Injuns thet's sick. I'll go 'n' show yer ter his house. I kin tell him jest how the baby is. P'r'aps he'll drive down 'n' see her!”
Ah! if he would! What would Majella say, should she see him enter the door bringing a doctor!
Luckily Jos returned in time to go with them to the doctor's house as interpreter. Alessandro was bewildered. He could not understand this new phase of affairs, Could it be true? As they walked along, he listened with trembling, half-incredulous hope to Jos's interpretation of Aunt Ri's voluble narrative.
The doctor was in his office. To Aunt Ri's statement of Alessandro's errand he listened indifferently, and then said, “Is he an Agency Indian?”
“A what?” exclaimed Aunt Ri.
“Does he belong to the Agency? Is his name on the Agency books?”
“No,” said she; “he never heern uv any Agency till I wuz tellin' him, jest naow. We knoo him, him 'n' her, over 'n San Jacinto. He lives in Saboba. He's never been to San Bernardino sence the Agent come aout.”
“Well, is he going to put his name down on the books?” said the doctor, impatiently. “You ought to have taken him to the Agent first.”
“Ain't you the Guvvermunt doctor for all Injuns?” asked Aunt Ri, wrathfully. “Thet's what I heerd.”
“Well, my good woman, you hear a great deal, I expect, that isn't true;” and the doctor laughed coarsely but not ill-naturedly, Alessandro all the time studying his face with the scrutiny of one awaiting life and death; “I am the Agency physician, and I suppose all the Indians will sooner or later come in and report themselves to the Agent; you'd better take this man over there. What does he want now?”
Aunt Ri began to explain the baby's case. Cutting
