The day that the girls had planned to visit Su-me-ah-chene, Mr.
Coyote moved the pine tree down in front of his house, and when the
girls arrived at the village of Su-me, they began at once to look
for the tree Su-me-ah-chene had described to them. After they had
looked about for a short time, one of them pointed down the hill to
the lower western end of the village, to the tree, and said that must
be the place they were looking for, delighted upon seeing the tree,
they rushed down the hill to Say-gap’s house. Say-gap met them at
the door with a cordial welcome, and asked them in, they all entered
the house and seated themselves while he was planning how he could
best entertain the girls and make himself appear very attractive to
them. He summoned his grandmother and asked her to spread a banquet
for the young ladies, and told her she must prepare the very best of
food-stuffs they had in the house for the evening meal. The grandmother
began to move about in the adjoining room in the rear of the house,
as if she was preparing the food for supper. She had a large basket
of acorn mush already cooked and hid away, so her nephew (he was her
nephew instead of her grandchild) would not eat it all himself, as he
would always eat up everything that was good and let her go hungry.
This acorn mush she kept hid and did not bring it out for Say-gap and
his guests to feast upon. She pretended to look among the shelves for
awhile and fumbled through them, when she at last brought out a large
Indian plate of shrimps, or some sort of worm, that looked very much
like shrimps. She came into the room where Say-gap was entertaining the
girls and began to roast the worms on the coals. The worms would twist
about on the coals, pop and fly all over the house. The girls looked
at one another in dismay, and wondered if this was the best food that
his house could afford, they became very angry and said that they had
been deceived. Rising from the seats they told their host that they now
did not believe him to be Su-me-ah-chene, but he was an imposter. They
fled from the house in a rage and returned to their homes at Orleans
Bar. Say-gap followed them home and kept pleading, saying he was
Su-me-ah-chene, their much admired champion of the “stick game.” This
made the girls more peeved than ever, so they made a resolution among
themselves, that they would not accept Su-me-ah-chene’s attentions or
consider any excuses that he might offer, if they chanced to meet him
again.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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