ea.
Huh. Them damn' folks no eatum. All time playum cards, drinkum whisky.
All time otha fella ketchum flour, ketchum meat, ketchum tea--ketchum
all them thing b'longum." In the rhetorical pause he made there, his
black eyes wandered inadvertently to Evadna's face. And Evadna, the
timid one, actually smiled back.

"Isn't it a shame they should do that," she murmured sympathetically.

"Huh." Peppajee turned his eyes and his attention to Peaceful, as if the
opinion and the sympathy of a mere female were not worthy his notice.
"Them grub all gone, them Injuns mebbyso ketchum hungry belly." Evadna
blushed, and looked studiously at her plate.

"Come my wikiup. Me got plenty flour, plenty meat, plenty tea. Stay all
time my wikiup. Sleepum my wikiup. Sun come up"--he pointed a brown,
sinewy hand toward the east--"eatum my grub. Sun up there"--his finger
indicated the zenith--"eatum some more. Sun go 'way, eatum some more.
Then sleepum all time my wikiup. Bimeby, mebbyso my flour all gone, my
meat mebbyso gone, mebbyso tea--them folks all time eatum grub, me no
ketchum. Me no playum cards, all same otha fella ketchum my grub. Kay
bueno. Better me playum cards mebbyso all time.

"Bimeby no ketchum mo' grub, no stopum my wikiup. Them folks pikeway. Me
tellum 'Yo' heap lazy, heap kay bueno. Yo' all time eatum my grub, yo'
no givum me money, no givum hoss, no givum notting. Me damn' mad all
time yo'. Yo' go damn' quick!'" Peppajee held out his cup for more tea.
"Me tellum my brother," he finished sonorously, his black eyes sweeping
lightly the faces of his audience, "yo' no come back, yo'--"

Evadna caught her breath, as if someone had dashed cold water in her
face. Never before in her life had she heard the epithet unprintable,
and she stared fixedly at the old-fashioned, silver castor which always
stood in the exact center of the table.

Old Peaceful Hart cleared his throat, glanced furtively at Phoebe, and
drew his hand down over his white beard. The boys puffed their cheeks
with the laughter they would, if possible, restrain, and eyed Evadna's
set face aslant. It was Good Indian who rebuked the offender.

"Peppajee, mebbyso you no more say them words," he said quietly. "Heap
kay bueno. White man no tellum where white woman hear. White woman no
likum hear; all time heap shame for her."

"Huh," grunted Peppajee doubtingly, his eyes turning to Phoebe. Times
before had he said them before Phoebe Hart, and she had passed the