d the remark. "You just watch this child."
Climbing to the top of the hill she beat a path down the slope, and then
sat calmly down with her feet stretched out before her and slid down as
swiftly as if the hill had been covered with ice. She had no sooner
accomplished the feat than all the Winnebagos were at the top of the
hill, eager to try it. They came down all in a row, each with her hand
on the shoulder of the girl ahead of her, so that it looked like a real
toboggan. Then Mrs. Evans tried it, pulling with her stout Mrs.
Brewster, who puffed like an engine and got stuck half way down and had
to be pushed the rest of the way. Then Dr. Hoffman and Aunt Phoebe
returned from their ramble and the mothers hastily collected their
dignity and their hairpins, breathless but bubbling over with the fun of
it. Whoever has not slid down a grassy hillside in June has certainly
missed a joy out of his life.

They had frolicked so long in the daisy field that there was no time to
go on to the place where they had intended to cook their supper, and
they had to stay right there. Aunt Phoebe had her first taste of camp
cookery on this occasion and was delighted beyond words with the
experience, as was Doctor Hoffman. "Sometime you and I vill go camping
and you vill make someting like dis, mein Liebchen?" he said to Aunt
Phoebe, indicating the slumgullion. The group sat petrified at the term
he had used in addressing her, and Aunt Phoebe blushed fiery red. Dr.
Hoffman saw that the cat was out of the bag. Laughing sheepishly, he
spoke. "Dis lady," he said, laying his hand on Aunt Phoebe's, "has
promised to be mein vife."

Hinpoha dropped her plate in her surprise. "Aunt Phoebe!" she cried,
incredulously, throwing her arms around her. Then her face fell. "You
are going away and leave me?" she asked anxiously.

"No, dear," answered Aunt Phoebe, "the Doctor is going to make his home
here and we will keep you with us always." And Hinpoha, though still
dazed by the news she had just heard, breathed easy again.

When the last bit of slumgullion was eaten and Doctor Hoffman had
scraped out the kettle, the Winnebagos retired to the other side of the
hill to don their ceremonial costumes, and the rest of the company found
comfortable seats on the ground from which to watch the coming
performance. As Migwan was wriggling into her gown a letter fell to the
ground. The mail man had handed it to her just as she was starting off
with the crowd,