uctantly interpreted this, the Agent lost his temper.
"That's all the use there is trying to do anything with them! Let him
go, then, if he doesn't want any help from the Government!"

"Oh, no, no." cried Aunt Ri. "Yeow jest explain it to Jos, an' he'll
make him understand."

Alessandro's face had darkened. All this seemed to him exceedingly
suspicious. Could it be possible that Aunt Ri and Jos, the first whites
except Mr. Hartsel he had ever trusted, were deceiving him? No; that was
impossible. But they themselves might be deceived. That they were simple
and ignorant, Alessandro well knew. "Let us go!" he said. "I do not wish
to sign any paper."

"Naow don't be a fool, will yeow? Yeow ain't signin' a thing!" said Aunt
Ri. "Jos, yeow tell him I say there ain't anythin' a bindin' him, hevin'
his name 'n' thet book, It's only so the Agent kin know what Injuns
wants help, 'n' where they air. Ain't thet so?" she added, turning to
the Agent. "Tell him he can't hev the Agency doctor, ef he ain't on the
Agency books."

Not have the doctor? Give up this precious medicine which might save his
baby's life? No! he could not do that. Majella would say, let the name
be written, rather than that.

"Let him write the name, then," said Alessandro, doggedly; but he went
out of the room feeling as if he had put a chain around his neck.

XXIII

THE medicine did the baby no good. In fact, it did her harm. She was too
feeble for violent remedies. In a week, Alessandro appeared again at the
Agency doctor's door. This time he had come with a request which to
his mind seemed not unreasonable. He had brought Baba for the doctor to
ride. Could the doctor then refuse to go to Saboba? Baba would carry
him there in three hours, and it would be like a cradle all the way.
Alessandro's name was in the Agency books. It was for this he had
written it,--for this and nothing else,--to save the baby's life. Having
thus enrolled himself as one of the Agency Indians, he had a claim on
this the Agency doctor. And that his application might be all in due
form, he took with him the Agency interpreter. He had had a misgiving,
before, that Aunt Ri's kindly volubility had not been well timed. Not
one unnecessary word, was Alessandro's motto.

To say that the Agency doctor was astonished at being requested to ride
thirty miles to prescribe for an ailing Indian baby, would be a mild
statement of the doctor's emotion. He could hardly keep from laughing