Читать книгу Shaman's Dream: The Modoc War - Lu Boone's Mattson - Страница 49

This time he just laid his hand on the door and shoved it open. Knapp sat at the desk, the papers spread before him. He looked up in surprise as the two men came in. He didn’t bother to get up. He sat there just holding the pencil over the page he had been writing on while Scarfaced Charley said what Jack had told him to, like he was waiting for it to be over so he could write down the next thing. The agent’s face got redder and redder as Charley talked, so Keintpoos figured he was remembering to say it all. Charley didn’t even bother to look at him for instructions. When he finished one thing, he just went on to another, talking even, not raising his voice, but saying the words out steady like, without any stopping. Charley raised his arm and gestured around the agency. He pointed off toward the Sprague. When he finished talking, he just shut his mouth up, and the two of them stood there facing Knapp. Waiting.

Knapp chewed for a while at his lip, then he said, “I’m damned sick and tired of this bellyaching. Tell him this for me so you can stop coming around to bother me.” The agent said his words level like Charley’s had been -- not loud, just determined. “You black son of a bitch, damn your heart; if you come and bother me any more with your complaints, I will put you where no one will ever bother you again.

“There. That clear enough? Tell that black bastard that, then tell him to get his black ass out of here and over where he belongs. Tell him I’m the one to do the demanding on this reservation!