"Marry me if I want," said Bela defiantly. "I got him goin' already.
But I not want marry him. Not marry no man, me! When you marry a man,
you his slave. Always I goin' live in my house and have men come see
me. Men are fools. I do w'at I like wit' 'em."

"That is bad talk," said Musq'oosis.

"All right!" cried Bela passionately. "I goin' be bad woman now. I lak
that. I am good woman before. W'at do I get? I get throw down. I get
cursed. Now I goin' be bad! I have a fire inside me burn me up lak dry
grass. I got do somesing. I goin' be moch bad. Everybody talk about
me. Men fight for me! I am handsome. What's the use bein' good? I not
goin' cry again. I goin' laugh and have some fun now!"

Musq'oosis let it all come out before he spoke. When his opportunity
came he said calmly: "You are a big fool. You don't know w'at's the
matter wit' you."

She fell into his trap. "W'at is the matter wit' me?" she demanded
sullenly.

"Sam!" he said scornfully. "I tell you before. You what they call in
love wit' Sam. It is the white woman's sickness."

Bela gazed at him a moment in white silence. Her tongue was unable to
convey its load of anger. She flung her arms up helplessly.

"Love him!" she stammered. "I hate him! I hate him! I am burning with
my hate! I--I can't say it! I lak see Joe strike him down. I lak see
the men mak' mock of him. I would laugh. That mak' me feel little
better."

Musq'oosis shrugged.

"Maybe before I love him," she went on passionately. "I want be
friends. I want help him because he poor. Always I am think how can I
help him, not mak' him mad. I buy horses for him. I come here so I
feed him good and mak' him strong. W'at he do for me? He shame me!
Twice he shame me before all the people! He throw me away lik' dirt.
Now, all my good feeling is turn bad inside. I hate him!"

Tears poured down her cheeks, and sobs choked her utterance. Fearful
that he might misunderstand these evidences, she cried: "I not cry for
sorry. I cry for hate!"

Again Musq'oosis waited patiently until she was in a state to hear
him.

"Sam gone to Spirit River," he said calmly.

"I don' care!" cried Bela. "He can't go too far from me!"

"Maybe he sorry now," suggested the old man.

"Not sorry him!" cried Bela. "He not care for nobody. Got hard heart!"

"If you let me tak' team I lak go see him."

Bela stared at him full of excitement at the idea, but suspicious.

"W'at you want see him for?"

"Maybe I bring h