“No, let the children have the first ones,” said their mother.

“Be careful, they’re hot!” cautioned Tom, as he passed the ears on their queer wooden sticks to Bunny and Sue.

Sue blew on hers to cool it, but Bunny was in such a hurry that he started to eat at once.  As a result he cried: 

“Ouch!  It’s hot!”

“Be careful!” cautioned his mother, and after that Bunny was careful.

[Illustration:  TOM BROUGHT OUT THE EARS AND STRIPPED THE GREEN HUSKS FROM THEM. Bunny Brown and His Sister Sue in the Big Woods. Page 195.]

Soon two more ears were roasted, and these Mr. and Mrs. Brown took.  They waited a bit for them to cool, and then began to eat slowly.

“They are delicious,” said Mrs. Brown.

“This is the only way to cook green corn,” remarked Uncle Tad.

“It’s the best I’ve eaten since I was a boy,” declared Mr. Brown.  “We shall have to have some more, Tom.”

“Yes, I’ll cook some more for you.  Parched corn is good, too.  The Indians like that.  You have to wait until the ears are nearly ripe for that, though, and the kernels dried.”

“Aren’t you going to eat any, Tom?” Bunny asked, as he took the ear the bigger boy handed him.

“Oh, yes, I’ll have some now, if you’ve had all you want.”

“Well, maybe I’ll eat more,” said Bunny.

“And I want another,” put in Sue.

“There’s plenty here,” said Tom, as he began to eat.  Almost as he spoke there was a crackling of the leaves and sticks behind the embers of the roast-corn party, and before any one could turn around to see what it was a voice spoke: 

“White folks make heap good meal same as Indians.”

“That’s right, Eagle Feather,” called back Tom, who did not seem to be so much taken by surprise as did the others.  “Come and have some.  What brings you here?”

“Eagle Feather lose him horse,” was the answer.  “Come look for him.  Maybe you hab?” and he squatted down beside the campfire and accepted a roasted ear that Tom handed him.

“What does this mean about Eagle Feather’s horse being here?” asked Mr. Brown.

“Me tell you ’bout a minute,” answered the Indian, gnawing away at the corn.

CHAPTER XX

FUN IN THE ATTIC

Bunny Brown looked at his sister Sue, and she looked at him.  What could it mean—­so many things being taken away?  First Bunny’s train of cars, then Sue’s electric-eyed Teddy bear.  Now Eagle Feather’s horse was missing and he had come to Camp Rest-a-While to look for it, though why the children could not understand.  Tom was kept busy roasting the ears of corn, and passing them around.  Eagle Feather ate three without saying anything more, and would probably have taken another, which Tom had ready for him, when Mr. Brown asked: 

“Well, Eagle Feather, what is your trouble?  Is your horse really gone?  And if it is, why do you think it is here?  We don’t have any horses here.  All our machines go by gasolene.”