ittle sister is not torn and dirty any time," said Cordelia Running
Bird, "for my mother came to mission school when she was young and
learned the neat way."

"My big sister only went to camp school just a little while," said
Hannah Straight Tree. "When my mother died she had to stay at home and
work and keep my little sister. Now again my father has got married,
and Lucinda wants to come to school and bring my little sister. Dolly
was five birthdays last Thanksgiving dinner."

"Susie was five birthdays while I was at home vacation. I would be so
glad if she could stay at school next time she comes, but she was
sliding on the ice, and she fell and broke herself right here."
Cordelia touched her collarbone. "She is mended, but my mother is
afraid to leave her with the children now," she added. "But next year
she will leave her. If your big and little sister come to school they
will have nice mission things."

"But they cannot for my father," Hannah Straight Tree said, with
deepening gloom. "He would let Lucinda, but he says Dolly is too short;
she must be ten birthdays when she comes. Lucinda loves Dolly, so she
will not leave her, and my stepmother is cross-tempered. Lucinda will
be twenty-one birthdays--much too old to come to school--when Dolly is
ten birthdays."

"You can tell your father the teachers like the Indian children come to
school when they are very short, so they can grow them more
white-minded," said Cordelia Running Bird.

"I told him, but he says he does not want his children very
white-minded. He says I came to school so short that they have grown me
too white-minded. I tell him I am very Indian-minded, but he tells me I
do not know white from Indian. Lucinda is so sad she will not try. She
looks so horrid--Dolly, too--I am much ashamed of them. I shall not
speak to them before the white visitors and the teachers--only down at
camp."

"Then you will be very wrong," said Cordelia Running Bird. "I would not
be ashamed to speak to my own people anywhere."

"Ee! You talk so good because your father wears a grand policeman's
coat and trousers, and your mother's head is in a hood!" said Hannah
Straight Tree, excitedly. "My father wears a very funny Indian clothes,
and feathers in his hairs, and my big sister's head is in a shawl. All
the girls will say on Christmas, 'Susie looked just like a fairy in the
Jack Frost song. We shall give her very lots of candy from our
Christmas bags.'