"

"I told you so, Jusy," said Rea gently. "But you didn't seem to care
then."

"Well, I do now!" he cried. "I didn't think how bad they'd feel. Now if
it were in Italy, I'd go and tell the King all about it. Who is there
to tell here?" he continued, turning to his Uncle George. "Who is there
here, to tell about such things? There must be somebody."

Mr. Connor smiled sadly. "The trouble is, there are too many," he said.

"Who is above all the rest?" persisted Jusy. "Isn't there somebody at
the top, as our King is in Italy?"

"Yes, there is one above all the rest," replied Mr. Connor. "We call him
the President."

"Well, why don't you write and tell him about Ysidro?" said Jusy. "I
wish I could see him, I'd tell him. It's a shame!"

"Even the President could not help this, Jusy," said Mr. Connor. "The
law was against poor Ysidro; there was no help; and there are thousands
and thousands of Indians in just the same condition he is."

"Doesn't the President make the laws?" said Jusy.

"No," said Mr. Connor. "Congress makes the laws."

"Oh," said Jusy, "like our Parliament."

"Yes," said Mr. Connor.

Jusy said no more; but he thought of little else all the afternoon; and
at bedtime he said to Rea,--

"Rea, I am real sorry I didn't care about those old Indians at first,
when you did. But I'm going to be good to them now, and help them all I
can; and I have made up my mind that when I am a man I shall not go to
Italy, as I said I would, to be an officer for the King. I shall stay
here, and be an officer for the American President, instead; and I shall
tell him about Ysidro, and about all the rest of the Indians."

* * * * *

There is nothing more to be told about the Hunter Cats. By degrees they
disappeared: some of them went to live at other houses in the San
Gabriel Valley; some of them ran off and lived a wild life in the
canons; and some of them, I am afraid, must have died for want of food.

Rea was glad when they were all gone; but Jusy missed the fun of seeing
them hunt gophers and linnets.

Perhaps, some day, I shall write another story, and tell you more about
Jusy and Rea, and how they tried to help the Indians.

[Illustration: MATS MADE BY YSIDRO.--Page 126.]

End of Project Gutenberg's The Hunter Cats of Connorloa, by Helen Jackson

*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE HUNTER CATS OF CONNORLOA ***

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