ast
degree "mushy."

When the triangle clanged its supper call, however, she came slowly down
from her favorite nook at the head of the pond, her hands filled with
flowers hastily gathered in the dusk.

"Here she comes--let's get to our places first, so mamma can't change
Peppajee around," Donny implored, in a whisper; and the group on the
porch disappeared with some haste into the kitchen.

Evadna was leisurely in her movements that night. The tea had been
poured and handed around the table by the Portuguese girl, Marie, and
the sugar-bowl was going after, when she settled herself and her ruffles
daintily between Grant and a braided, green-blanketed, dignifiedly
loquacious Indian.

The boys signaled each another to attention by kicking surreptitiously
under the table, but nothing happened. Evadna bowed a demure
acknowledgment when her Aunt Phoebe introduced the two, accepted the
sugar-bowl from Grant and the butter from Peppajee, and went composedly
about the business of eating her supper. She seemed perfectly at
ease; too perfectly at ease, decided Grant, who had an instinct for
observation and was covertly watching her. It was unnatural that she
should rub elbows with Peppajee without betraying the faintest trace of
surprise that he should be sitting at the table with them.

"Long time ago," Peppajee was saying to Peaceful, taking up the
conversation where Evadna had evidently interrupted it, "many winters
ago, my people all time brave. All time hunt, all time fight, all time
heap strong. No drinkum whisky all same now." He flipped a braid back
over his shoulder, buttered generously a hot biscuit, and reached for
the honey. "No brave no more--kay bueno. All time ketchum whisky, get
drunk all same likum hog. Heap lazy. No hunt no more, no fight. Lay
all time in sun, sleep. No sun come, lay all time in wikiup. Agent, him
givum flour, givum meat, givum blanket, you thinkum bueno. He tellum
you, kay bueno. Makum Injun lazy. Makum all same wachee-typo" (tramp).
"All time eat, all time sleep, playum cards all time, drinkum whisky.
Kay bueno. Huh." The grunt stood for disgust of his tribe, always
something of an affectation with Peppajee.

"My brother, my brother's wife, my brother's wife's--ah--" He searched
his mind, frowning, for an English word, gave it up, and substituted a
phrase. "All the folks b'longum my brother's wife, heap lazy all time.
Me no likum. Agent one time givum plenty flour, plenty meat, plenty t