He joined the group which included Wanaha, and they talked a few minutes with the Agent and Mr. Hargreaves. Then Mrs. Rankin and Rosebud moved off to the two waiting buckboards, and Wanaha disappeared down a by-path through the trees. Seth and Charlie Rankin followed their womenfolk.
Seth was the only silent member of the party, but this was hardly noticeable, for he rarely had much to say for himself.
On the way home Rosebud at last found reason to grumble at his silence. She had chattered away the whole time in her light-hearted, inconsequent fashion, and at last asked him a question to which she required more than a nod of the head in reply. And she had to ask it three times, a matter which ruffled her patience. 107
“Why are you so grumpy with me, Seth?” she asked, with a little frown. She always accused Seth of being “grumpy” when he was more than usually silent.
“Eh?” The man turned from the contemplation of the horses’ tails.
“I asked you three times if you saw the Agent talking to two of his scouts—Jim Crow and Rainmaker—before service.”
Seth flicked his whip over the backs of the horses.
“Sure,” he said indifferently.
“Jim Crow is the head of his Indian police.”
The girl spoke significantly, and Seth glanced round at her in surprise.