When Farrar came in to remove
the plates for dessert, and Powder-Face saw that the remaining food
was about to disappear, he pushed Farrar back and commenced to attend
to the table himself. He pulled one dish after another to him, and
scraped each one clean, spreading all the butter on the bread, and
piled up buffalo steak, ham, potatoes, peas--in fact, every crumb that
had been left--making one disgusting mess, and then tapping it with
his finger said, "Papoose! Papoose!" We had it all put in a paper and
other things added, which made Wauk almost bob off her chair in her
delight at having such a feast for her little chief. But the condition
of my tablecloth made me want to bob up and down for other feelings
than delight!
After dinner they all sat by the stove and smoked, and Powder-Face
told funny things about his trip East that we could not always
interpret, but which caused him and Wauk to laugh heartily. Wauk sat
very close to him, with elbows on her knees, looking as though she
would much prefer to be squatted down upon the floor.
The tepee odor became stifling, so in order to get as far from the
Indians as possible, I went across the room and sat upon a small trunk
by the window. I had not been there five minutes, however, before that
wily chief, who had apparently not noticed my existence, got up from
his chair, gathered his blanket around him, and with long strides came
straight to me.
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