Arizona -- Fiction; Grand Canyon (Ariz.) -- Fiction; Western stories
Enoch did not shift his thoughtful gaze from the sweet face opposite
his for a long moment after she had ceased to speak. Then he pressed
the desk button and Abbott appeared. He glanced at his chief, then his
eyes fastened themselves on Diana's profile.
"Mr. Abbott, will you ask the Commissioner of Indian Affairs to come
in? I believe he is with the Assistant Secretary this morning."
Charley nodded and disappeared.
"I brought a little portfolio of some of my prints," Diana spoke
hesitatingly. "I left them in the other room. Mr. Abbott thought you
might like to see them, but perhaps--you seem so very busy and I think
there must be at least a thousand people waiting to see you!"
"There always are," said Enoch, without a smile as he pressed another
button. Jonas' black head appeared. "Bring in the portfolio Miss
Allen left in the other room, please, Jonas!"
"Yes, Mr. Secretary," replied Jonas, withdrawing his eyes slowly from
Diana's eager face.
The portfolio and the Indian Commissioner arrived together. After the
introduction had been made, Enoch said:
"Watkins, do you know anything about Indians?"
"Very little, Mr. Secretary," with a smile.
"Would you be interested in looking at some photographs of Indian life?"
"Made by this young lady?" asked Watkins, looking with unconcealed
interest at Diana.
"Yes," said Enoch.
"And shown and explained by her?" asked the Indian Commissioner, a
twinkle in his brown eyes.
Diana laughed, and so did Abbott. Enoch's even white teeth flashed for
a moment.
"I wish I had time to join you," he said. "What I want to suggest, Mr.
Watkins, is that you see if Miss Allen will qualify to take care of
some of the research work you received an appropriation for the other
day. You were speaking to Abbott, I think, of the difficulty of
finding people with authentic knowledge of the Indians."
The Indian Commissioner nodded and tucked Diana's portfolio under his
arm. "Come along, Miss Allen!"
Diana rose. "If we don't leave now, I have an idea we will be asked to
do so," she said, the corners of her mouth deepening suddenly. "What
happens if one doesn't leave when requested?"
"One is cast in a dungeon, deep under the Capitol building," replied
Enoch, holding out his hand.
Diana laughed. "Thank you for seeing me and helping me, Mr.
Huntingdon," she said, and a moment later Jonas closed the door behind
her and the Commissioner.
"How come that young lady to stay so long, Mr. Abbott?" Jonas asked
Charley in a low voice, as he helped the young man bring in a huge pile
of Reclamation reports.
"Did you get a good look at her, Jonas?" demanded Abbott in the same
tone.
"Yes," replied Jonas.
"Then why ask foolish questions?"
"The boss don't like 'em, no matter what they look like."
"Every man has his breaking point, Jonas," smiled Charley.
Enoch turned from the window where he had been standing for a moment in
unprecedented idleness.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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