“Real Indian music always sounds better if you pound something while you sing it, even if it’s only a dish-pan,” said Winona.
“Please don’t mention dish-pans,” begged Louise, “they’re a tender point. I just parted from mine half an hour ago.”
“All right,” said Winona good-humoredly, “I have something else interesting to tell you. I bought a rowboat to-day.”
“Oh, good!” cried Helen. “Marie’s canoe and mine will be up in a day or so, but a canoe wiggles so when you try to fish from it. Now we can all go fishing. Elizabeth brought tackle, but we thought we couldn’t do much good, fishing from the bank.”
“And the Blue Birds can go out in it till they learn more about canoes, too,” said Winona. “I’m going exploring myself in it as soon as I can. What are you really going to the village for, Louise—or don’t you know?”
“Benzine for my burnt-wood outfit,” said Louise. “I had some thinks, and that was one. Little Louise is going to make some nice burnt-leather things for the neighborhood. Pillows and table-covers, and heaps of things for the farmers’ wives to buy. Lessons in the art if they want them. I brought my outfit, and some skins, and colors.”
“I thought I’d model some vases and pots and bowls, and fire them,” said Helen. “They might sell, too. Have you thought of anything, Winona?”
“Not a blessed thing, for myself,” said Winona. “You know, I’m not particularly clever about doing things like that, except making baskets, and Florence does those better than I do. But I have thought of one thing—how to sell our wares after they are made.”
“That’s quite a useful thing to know,” said Louise. “About the most useful thing there is, in fact. Well, how?”
“We’ll have to peddle them,” said Winona calmly. “The farmers’ wives won’t come out here to buy unless we advertise a lot, and we can’t afford that. The thing for us to do is to get some sort of a thing to carry the goods in, and make it look awfully arts-an-craftsy, and pull it round and sell things at the houses.”