“Two shinnin—humph” (good).
The next day, when as usual, visitors began to flock to the rooms where the Indians were sojourning, the woman and a young Indian, her confederate, took their station by the door, which they kept closed. When any one knocked, the door was cautiously opened, and the woman extending her hand, exclaimed—“Two shinnin.”
This was readily paid in each instance, and the game went on, until she had accumulated a considerable sum. But this did not satisfy her. At the first attempt of a visitor to leave the room, the door was held close, as before, the hand was extended, and “Two shinnin” again met his ear. He tried to explain that, having paid for his entrance, he must now go out free. With an inexorable shake of the head, “Two shinnin,” was all the English she could understand.
The Agent who had entered a short time before, and who, overhearing the dialogue, sat laughing behind his newspaper, waiting to see how it would all end, now came forward and interfered, and the guests were permitted to go forth without a further contribution.
The good woman was moreover admonished that it was far from the custom of white people to tax their friends and visitors in this manner, and that the practice must be laid aside in future.
Another instance of the disposition of the Indians to avail themselves of all the goods that fortune throws in their way, was the following:
Upon the same trip, while passing through Ohio, one of the party inquired of the Agent,
“Do you pay for all those provisions that are set before us at the hotels?”
“Yes, why do you ask?”
“Nothing: I thought you perhaps paid for just what we ate of them.”