shaggy horses to the fourth-hand 

 Studebaker, she threw some sacks 

 and boxes into the wagon and helped 

 Wah-pu-ta to scramble to the seat 

 beside her. The old woman tied 

 a red and green handkerchief around 

 her withered face and opened a 

 huge white cotton umbrella, through 

 which the sun glared with tireless 

 energy. Manita started the horses 

 on a jog trot, guided them into the 

 road, not far distant, and joined the 

 straggling procession of similar con- 

 veyances, and of foot travellers, 

 who all were bound for the same 

 place, the Clerk's office. 



The Government's office at the 

 Agency on beef-issue days was a 

 puzzle of Whitemen, Indian and 

 food, which invariably worked out 

 the same result misunderstand- 

 ings in spite of the reasonings to 

 the contrary of the wise men at 

 Washington. The record of each 

 nominal head of the family is kept, 

 and a certain amount of coffee, 

 flour, bacon, beans and the like, is 

 doled out to him by the allwise 

 Government, which sits in its spa- 

 cious well-managed homes in the Far 



