“Quiet!” Dan warned, giving him a hard look.
“Pipe down,” Brad muttered. “You want to get us into trouble?”
Red, however, was not to be silenced. Before Brad or Dan could stop him, he walked over to the two Indians.
“Good morning,” he said, to attract the attention of the two Indians.
They responded to the greeting without friendliness, continuing with the buying of supplies. Their very indifference further angered Red.
“I want to ask you some questions,” he burst out. “And I want some straight answers—see!”
“Red!” Dan remonstrated, trying to grab his arm.
Red pulled away. He had no intention of being silenced.
“First off, I want to know if you and White Nose weren’t the ones that wrecked our sand painting and then remade it inside the hogan?” he demanded.
Eagle Feather now paid him the honor of being most attentive. His eyes flickered with interest as he demanded mildly:
“Oh, you needn’t pretend you know nothing about it,” Red snapped. “You’ve both been hanging around our camp ever since you came to Webster City!”
“Your sand painting has been redone?” inquired Eagle Feather, speaking with precise English.
“Late yesterday afternoon,” Red informed him. “Oh, you know all about it!”
Dan tried vainly to pull his friend away from the grocery counter. But Red, in one of his stubborn moods, would not budge.
“We know nothing about your sand painting,” Eagle Feather said distinctly.
“The work was done by an Indian—we know that from the skillful way the picture was put together,” Red rattled on. “It must have been you and White Nose.”
“We have no skill at sand painting,” said Eagle Feather. “We know one who does have cleverness in his hands—”
Red broke in, not giving the Indian an opportunity to finish.
“I’ll bet you’ve been living in the river cave on the park reservation,” he went on.
By this time Dan and Brad were thoroughly exasperated by the rash manner in which Red was revealing information. They were particularly annoyed because they could see that their den mate was supplying the Indians with facts of great interest to them.
“Where is this cave of which you speak?” Eagle Feather asked.
Dan stepped on Red’s foot so hard that he howled with pain.
“Button your flapping lips!” Dan hissed into his ear.
