A Bird in Search of a Mate - An American Folktale

A young woman lived alone on the bank of a large river. One day she thought, “I am old enough to have a husband. It is lonely here by myself.”   She oiled her hair, painted her face red, put on her best clothes and went to a spring. She dipped up a bucket of water and looking in it said, “I am nice enough for any man.”   Then she started off along the bank of the river that ran through a forest. Toward midday she came to a place where she saw signs of people living near, and, seating herself on a log she began to sing, “I wonder if any man around here wants a wife. I wonder if any man around here wants a wife.”   Soon some one far off in the forest answered, “I want a wife. I want a wife.”