The manner of it; the quaint folk-remedies employed to heal the sick man; the making of the shroud by the bereaved wife; the digging of his grave by his father; the funeral; all are described.

The widow drives the sledge with the coffin to the grave.

On her return home she finds that the fire is out and that there is no wood on hand.

Intrusting her two children to the care of a neighbor, she drives off with the sledge to the forest to cut some.

As she collects the fuel, her thoughts wander back over the past, and she sees a vision of her life, its joys and sorrows.