uietly witness the
punishment of children whom she thought absolutely perfect. Hence, if she
could not have things exactly as she wanted them, Mary would now and then
allow her fiery temper to obtain the mastery, and springing up in a rage
and throwing a shawl over her head she would fly out of the house and be
gone for days.

Her mistress paid no attention to these outbursts. She well knew that when
Mary had cooled down she would return, and it was often amusing to see the
way in which she would attract the children's attention to her, peering
around tree or corner, and then come meekly walking in with them as though
they had only been for a pleasant outing of an hour or so.

"Well, Mary," would be the greeting of her mistress, while Mary's quiet
response would be the Indian greeting of, "Wat cheer!"

Then things would go on as usual for perhaps another six months, when Mary
would indulge again in one of her tantrums, with the same happy results.

She dressed the children in picturesque Indian costumes--coats, dresses,
leggings, moccasins, and other articles of apparel of deer skin, tanned as
soft as kid, and beautifully embroidered with silk and bead work. Not a
spot could appear upon their garments without Mary's notice, and as she
always kept changes ready she was frequently disrobing and dressing them
up.

When Souwanas and Jakoos came that morning and picked up the children Mary
happened to be in another room. Had she been present she would doubtless
have interfered in their movements. As it was, when she missed the children
her indignation knew no bounds, and only the most emphatic commands of her
mistress restrained her from rushing after them. All day long she had to
content herself with muttering her protests while, as usual, she was busily
employed with her needle. When, however, the two stalwart Indians returned
in the evening with the children on their shoulders the storm broke, and
Mary's murmurings, at first mere protests, became loud and furious when the
happy children, so tired and dirty, were set down before her. The Indians,
knowing of the sad tragedy in Mary's life, would not show anger or even
annoyance under her scathing words, but, with the stoical nature of their
race, they quietly endured her wrath. This they were much better prepared
to do since neither of the parents of the white children seemed in the
slightest degree disturbed by their long absence or the tirade of the
indignant nurse. W