42](42/ "tree and pragmatics") He went back home and told his grandmother about it.[43](43/ "tree and pragmatics") They did not know whether the tracks had been made by a girl or a boy.[44](44/ "tree and pragmatics") They looked for the child everywhere, but could not find it.[45](45/ "tree and pragmatics") At last the old woman told her grandson to take out a flesher and a hoe and leave them in the field.[46](46/ "tree and pragmatics") “If it is a girl,” the old woman said, “she will take them.”[47](47/ "tree and pragmatics") The little boy did as she had said, and left the things there, but when the strange child came he did not take them.[48](48/ "tree and pragmatics") They could see his tracks where he had walked straight by them.[49](49/ "tree and pragmatics") Then the old woman said: “My son, take your bow and arrows and put them there.[50](50/ "tree and pragmatics") If it is a boy he will take them.”[51](51/ "tree and pragmatics") He did so.[52](52/ "tree and pragmatics") When the little boy next went back to the corn patch after leaving the bow and arrows, they were gone.[53](53/ "tree and pragmatics") Then the little boy went into the corn and hid himself and waited.[54](54/ "tree and pragmatics") He stayed hidden there until the little Star Boy came back; then he walked up to him.[55](55/ "tree and pragmatics") He said: “Come, let us go to where my grandmother lives.[56](56/ "tree and pragmatics") We can play there together with our bows and arrows.”[57](57/ "tree and pragmatics") The boys went to the lodge and went in and ate together.[58](58/ "tree and pragmatics") Then they went out and played with their bows and arrows.[59](59/ "tree and pragmatics") They lived thus for a long time.[60](60/ "tree and pragmatics") When they had grown so that they could go a long way from home, they would sometimes stay away too long, and the old woman would get frightened about them and would scold them when they came back.[61](61/ "tree and pragmatics") One day she said to the boys: “My sons, you must never go over there to that place where the timber grows thick.[62](62/ "tree and pragmatics") Never go there.[63](63/ "tree and pragmatics") That is where your fathers, mothers, uncles, aunts, and brothers were killed by a grizzly bear.[64](64/ "tree and pragmatics") It is dangerous to go there.”[65](65/ "tree and pragmatics") Not long after that the little Star Boy said, “Let us go out and kill little birds.”[66](66/ "tree and pragmatics") They went out, and when they had got some distance from the lodge he said, “Brother, let us go over to that place where grandmother told us not to go.”[67](67/ "tree and pragmatics") The other boy said: “It is good.[68](68/ "tree and pragmatics") We will go.”[69](69/ "tree and pragmatics") They went over there, and when they had gone into the thick timber, suddenly they saw a bear.[70](70/ "tree and pragmatics") It seemed very angry and roared and growled.[71](71/ "tree and pragmatics") The Star Boy laughed at it, and walked up to it and tapped it on the head with his bow.[72](72/ "tree and pragmatics") His father was using his power so that the bear could not hurt him.[73](73/ "tree and pragmatics") The boy took the bear home with him to the lodge, and called to his grandmother to come out and said, “Grandmother, here is a bear; you can have him to pack wood and water for you.”[74](74/ "tree and pragmatics") The old woman was scared.[75](75/ "tree and pragmatics") The boy killed the bear with his little arrows.[76](76/ "tree and pragmatics") One day after that the old woman said to the boys: “Now, boys, do not go to that thick-timbered place over there.[77](77/ "tree and pragmatics") That is where some of your brothers and relations disappeared.[78](78/ "tree and pragmatics") Do not go there.”[79](79/ "tree and pragmatics") Soon after this, one day when they were out hunting little birds and had got away from the lodge, the Star Boy said, “Brother, let us go over to that place where grandmother told us not to go.[80](80/ "tree and pragmatics") Let us see what is there.”[81](81/ "tree and pragmatics") They went, and as they were going along through the timber they saw a panther.[82](82/ "tree and pragmatics") The panther growled and looked very fierce, but the boy walked up to it and shot his little arrow at it and killed it.[83](83/ "tree and pragmatics") His father was helping him.[84](84/ "tree and pragmatics") The boys skinned it and took it home and stuffed it with grass and stood it up in the lodge.[85](85/ "tree and pragmatics") Their grandmother was away.[86](86/ "tree and pragmatics") When she came back they told her to go into the lodge; they said, “We have something nice for you in there.”[87](87/ "tree and pragmatics") She went into the lodge, and when she saw the panther she was frightened almost to death, and the boys laughed.[88](88/ "tree and pragmatics") The boys said to the old woman, “Grandmother, we have done this so that we could put this skin outside the lodge to scare away other animals so that they will not come near us.”[89](89/ "tree and pragmatics") The grandmother said: “Boys, boys, you must not do as you have been doing.[90](90/ "tree and pragmatics") You must not go so far away, and you must not go into danger.[91](91/ "tree and pragmatics") Right up there on the hill is a den of snakes.[92](92/ "tree and pragmatics") I do not want you to go there.[93](93/ "tree and pragmatics") You must not go near that place.”[94](94/ "tree and pragmatics") Soon after this the Star Boy said to his playmate: “Brother, let us go over to that hill where the snakes live.[95](95/ "tree and pragmatics") Let us each take a piece of rock and we will kill them.”[96](96/ "tree and pragmatics") They went, and when they got to the place he said: “Sit down.[97](97/ "tree and pragmatics") Put your rock on the ground and sit down on it.[98](98/ "tree and pragmatics") I know what the snakes are going to do, but our father will take care of us.”[99](99/ "tree and pragmatics") The snakes came out of the den—great lots of them—and came towards the boys.[100](100/ "tree and pragmatics") All at once the boys saw a cloud rising and coming towards them, and pretty soon it began to rain where the snakes were, and the water got so deep that the snakes were swimming, but where the boys were it did not rain.[101](101/ "tree and pragmatics") On them the sun was shining warm and bright.[102](102/ "tree and pragmatics") Then the sun got hotter and hotter, and at last it was so hot it made the water boil and killed all the snakes.[103](103/ "tree and pragmatics") The boys went home, and the old woman’s grandson told her what had happened—just how it all was.[104](104/ "tree and pragmatics") Then she said to him: “Grandson, I believe there is power in this little boy.[105](105/ "tree and pragmatics") Now we will go back to our people.”[106](106/ "tree and pragmatics") They had left their people because they were poor and had no horses, and the others in the camp did not take care of them.[107](107/ "tree and pragmatics") She said, “We will go back and try to find out where this boy came from, and whether he is a relative of any of our people there.”[108](108/ "tree and pragmatics") Before they started the grandmother asked the Star Boy where he came from.[109](109/ "tree and pragmatics") He told her that he did not know; that he had come from above, but he remembered that his mother had told him that they did not belong up there, but down below, and that she had been taken up by a star.[110](110/ "tree and pragmatics") He said that she had come down with him on her back, but had been killed by a stone dropped from above, which had hit her on the head but did not kill him.[111](111/ "tree and pragmatics") Then the old woman remembered that once a girl had disappeared one night from the camp when she was sleeping on an arbor, and that this girl was the daughter of a chief.[112](112/ "tree and pragmatics") They left their lodge and went back to their people.[113](113/ "tree and pragmatics") When they reached the camp, they had a lodge of their own and all lived together.[114](114/ "tree and pragmatics") His relations, when they found out who the Star Boy was, wanted him to come and live with them, but for a long time he would not do so.[115](115/ "tree and pragmatics") When he did go, he took the old woman and her grandson with him.[116](116/ "tree and pragmatics") When he grew up he began to go on the war-path, and he had good luck and struck many of his enemies.[117](117/ "tree and pragmatics") At length he married the daughter of a chief, and the grandson married another daughter.[118](118/ "tree and pragmatics") - ← previous: [The First Corn](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg66596/8/) - next →: [The Grizzly Bear’s Medicine](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg66596/10/) - ↑ back to [The Punishment of the Stingy, and Other Indian Stories](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg66596/)