Food was as low as wages, and at
the end of a week, Rolf brought back to camp a sack of oatmeal, a sack
of cornmeal, a bushel of potatoes, a lot of apples, and one dollar cash.
The dollar went for tea and sugar, and the total product was enough to
last them both a month; so Rolf could share the wigwam with a good
conscience.
Of course, it was impossible to keep the gossipy little town of Myanos
from knowing, first, that the Indian had a white boy for partner; and,
later, that that boy was Rolf. This gave rise to great diversity of
opinion in the neighbourhood. Some thought it should not be allowed,
but Horton, who owned the land on which Quonab was camped, could not
see any reason for interfering.
Ketchura Peck, spinster, however, did see many most excellent reasons.
She was a maid with a mission, and maintained it to be an outrage that
a Christian boy should be brought up by a godless pagan. She worried
over it almost as much as she did over the heathen in Central Africa,
where there are no Sunday schools, and clothes are as scarce as churches.
Failing to move Parson Peck and Elder Knapp in the matter, and despairing
of an early answer to her personal prayers, she resolved on a bold move,
"An' it was only after many a sleepless, prayerful night," namely, to
carry the Bible into the heathen's stronghold.
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