The enemy did not follow us further.  They had killed two more of our men and this woman, and had captured all the horses we were driving.  Perhaps they were satisfied.

For the last year I had been thinking a great deal about Standing Alone.  I saw and spoke to her sometimes, but in these later days not so often as when I had been younger and had not been so often going on the warpath against my enemies.  Yet she knew how I felt and her family and my mother also knew how I felt.  She was wearing a ring of horn that I had given her and I wore her ring.

Three times in the last two years when I had come back from my war journeys with horses I had driven the horses to Two Bulls’ lodge and left them there, and had sent him a message telling him that those horses were his.  I had not given any present to Standing Alone.

In summer of this year I spoke to my uncle and told him that I wished to send horses to Two Bulls, and to ask him to give me his daughter for my wife.  My uncle felt that this would be good and advised me to do it, saying that if I had not so many horses as I wished to send I should go to his band and take any that I liked.  I told him that this need not be done for I, myself, could furnish the horses.  Besides, my relations would give such other presents as might be needed.

So it happened that about the time the leaves of the cottonwoods began to turn yellow, my aunt, my mother’s oldest sister, went to Two Bulls’ lodge taking ten horses, which she tied before the lodge, and then, entering, gave the message, saying that Wikis wished Standing Alone for his wife.  After she had said this, my aunt returned to her lodge.

That night Two Bulls sent for his relations and told them what I had said.  They counseled together and agreed that the young woman should be given to me.  When I learned this my heart was stirred.

The news came to my lodge through one of the women of Two Bulls’ family, and my mother and sisters prepared our lodge for the coming of Standing Alone.

It was about the middle of the day when they told me that she was coming.

Standing Alone, finely dressed, was riding a handsome spotted horse led by one of her relations, and other women were coming behind, leading other horses which bore loads.

The horse ridden by Standing Alone was led up close to the lodge and my mother ran out to it.  Standing Alone put her arms around my mother’s neck and slipped out of the saddle on my mother’s back.  My sisters caught her feet and supported Standing Alone, who was thus carried on my mother’s back into the lodge and her feet did not touch the ground.  Then she was carried around to the back of the lodge where my sleeping place was and seated next to me on my bed.  Presently food was prepared and for the dish to be offered to Standing Alone my mother cut up the meat into small pieces, so that she should have no trouble in eating her food.  Then Standing Alone and I ate together and so I took her for my wife.