"
Quickly the resolve was carried out, and so, while Minnehaha was telling
her father what a beautiful story they had heard about the roses, Sagastao,
with his hand on the shoulder of the old Indian, who was seated on a rock,
was eagerly firing at him his double-barreled question: "Why have some
ducks such red eyes, and why are the rabbits white in winter and brown in
summer?"
"Both done by Nanahboozhoo," said the old man with a smile, as he took his
pipe out of his mouth.
"Hurrah for Nanahboozhoo!" shouted the lad.
This outburst on the part of Sagastao at once attracted the attention of
the others to him and Minnehaha wanted to know what was the matter now.
"Why, did you not hear? Souwanas says that Nanahboozhoo gave the ducks the
red eyes and makes the rabbits to be white in winter and brown in summer."
Then turning to Souwanas he asked, "How does Nanahboozhoo do it?"
Here the father, while amused at the lad's enthusiasm, interposed, and
said:
"You have already kept Souwanas a long time, and perhaps he is busy."
"Busy!" said the irrepressible Sagastao, who was shrewd beyond his years.
"Busy! Why Souwanas would rather tell stories than do anything else--unless
to smoke his pipe."
Then he glibly told Souwanas in Saulteaux what had passed between him and
his father in English, and added, "Is that not so, Souwanas?"
The old Indian smiled, and said kindly:
"How can I help enjoying telling stories when I have such good little
listeners?"
"But what about his dinner?" asked the kind-hearted Minnehaha.
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