THE GREAT

K. & A. TRAIN-ROBBERY

[Illustration: Frontispiece]

TheGreatK. & A. Robbery

[Illustration: Trains]

By

Paul Leicester Ford

Author of The Honorable Peter Stirling

New YorkDodd, Mead and Company1897

_Copyright, 1896, _BY J. B. LIPPINCOTT COMPANY. 

_Copyright, 1897, _BY DODD, MEAD AND COMPANY. 

University Press:JOHN WILSON AND SON, CAMBRIDGE, U. S. A. 

TO

MY TRAVELLING COMPANIONS

ON SPECIALS 218 AND 97

THIS ENDEAVOR TO WEAVE INTO A STORY SOME OF OUROVERLAND HAPPENINGS AND ADVENTURES

IS GRATEFULLY AND AFFECTIONATELY DEDICATED. 

 * * * * *

_TO MISS GEORGE BARKER GIBBS. _

_My dear George_:

_At your request I originally inscribed this skit to our wholeparty. In its republication, however, I can but feel that thededication should be more particular. Written because you askedit, first read aloud to beguile our ride across the greatAmerican desert, and finally printed because you wished a copy asa souvenir of our journeyings, no one can so naturally be calledupon to stand sponsor to the little tale. Should the story butgive its readers a fraction of the pleasure I owe to yourkindness, its success is assured. _

_Faithfully yours, _

_PAUL LEICESTER FORD. _

Contents

 CHAPTER PAGE

 I THE PARTY ON SPECIAL NO. 218 1

 II THE HOLDING-UP OF OVERLAND NO. 3 17

 III A NIGHT'S WORK ON THE ALKALI PLAINS 30

 IV SOME RATHER QUEER ROAD AGENTS 43

 V A TRIP TO THE GRAND CAÑON 55

 VI THE HAPPENINGS DOWN HANCE'S TRAIL 69

 VII A CHANGE OF BASE 82

 VIII HOW DID THE SECRET LEAK OUT? 93

 IX A TALK BEFORE BREAKFAST 107

 X WAITING FOR HELP 118

 XI THE LETTERS CHANGE HANDS AGAIN 130

 XII AN EVENING IN JAIL 140

 XIII A LESSON IN POLITENESS 153

 XIV "LISTENERS NEVER HEAR ANYTHING GOOD" 165

 XV THE SURRENDER OF THE LETTERS 175

 XVI A GLOOMY GOOD-BY 186

THE

Great K. & A. Train-Robbery

CHAPTER I

THE PARTY ON SPECIAL NO. 218

Any one who hopes to find in what is here written a work ofliterature had better lay it aside unread. At Yale I should havegot the sack in rhetoric and English composition, let alone otherstudies, had it not been for the fact that I played half-back onthe team, and so the professors marked me away up above where Iought to have ranked. That was twelve years ago, but my lifesince I received my parchment has hardly been of a kind toimprove me in either style or grammar. It is true that one womantells me I write well, and my directors never find fault with mycompositions; but I know that she likes my letters because, whatever else they may say to her, they always say in some form, "I love you, " while my board approve my annual reports becausethus far I have been able to end each with "I recommend thedeclaration of a dividend of -- per cent from the earnings of thecurrent year. " I should therefore prefer to reserve my writingsfor such friendly critics, if it did not seem necessary to makepublic a plain statement concerning an affair over which thereappears to be much confusion. I have heard in the last five yearsnot less than twenty renderings of what is commonly called "thegreat K. & A. Train-robbery, "--some so twisted and distorted thatbut for the intermediate versions I should never have recognizedthem as attempts to narrate the series of events in which Iplayed a somewhat prominent part. I have read or been told that, unassisted, the pseudo-hero captured a dozen desperadoes; that hewas one of the road agents himself; that he was saved fromlynching only by the timely arrival of cavalry; that the actionof the United States government in rescuing him from the civilauthorities was a most high-handed interference with Staterights; that he received his reward from a grateful railroad bybeing promoted; that a lovely woman as recompense for hisvillany--but bother! it's my business to tell what reallyoccurred, and not what the world chooses to invent. And if anyman thinks he would have done otherwise in my position, I canonly say that he is a better or a worse man than Dick Gordon. 

Primarily, it was football which shaped my end. Owing to my skillin the game, I took a post-graduate at the Sheffield ScientificSchool, that the team might have my services for an extra twoyears. That led to my knowing a little about mechanicalengineering, and when I left the "quad" for good I went into theAlton Railroad shops. It wasn't long before I was foreman of asection; next I became a division superintendent, and after I hadstuck to that for a time I was appointed superintendent of theKansas & Arizona Railroad, a line extending from Trinidad inKansas to The Needles in Arizona, tapping the Missouri WesternSystem at the first place, and the Great Southern at the other. With both lines we had important traffic agreements, as well asthe closest relations, which sometimes were a little difficult, as the two roads were anything but friendly, and we had directorsof each on the K. & A. Board, in which they fought like cats. Indeed, it could only be a question of time when one would oustthe other and then absorb my road. My head-quarters were atAlbuquerque, in New Mexico, and it was there, in October, 1890, that I received the communication which was the beginning of allthat followed. 

This initial factor was a letter from the president of theMissouri Western, telling me that their first vice-president, Mr. Cullen (who was also a director of my road), was coming out toattend the annual election of the K. & A. , which under ourcharter had to be held in Ash Forks, Arizona. A second paragraphtold me that Mr. Cullen's family accompanied him, and that theyall wished to visit the Grand Cañon of the Colorado on their way. Finally the president wrote that the party travelled in his ownprivate car, and asked me to make myself generally useful tothem. Having become quite hardened to just such demands, at theproper date I ordered my superintendent's car on to No. 2, andthe next morning it was dropped off at Trinidad. 

The moment No. 3 arrived, I climbed into the president's special, that was the last car on the train, and introduced myself to Mr. Cullen, whom, though an official of my road, I had never met. Heseemed surprised at my presence, but greeted me very pleasantlyas soon as I explained that the Missouri Western office had askedme to do what I could for him, and that I was there for thatpurpose. His party were about to sit down to breakfast, and heasked me to join them: so we passed into the dining-room at theforward end of the car, where I was introduced to "My son, " "LordRalles, " and "Captain Ackland. " The son was a junior copy of hisfather, tall and fine-looking, but, in place of the frank andeasy manner of his sire, he was so very English that most peoplewould have sworn falsely as to his native land. Lord Ralles was alittle, well-built chap, not half so English as Albert Cullen, quick in manner and thought, being in this the opposite of hisbrother Captain Ackland, who was heavy enough to rock-ballast aroad-bed. Both brothers gave me the impression of beinggentlemen, and both were decidedly good-looking. 

After the introductions, Mr. Cullen said we would not wait, andhis remark called my attention to the fact that there was onemore place at the table than there were people assembled. I hadbarely noted this, when my host said, "Here's the truant, " and, turning, I faced a lady who had just entered. Mr. Cullen said, "Madge, let me introduce Mr. Gordon to you. " My bow was made to agirl of about twenty, with light brown hair, the bluest of eyes, a fresh skin, and a fine figure, dressed so nattily as to be tome, after my four years of Western life, a sight for tired eyes. She greeted me pleasantly, made a neat little apology for havingkept us waiting, and then we all sat down. 

It was a very jolly breakfast-table, Mr. Cullen and his son beingcapital talkers, and Lord Ralles a good third, while Miss Cullenwas quick and clever enough to match the three. Before the mealwas over I came to the conclusion that Lord Ralles was in lovewith Miss Cullen, for he kept making low asides to her; and fromthe fact that she allowed them, and indeed responded, I drew theconclusion that he was a lucky beggar, feeling, I confess, alittle pang that a title was going to win such a nice Americangirl. 

One of the first subjects spoken of was train-robbery, and MissCullen, like most Easterners, seemed to take a great interest init, and had any quantity of questions to ask me. 

"I've left all my jewelry behind, except my watch, " she said, "and that I hide every night. So I really hope we'll be held up, it would be such an adventure. "

"There isn't any chance of it, Miss Cullen, " I told her; "and ifwe were, you probably wouldn't even know that it was happening, but would sleep right through it. "

"Wouldn't they try to get our money and our watches?" shedemanded. 

I told her no, and explained that the express- and mail-cars werethe only ones to which the road agents paid any attention. Shewanted to know the way it was done: so I described to her howsometimes the train was flagged by a danger signal, and when ithad slowed down the runner found himself covered by armed men; orhow a gang would board the train, one by one, at way stations, and then, when the time came, steal forward, secure the expressagent and postal clerk, climb over the tender, and compel therunner to stop the train at some lonely spot on the road. Shemade me tell her all the details of such robberies as I knewabout, and, though I had never been concerned in any, I was ableto describe several, which, as they were monotonously alike, Iconfess I colored up a bit here and there, in an attempt to makethem interesting to her. I seemed to succeed, for she kept thesubject going even after we had left the table and were smokingour cigars in the observation saloon. Lord Ralles had a lot tosay about the American lack of courage in letting trainscontaining twenty and thirty men be held up by half a dozenrobbers. 

"Why, " he ejaculated, "my brother and I each have a doubleexpress with us, and do you think we'd sit still in our seats?No. Hang me if we wouldn't pot something. "

"You might, " I laughed, a little nettled, I confess, by hisspeech, "but I'm afraid it would be yourselves. "

"Aw, you fancy resistance impossible?" drawled Albert Cullen. 

"It has been tried, " I answered, "and without success. You cansee it's like all surprises. One side is prepared before theother side knows there is danger. Without regard to relativenumbers, the odds are all in favor of the road agents. "

"But I wouldn't sit still, whatever the odds, " asserted hislordship. "And no Englishman would. "

"Well, Lord Ralles, " I said, "I hope for your sake, then, thatyou'll never be in a hold-up, for I should feel about you as therunner of a locomotive did when the old lady asked him if itwasn't very painful to him to run over people. 'Yes, madam, ' hesadly replied: 'there is nothing musses an engine up so. '"

I don't think Miss Cullen liked Lord Ralles's comments onAmerican courage any better than I did, for she said, --

"Can't you take Lord Ralles and Captain Ackland into the serviceof the K. & A. , Mr. Gordon, as a special guard?"

"The K. & A. Has never had a robbery yet, Miss Cullen, " Ireplied, "and I don't think that it ever will have. "

"Why not?" she asked. 

I explained to her how the Cañon of the Colorado to the north, and the distance of the Mexican border to the south, made escapeso almost desperate that the road agents preferred to devotetheir attentions to other routes. "If we were boarded, MissCullen, " I said, "your jewelry would be as safe as it is inChicago, for the robbers would only clean out the express- andmail-cars; but if they should so far forget their manners as totake your trinkets, I'd agree to return them to you inside of oneweek. "

"That makes it all the jollier, " she cried, eagerly. "We couldhave the fun of the adventure, and yet not lose anything. Can'tyou arrange for it, Mr. Gordon?"

"I'd like to please you, Miss Cullen, " I said, "and I'd like togive Lord Ralles a chance to show us how to handle those gentry;but it's not to be done. " I really should have been glad to havethe road agents pay us a call. 

We spent that day pulling up the Raton pass, and so on over theGlorietta pass down to Lamy, where, as the party wanted to seeSanta Fé, I had our two cars dropped off the overland, and we ranup the branch line to the old Mexican city. It was well-wornground to me, but I enjoyed showing the sights to Miss Cullen, for by that time I had come to the conclusion that I had nevermet a sweeter or jollier girl. Her beauty, too, was of a kindthat kept growing on one, and before I had known her twenty-fourhours, without quite being in love with her, I was beginning tohate Lord Ralles, which was about the same thing, I suppose. Every hour convinced me that the two understood each other, notmerely from the little asides and confidences they keptexchanging, but even more so from the way Miss Cullen would takehis lordship down occasionally. Yet, like a fool, the more I sawto confirm my first diagnosis, the more I found myself dwellingon the dimples at the corners of Miss Cullen's mouth, thebewitching uplift of her upper lip, the runaway curls about herneck, and the curves and color of her cheeks. 

Half a day served to see everything in Santa Fé worth looking at, but Mr. Cullen decided to spend there the time they had to waitfor his other son to join the party. To pass the hours, I huntedup some ponies, and we spent three days in long rides up the oldSanta Fé trail and to the outlying mountains. Only one incidentwas other than pleasant, and that was my fault. As we were ridingback to our cars on the second afternoon, we had to cross thebranch road-bed, where a gang happened to be at work tamping theties. 

"Since you're interested in road agents, Miss Cullen, " I said, "you may like to see one. That fellow standing in the ditch isJack Drute, who was concerned in the D. & R. G. Hold-up threeyears ago. "

Miss Cullen looked where I pointed, and seeing a man with a gun, gave a startled jump, and pulled up her pony, evidently supposingthat we were about to be attacked. "Sha'n't we run?" she began, but then checked herself, as she took in the facts of the drabclothes of the gang and the two armed men in uniform. "They areconvicts?" she asked, and when I nodded, she said, "Poor things!"After a pause, she asked, "How long is he in prison for?"

"Twenty years, " I told her. 

"How harsh that seems!" she said. "How cruel we are to people fora few moments' wrong-doing, which the circumstances may almosthave justified!" She checked her pony as we came opposite Drute, and said, "Can you use money?"

"Can I, lyedy?" said the fellow, leering in an attempt to lookamiable. "Wish I had the chance to try. "

The guard interrupted by telling her it wasn't permitted to speakto the convicts while out of bounds, and so we had to ride on. All Miss Cullen was able to do was to throw him a little bunch offlowers she had gathered in the mountains. It was literallycasting pearls before swine, for the fellow did not seemparticularly pleased, and when, late that night, I walked downthere with a lantern I found the flowers lying in the ditch. Theexperience seemed to sadden and distress Miss Cullen very muchfor the rest of the afternoon, and I kicked myself for havingcalled her attention to the brute, and could have knocked himdown for the way he had looked at her. It is curious that I feltthankful at the time that Drute was not holding up a train MissCullen was on. It is always the unexpected that happens. If Icould have looked into the future, what a strange variation onthis thought I should have seen!

The three days went all too quickly, thanks to Miss Cullen, andby the end of that time I began to understand what love reallymeant to a chap, and how men could come to kill each other forit. For a fairly sensible, hard-headed fellow it was pretty quickwork, I acknowledge; but let any man have seven years of Westernlife without seeing a woman worth speaking of, and then meetMiss Cullen, and if he didn't do as I did, I wouldn't trust himon the tail-board of a locomotive, for I should put him down asdefective both in eyesight and in intellect. 

CHAPTER II

THE HOLDING-UP OF OVERLAND NO. 3

On the third day a despatch came from Frederic Cullen telling hisfather he would join us at Lamy on No. 3 that evening. I at onceordered 97 and 218 coupled to the connecting train, and in anhour we were back on the main line. While waiting for theoverland to arrive, Mr. Cullen asked me to do something which, asit later proved to have considerable bearing on the events ofthat night, is worth mentioning, trivial as it seems. When I hadfirst joined the party, I had given orders for 97 to be kicked inbetween the main string and their special, so as not to deprivethe occupants of 218 of the view from their observation saloonand balcony platform. Mr. Cullen came to me now and asked me toreverse the arrangement and make my car the tail end. I wasgiving orders for the splitting and kicking in when No. 3arrived, and thus did not see the greeting of Frederic Cullen andhis family. When I joined them, his father told me that the highaltitude had knocked his son up so, that he had to be helped fromthe ordinary sleeper to the special and had gone to bedimmediately. Out West we have to know something of medicine, andmy car had its chest of drugs: so I took some tablets and wentinto his state-room. Frederic was like his brother in appearance, though not in manner, having a quick, alert way. He was breathingwith such difficulty that I was almost tempted to give himnitroglycerin, instead of strychnine, but he said he would be allright as soon as he became accustomed to the rarefied air, quitepooh-poohing my suggestion that he take No. 2 back to Trinidad;and while I was still urging, the train started. Leaving him thevials of digitalis and strychnine, therefore, I went back, anddined _solus_ on my own car, indulging at the end in a cigar, the smoke of which would keep turning into pictures of MissCullen. I have thought about those pictures since then, and haveconcluded that when cigar-smoke behaves like that, a man might aswell read his destiny in it, for it can mean only one thing. 

After enjoying the combination, I went to No. 218 to have a lookat the son, and found that the heart tonics had benefited himconsiderably. On leaving him, I went to the dining-room, wherethe rest of the party were still at dinner, to ask that theinvalid have a strong cup of coffee, and after delivering myrequest Mr. Cullen asked me to join them in a cigar. This I didgladly, for a cigar and Miss Cullen's society were evenpleasanter than a cigar and Miss Cullen's pictures, because thepictures never quite did her justice, and, besides, didn't talk. 

Our smoke finished, we went back to the saloon, where thegentlemen sat down to poker, which Lord Ralles had just learned, and liked. They did not ask me to take a hand, for which I wasgrateful, as the salary of a railroad superintendent would hardlystand the game they probably played; and I had my compensationwhen Miss Cullen also was not asked to join them. She said shewas going to watch the moonlight on the mountains from theplatform, and opened the door to go out, finding for the firsttime that No. 97 was the "ender. " In her disappointment sheprotested against this, and wanted to know the why and wherefore. 

"We shall have far less motion, Madge, " Mr. Cullen explained, "and then we sha'n't have the rear-end man in our car at night. "

"But I don't mind the motion, " urged Miss Cullen, "and theflagman is only there after we are all in our rooms. Please leaveus the view. "

"I prefer the present arrangement, Madge, " insisted Mr. Cullen, in a very positive voice. 

I was so sorry for Miss Cullen's disappointment that on impulse Isaid, "The platform of 97 is entirely at your service, MissCullen. " The moment it was out I realized that I ought not tohave said it, and that I deserved a rebuke for supposing shewould use my car. 

Miss Cullen took it better than I hoped for, and was decliningthe offer as kindly as my intention had been in making it, when, much to my astonishment, her father interrupted by saying, --

"By all means, Madge. That relieves us of the discomfort of beingthe last car, and yet lets you have the scenery and moonlight. "

Miss Cullen looked at her father for a moment as if not believingwhat she had heard. Lord Ralles scowled and opened his mouth tosay something, but checked himself, and only flung his discarddown as if he hated the cards. 

"Thank you, papa, " responded Miss Cullen, "but I think I willwatch you play. "

"Now, Madge, don't be foolish, " said Mr. Cullen, irritably. "Youmight just as well have the pleasure, and you'll only disturb thegame if you stay here. "

Miss Cullen leaned over and whispered something, and her fatheranswered her. Lord Ralles must have heard, for he mutteredsomething, which made Miss Cullen color up; but much good it didhim, for she turned to me and said, "Since my father doesn'tdisapprove, I will gladly accept your hospitality, Mr. Gordon, "and after a glance at Lord Ralles that had a challenging "I'll doas I please" in it, she went to get her hat and coat. The wholeincident had not taken ten seconds, yet it puzzled me beyondmeasure, even while my heart beat with an unreasonable hope; formy better sense told me that it simply meant that Lord Rallesdisapproved, and Miss Cullen, like any girl of spirit, was givinghim notice that he was not yet privileged to control her actions. Whatever the scene meant, his lordship did not like it, for heswore at his luck the moment Miss Cullen had left the room. 

When Miss Cullen returned we went back to the rear platform of97. I let down the traps, closed the gates, got a camp-stool forher to sit upon, with a cushion to lean back on, and a footstool, and fixed her as comfortably as I could, even getting atravelling-rug to cover her lap, for the plateau air was chilly. Then I hesitated a moment, for I had the feeling that she had notthoroughly approved of the thing and therefore she might not liketo have me stay. Yet she was so charming in the moonlight, andthe little balcony the platform made was such a tempting spot tolinger on, while she was there, that it wasn't easy to go. Finally I asked, --

"You are quite comfortable, Miss Cullen?"

"Sinfully so, " she laughed. 

"Then perhaps you would like to be left to enjoy the moonlightand your meditations by yourself?" I questioned. I knew I oughtto have just gone away, but I simply couldn't when she looked soenticing. 

"Do you want to go?" she asked. 

"No!" I ejaculated, so forcibly that she gave a little startledjump in her chair. "That is--I mean, " I stuttered, embarrassed bymy own vehemence, "I rather thought you might not want me tostay. "

"What made you think that?" she demanded. 

I never was a good hand at inventing explanations, and after amoment's seeking for some reason, I plumped out, "Because Ifeared you might not think it proper to use my car, and I supposeit's my presence that made you think it. "

She took my stupid fumble very nicely; laughing merrily whilesaying, "If you like mountains and moonlight, Mr. Gordon, anddon't mind the lack of a chaperon, get a stool for yourself, too. " What was more, she offered me half of the lap-robe when Iwas seated beside her. 

I think she was pleased by my offer to go away, for she talkedvery pleasantly, and far more intimately than she had ever donebefore, telling me facts about her family, her Chicago life, hertravels, and even her thoughts. From this I learned that herelder brother was an Oxford graduate, and that Lord Ralles andhis brother were classmates, who were visiting him for the firsttime since he had graduated. She asked me some questions aboutmy work, which led me to tell her pretty much everything aboutmyself that I thought could be of the least interest; and it wasa very pleasant surprise to me to find that she knew one of theold team, and had even heard of me from him. 

"Why, " she exclaimed, "how absurd of me not to have thought of itbefore! But, you see, Mr. Colston always speaks of you by yourfirst name. You ought to hear how he praises you. "

"Trust Harry to praise any one, " I said. "There were some prettylow fellows on the old team, --men who couldn't keep their word ortheir tempers, and would slug every chance they got; but Harryused to insist there wasn't a bad egg among the lot. "

"Don't you find it very lonely to live out here, away from allyour old friends?" she asked. 

I had to acknowledge that it was, and told her the worst part wasthe absence of pleasant women. "Till you arrived, Miss Cullen, "I said, "I hadn't seen a well-gowned woman in four years. " I'vealways noticed that a woman would rather have a man notice andpraise her frock than her beauty, and Miss Cullen was apparentlyno exception, for I could see the remark pleased her. 

"Don't Western women ever get Eastern gowns?" she asked. 

"Any quantity, " I said, "but you know, Miss Cullen, that it isn'tthe gown, but the way it's worn, that gives the artistic touch. "For a fellow who had devoted the last seven years of his life togrades and fuel and rebates and pay-rolls, I don't think that wasbad. At least it made Miss Cullen's mouth dimple at the corners. 

The whole evening was so eminently satisfactory that I almostbelieve I should be talking yet, if interruption had not come. The first premonition of it was Miss Cullen's giving a littleshiver, which made me ask if she was cold. 

"Not at all, " she replied. "I only--what place are we stoppingat?"

I started to rise, but she checked the movement and said, "Don'ttrouble yourself. I thought you would know without moving. Ireally don't care to know. "

I took out my watch, and was startled to find it was twentyminutes past twelve. I wasn't so green as to tell Miss Cullen so, and merely said, "By the time, this must be Sanders. "

"Do we stop long?" she asked. 

"Only to take water, " I told her, and then went on with what Ihad been speaking about when she shivered. But as I talked itslowly dawned on me that we had been standing still some time, and presently I stopped speaking and glanced off, expecting torecognize something, only to see alkali plain on both sides. Alittle surprised, I looked down, to find no siding. Risinghastily, I looked out forward. I could see moving figures on eachside of the train, but that meant nothing, as the train's crew, and, for that matter, passengers, are very apt to alight at everystop. What did mean something was that there was no water-tank, no station, nor any other visible cause for a stop. 

"Is anything the matter?" asked Miss Cullen. 

"I think something's wrong with the engine or the road-bed, MissCullen, " I said, "and, if you'll excuse me a moment, I'll goforward and see. "

I had barely spoken when "bang! bang!" went two shots. That theywere both fired from an English "express" my ears told me, for noother people in this world make a mountain howitzer and call it arifle. 

Hardly were the two shots fired when "crack! crack! crack!crack!" went some Winchesters. 

"Oh! what is it?" cried Miss Cullen. 

"I think your wish has been granted, " I answered hurriedly. "Weare being held up, and Lord Ralles is showing us how to--"

My speech was interrupted. "Bang! bang!" challenged another "express, "the shots so close together as to be almost simultaneous. "Crack!crack! crack!" retorted the Winchesters, and from the fact thatsilence followed I drew a clear inference. I said to myself, "Thatis an end of poor John Bull. "

CHAPTER III

A NIGHT'S WORK ON THE ALKALI PLAINS

I hurried Miss Cullen into the car, and, after bolting the reardoor, took down my Winchester from its rack. 

"I'm going forward, " I told her, "and will tell my darkies tobolt the front door: so you'll be as safe in here as in Chicago. "

In another minute I was on my front platform. Dropping downbetween the two cars, I crept along beside--indeed, halfunder--Mr. Cullen's special. After my previous conclusion, mysurprise can be judged when at the farther end I found the twoBritishers and Albert Cullen, standing there in the most exposedposition possible. I joined them, muttering to myself somethingabout Providence and fools. 

"Aw, " drawled Cullen, "here's Mr. Gordon, just too late for thesport, by Jove. "

"Well, " bragged Lord Ralles, "we've had a hand in this deal, Mr. Superintendent, and haven't been potted. The scoundrels broke forcover the moment we opened fire. "

By this time there were twenty passengers about our group, all ofthem asking questions at once, making it difficult to learn justwhat had happened; but, so far as I could piece the answerstogether, the poker-players' curiosity had been aroused by thelong stop, and, looking out, they had seen a single man with arifle, standing by the engine. Instantly arming themselves, LordRalles let fly both barrels at him, and in turn was the targetfor the first four shots I had heard. The shooting had broughtthe rest of the robbers tumbling off the cars, and the captainand Cullen had fired the rest of the shots at them as theyscattered. I didn't stop to hear more, but went forward to seewhat the road agents had got away with. 

I found the express agent tied hand and foot in the corner ofhis car, and, telling a brakeman who had followed me to set himat liberty, I turned my attention to the safe. That the diversionhad not come a moment too soon was shown by the dynamitecartridge already in place, and by the fuse that lay on thefloor, as if dropped suddenly. But the safe was intact. 

Passing into the mail-car, I found the clerk tied to a post, witha mail-sack pulled over his head, and the utmost confusion amongthe pouches and sorting-compartments, while scattered over thefloor were a great many letters. Setting him at liberty, I askedhim if he could tell whether mail had been taken, and, after aglance at the confusion, he said he could not know till he hadexamined. 

Having taken stock of the harm done, I began asking questions. Just after we had left Sanders, two masked men had entered themail-car, and while one covered the clerk with a revolver theother had tied and "sacked" him. Two more had gone forward anddone the same to the express agent. Another had climbed over thetender and ordered the runner to hold up. All this was regularprogramme, as I had explained to Miss Cullen, but here had been avariation which I had never heard of being done, and of which Icouldn't fathom the object. When the train had been stopped, theman on the tender had ordered the fireman to dump his fire, andnow it was lying in the road-bed and threatening to burn throughthe ties; so my first order was to extinguish it, and my secondwas to start a new fire and get up steam as quickly as possible. From all I could learn, there were eight men concerned in theattempt; and I confess I shook my head in puzzlement why thatnumber should have allowed themselves to be scared off so easily. 

My wonderment grew when I called on the conductor for histickets. These showed nothing but two from Albuquerque, one fromLaguna, and four from Coolidge. This latter would have lookedhopeful but for the fact that it was a party of three women anda man. Going back beyond Lamy didn't give anything, for theconductor was able to account for every fare as either still inthe train or as having got off at some point. My only conclusionwas that the robbers had sneaked onto the platforms at Sanders;and I gave the crew a good dressing down for their carelessness. Of course they insisted it was impossible; but they were bound todo that. 

Going back to 97, I got my telegraph instrument, though I thoughtit a waste of time, the road agents being always careful to breakthe lines. I told a brakeman to climb the pole and cut a wire. While he was struggling up, Miss Cullen joined me. 

"Do you really expect to catch them?" she asked. 

"I shouldn't like to be one of them, " I replied. 

"But how can you do it?"

"You could understand better, Miss Cullen, if you knew thiscountry. You see every bit of water is in use by ranches, andthose fellows can't go more than fifty miles without watering. Sowe shall have word of them, wherever they go. "

"Line cut, Mr. Gordon, " came from overhead at this point, makingMiss Cullen jump with surprise. 

"What was that?" she asked. 

I explained to her, and, after making connections, I calledSanders. Much to my surprise, the agent responded. I was soastonished that for a moment I could not believe the fact. 

"This is the queerest hold-up of which I ever heard, " I remarkedto Miss Cullen. 

"Aw, in what respect?" asked Albert Cullen's voice, and, lookingup, I found that he and quite a number of the passengers hadjoined us. 

"The road agents make us dump our fire, " I said, "and yet theyhaven't cut the wires in either direction. I can't see how theycan escape us. "

"What fun!" cried Miss Cullen. 

"I don't see what difference either makes in their chance ofescaping, " said Lord Ralles. 

While he was speaking, I ticked off the news of our being heldup, and asked the agent if there had been any men about Sanders, or if he had seen any one board the train there. His answer waspositive that no one could have done so, and that settled it asto Sanders. I asked the same questions of Allantown and Wingate, which were the only places we had stopped at after leavingCoolidge, getting the same answers. That eight men could haveremained concealed on any of the platforms from that point wasimpossible, and I began to suspect magic. Then I called Coolidge, and told of the holding up, after which I telegraphed the agentat Navajo Springs to notify the commander at Fort Defiance, for Isuspected the road agents would make for the Navajo reservation. Finally I called Flagstaff as I had Coolidge, directed that theauthorities be notified of the facts, and ordered an extra tobring out the sheriff and posse. 

"I don't think, " said Miss Cullen, "that I am a bit more curiousthan most people, but it has nearly made me frantic to have youtick away on that little machine and hear it tick back, and notunderstand a word. "

After that I had to tell her what I had said and learned. 

"How clever of you to think of counting the tickets and findingout where people got on and off! I never should have thought ofeither, " she said. 

"It hasn't helped me much, " I laughed, rather grimly, "except toeliminate every possible clue. "

"They probably did steal on at one of the stops, " suggested apassenger. 

I shook my head. "There isn't a stick of timber nor a place ofconcealment on these alkali plains, " I replied, "and it wasbright moonlight till an hour ago. It would be hard enough forone man to get within a mile of the station without being seen, and it would be impossible for seven or eight. "

"How do you know the number?" asked a passenger. 

"I don't, " I said. "That's the number the crew think there were;but I myself don't believe it. "

"Why don't you believe the men?" asked Miss Cullen. 

"First, because there is always a tendency to magnify, and next, because the road agents ran away so quickly. "

"I counted at least seven, " asserted Lord Ralles. 

"Well, Lord Ralles, " I said, "I don't want to dispute youreyesight, but if they had been that strong they would never havebolted, and if you want to lay a bottle of wine, I'll wager thatwhen I catch those chaps we'll find there weren't more than threeor four of them. "

"Done!" he snapped. 

Leaving the group, I went forward to get the report of the mailagent. He had put things to rights, and told me that, though themail had been pretty badly mixed up, only one pouch at worst hadbeen rifled. This--the one for registered mail--had been cutopen, but, as if to increase the mystery, the letters had beenscattered, unopened, about the car, only three out of the wholebeing missing, and those very probably had fallen into thepigeon-holes and would be found on a more careful search. 

I confess I breathed easier to think that the road agents had gotaway with nothing, and was so pleased that I went back to thewire to send the news of it, that the fact might be included inthe press despatches. The moon had set, and it was so dark that Ihad some difficulty in finding the pole. When I found it, MissCullen was still standing there. What was more, a man was closebeside her, and as I came up I heard her say, indignantly, --

"I will not allow it. It is unfair to take such advantage of me. Take your arm away, or I shall call for help!"

That was enough for me. One step carried my hundred and sixtypounds over the intervening ground, and, using the momentum ofthe stride to help, I put the flat of my hand against theshoulder of the man and gave him a shove. There are three or fourHarvard men who can tell what that means, and they were bracedfor it, which this fellow wasn't. He went staggering back as ifstruck by a cow-catcher, and lay down on the ground a goodfifteen feet away. His having his arm around Miss Cullen's waistunsteadied her so that she would have fallen too if I hadn't putmy hand against her shoulder. I longed to put it about her, butby this time I didn't want to please myself, but to do only whatI thought she would wish, and so restrained myself. 

Before I had time to finish an apology to Miss Cullen, the fellowwas up on his feet, and came at me with an exclamation of anger. In my surprise at recognizing the voice as that of Lord Ralles, Ialmost neglected to take care of myself; but, though he was quickwith his fists, I caught him by the wrists as he closed, and hehad no chance after that against a fellow of my weight. 

"Oh, don't quarrel!" cried Miss Cullen. 

Holding him, I said, "Lord Ralles, I overheard what Miss Cullenwas saying, and, supposing some man was insulting her, I acted asI did. " Then I let go of him, and, turning, I continued, "I amvery sorry, Miss Cullen, if I did anything the circumstances didnot warrant, " while cursing myself for my precipitancy and fornot thinking that Miss Cullen would never have been caught insuch a plight with a man unless she had been half willing; for agirl does not merely threaten to call for help if she reallywants aid. 

Lord Ralles wasn't much mollified by my explanation. "You're toomuch in a hurry, my man, " he growled, speaking to me as if I werea servant. "Be a bit more careful in the future. "

I think I should have retorted--for his manner was enough to makea saint mad--if Miss Cullen hadn't spoken. 

"You tried to help me, Mr. Gordon, and I am deeply grateful forthat, " she said. The words look simple enough set down here. Butthe tone in which she said them, and the extended hand and thegrateful little squeeze she gave my fingers, all seemed toexpress so much that I was more puzzled over them than I was overthe robbery. 

CHAPTER IV

SOME RATHER QUEER ROAD AGENTS

"You had better come back to the car, Miss Cullen, " remarked LordRalles, after a pause. 

But she declined to do so, saying she wanted to know what I wasgoing to telegraph; and he left us, for which I wasn't sorry. Itold her of the good news I had to send, and she wanted to knowif now we would try to catch the road agents. I set her mind atrest on that score. 

"I think they'll give us very little trouble to bag, " I added, "for they are so green that it's almost pitiful. "

"In not cutting the wires?" she asked. 

"In everything, " I replied. "But the worst botch is their waitingtill we had just passed the Arizona line. If they had held us upan hour earlier, it would only have been State's prison. "

"And what will it be now?"

"Hanging. "

"What?" cried Miss Cullen. 

"In New Mexico train-robbing is not capital, but in Arizona itis, " I told her. 

"And if you catch them they'll be hung?" she asked. 

"Yes. "

"That seems very hard. "

The first signs of dawn were beginning to show by this time, andas the sky brightened I told Miss Cullen that I was going to lookfor the trail of the fugitives. She said she would walk with me, if not in the way, and my assurance was very positive on thatpoint. And here I want to remark that it's saying a good deal ifa girl can be up all night in such excitement and still lookfresh and pretty, and that she did. 

I ordered the crew to look about, and then began a big circlearound the train. Finding nothing, I swung a bigger one. Thatbeing equally unavailing, I did a larger third. Not a trace offoot or hoof within a half-mile of the cars! I had heard ofblankets laid down to conceal a trail, of swathed feet, even ofleathern horse-boots with cattle-hoofs on the bottom, but none ofthese could have been used for such a distance, let alone theentire absence of any signs of a place where the horses had beenhobbled. Returning to the train, the report of the men was thesame. 

"We've ghost road agents to deal with, Miss Cullen, " I laughed. "They come from nowhere, bullets touch them not, their lead hurtsnobody, they take nothing, and they disappear without touchingthe ground. "

"How curious it is!" she exclaimed. "One would almost suppose ita dream. "

"Hold on, " I said. "We do have something tangible, for if theydisappeared they left their shells behind them. " And I pointed tosome cartridge-shells that lay on the ground beside the mail-car. "My theory of aerial bullets won't do. "

"The shells are as hollow as I feel, " laughed Miss Cullen. 

"Your suggestion reminds me that I am desperately hungry, " Isaid. "Suppose we go back and end the famine. "

Most of the passengers had long since returned to their seats orberths, and Mr. Cullen's party had apparently done the same, for218 showed no signs of life. One of my darkies was awake, and hebroiled a steak and made us some coffee in no time, and just asthey were ready Albert Cullen appeared, so we made a very jollylittle breakfast. He told me at length the part he and theBritishers had borne, and only made me marvel the more that anyone of them was alive, for apparently they had jumped off the carwithout the slightest precaution, and had stood grouped together, even after they had called attention to themselves by LordRalles's shots. Cullen had to confess that he heard the whistleof the four bullets unpleasantly close. 

"You have a right to be proud, Mr. Cullen, " I said. "You fellowsdid a tremendously plucky thing, and, thanks to you, we didn'tlose anything. "

"But you went to help too, Mr. Gordon, " added Miss Cullen. 

That made me color up, and, after a moment's hesitation, Isaid, --

"I'm not going to sail under false colors, Miss Cullen. When Iwent forward I didn't think I could do anything. I supposedwhoever had pitched into the robbers was dead, and I expected tobe the same inside of ten minutes. "

"Then why did you risk your life, " she asked, "if you thought itwas useless?"

I laughed, and, though ashamed to tell it, replied, "I didn'twant you to think that the Britishers had more pluck than I had. "

She took my confession better than I hoped she would, laughingwith me, and then said, "Well, that was courageous, after all. "

"Yes, " I confessed, "I was frightened into bravery. "

"Perhaps if they had known the danger as well as you, they wouldhave been less courageous, " she continued; and I could haveblessed her for the speech. 

While we were still eating, the mail clerk came to my car andreported that the most careful search had failed to discover thethree registered letters, and they had evidently been taken. Thismade me feel sober, slight as the probable loss was. He told methat his list showed they were all addressed to Ash Forks, Arizona, making it improbable that their contents could be of anyreal value. If possible, I was more puzzled than ever. 

At six-ten the runner whistled to show he had steam up. I toldone of the brakemen to stay behind, and then went into 218. Mr. Cullen was still dressing, but I expressed my regrets through thedoor that I could not go with his party to the Grand Cañon, toldhim that all the stage arrangements had been completed, andpromised to join him there in case my luck was good. Then I sawFrederic for a moment, to see how he was (for I had nearlyforgotten him in the excitement), to find that he was gaining allthe time, and preparing even to get up. When I returned to thesaloon, the rest of the party were there, and I bade good-by tothe captain and Albert. Then I turned to Lord Ralles, and, holding out my hand, said, --

"Lord Ralles, I joked a little the other morning about the wayyou thought road agents ought to be treated. You have turned thejoke very neatly and pluckily, and I want to apologize for myselfand thank you for the railroad. "

"Neither is necessary, " he retorted airily, pretending not to seemy hand. 

I never claimed to have a good temper, and it was all I could doto hold myself in. I turned to Miss Cullen to wish her a pleasanttrip, and the thought that this might be our last meeting made meforget even Lord Ralles. 

"I hope it isn't good-by, but only _au revoir_, " she said. "Whether or no, you must let us see you some time in Chicago, sothat I may show you how grateful I am for all the pleasure youhave added to our trip. " Then, as I stepped down off my platform, she leaned over the rail of 218, and added, in a low voice, "Ithought you were just as brave as the rest, Mr. Gordon, and now Ithink you are braver. "

I turned impulsively, and said, "You would think so, Miss Cullen, if you knew the sacrifice I am making. " Then, without looking ather, I gave the signal, the bell rang, and No. 3 pulled off. Thelast thing I saw was a handkerchief waving off the platform of218. 

When the train dropped out of sight over a grade, I swallowed thelump in my throat and went to the telegraph instrument. I wiredCoolidge to give the alarm to Fort Wingate, Fort Apache, FortThomas, Fort Grant, Fort Bayard, and Fort Whipple, though Ithought the precaution a mere waste of energy. Then I sent thebrakeman up to connect the cut wire. 

"Two of the bullets struck up here, Mr. Gordon, " the man calledfrom the top of the pole. 

"Surely not!" I exclaimed. 

"Yes, sir, " he responded. "The bullet-holes are brand-new. "

I took in the lay of the land, the embers of the fire showing mehow the train had lain. "I don't wonder nobody was hit, " Iexclaimed, "if that's a sample of their shooting. Some one was aworse rattled man than I ever expect to be. Dig the bullets out, Douglas, so that we can have a look at them. "

He brought them down in a minute. They proved to be Winchesters, as I had expected, for they were on the side from which therobbers must have fired. 

"That chap must have been full of Arizona tangle-foot, to havefired as wild as he did, " I ejaculated, and walked over towhere the mail-car had stood, to see just how bad the shootingwas. When I got there and faced about, it was really impossibleto believe any man could have done so badly, for raising myown Winchester to the pole put it twenty degrees out of rangeand nearly forty degrees in the air. Yet there were thecartridge-shells on the ground, to show that I was in the placefrom which the shots had been fired. 

While I was still cogitating over this, the special train I hadordered out from Flagstaff came in sight, and in a few momentswas stopped where I was. It consisted of a string of three flatsand a box car, and brought the sheriff, a dozen cowboys whom hehad sworn in as deputies, and their horses. I was hopeful thatwith these fellows' greater skill in such matters they could findwhat I had not, but after a thorough examination of the groundwithin a mile of the robbery they were as much at fault as I hadbeen. 

"Them cusses must have a dugout nigh abouts, for they couldn't'a' got away without wings, " the sheriff surmised. 

I didn't put much stock in that idea, and told the sheriff so. 

"Waal, round up a better one, " was his retort. 

Not being able to do that, I told him of the bullets in thetelegraph pole, and took him over to where the mail car hadstood. 

"Jerusalem crickets!" was his comment as he measured the aim. "Ifthat's where they put two of their pills, they must have pumpedthe other four inter the moon. "

"What other four?" I asked. 

"Shots, " he replied sententiously. 

"The road agents only fired four times, " I told him. 

"Them and your pards must have been pretty nigh together for aminute, then, " he said, pointing to the ground. 

I glanced down, and sure enough, there were six emptycartridge-shells. I stood looking blankly at them, hardly able tobelieve what I saw; for Albert Cullen had said distinctly thatthe train-robbers had fired only four times, and that the lastthree Winchester shots I had heard had been fired by himself. Then, without speaking, I walked slowly back, searching alongthe edge of the road-bed for more shells; but, though I wentbeyond the point where the last car had stood, not one did Ifind. Any man who has fired a Winchester knows that it drops itsempty shell in loading, and I could therefore draw only oneconclusion, --namely, that all seven discharges of the Winchestershad occurred up by the mail-car. I had heard of men supposingthey had fired their guns through hearing another go off; butwith a repeating rifle one has to fire before one can reload. Thefact was evident that Albert Cullen either had fired hisWinchester up by the mail-car, or else had not fired it at all. In either case he had lied, and Lord Ralles and Captain Acklandhad backed him up in it. 

CHAPTER V

A TRIP TO THE GRAND CAÑON

I stood pondering, for no explanation that would fit the factsseemed possible. I should have considered the young fellow'sstory only an attempt to gain a little reputation for pluck, ifin any way I could have accounted for the appearance anddisappearance of the robbers. Yet to suppose--which seemed theonly other horn to the dilemma--that the son and guests of thevice-president of the Missouri Western, and one of our owndirectors, would be concerned in train-robbery was to believesomething equally improbable. Indeed, I should have put the wholething down as a practical joke of Mr. Cullen's party, if it hadnot been for the loss of the registered letters. Even a practicaljoker would hardly care to go to the length of cutting opengovernment mail-pouches; for Uncle Sam doesn't approve of suchconduct. 

Whatever the explanation, I had enough facts to prevent me fromwasting more time on that alkali plain. Getting the men andhorses back onto the cars, I jumped up on the tail-board andordered the runner to pull out for Flagstaff. It was a run ofseven hours, getting us in a little after eight, and in thosehours I had done a lot of thinking which had all come to oneresult, --that Mr. Cullen's party was concerned in the hold-up. 

The two private cars were on a siding, but the Cullens had leftfor the Grand Cañon the moment they had arrived, and were aboutreaching there by this time. I went to 218 and questioned thecook and waiter, but they had either seen nothing or else hadbeen primed, for not a fact did I get from them. Going to my owncar, I ordered a quick supper, and while I was eating it Iquestioned my boy. He told me that he had heard the shots, andhad bolted the front door of my car, as I had ordered when I wentout; that as he turned to go to a safer place, he had seen a man, revolver in hand, climb over the off-side gate of Mr. Cullen'scar, and for a moment he had supposed it a road agent, till hesaw that it was Albert Cullen. 

"That was just after I had got off?" I asked. 

"Yis, sah. "

"Then it couldn't have been Mr. Cullen, Jim, " I declared, "for Ifound him up at the other end of the car. "

"Tell you it wuz, Mr. Gordon, " Jim insisted. "I done seen hisface clar in de light, and he done go into Mr. Cullen's car wharde old gentleman wuz sittin'. "

That set me whistling to myself, and I laughed to think how nearI had come to giving nitroglycerin to a fellow who was onlyshamming heart-failure; for that it was Frederic Cullen who hadclimbed on the car I hadn't the slightest doubt, the resemblancebetween the two brothers being quite strong enough to deceive anyone who had never seen them together. I smiled a little, andremarked to myself, "I think I can make good my boast that Iwould catch the robbers; but whether the Cullens will like mydoing it, I question. What is more, Lord Ralles will owe me abottle. " Then I thought of Madge, and didn't feel as pleased overmy success as I had felt a moment before. 

By nine o'clock the posse and I were in the saddle and skirtingthe San Francisco peaks. There was no use of pressing the ponies, for our game wasn't trying to escape, and, for that matter, couldn't, as the Colorado River wasn't passable within fiftymiles. It was a lovely moonlight night, and the ride through thepines was as pretty a one as I remember ever to have made. It setme thinking of Madge and of our talk the evening before, and ofwhat a change twenty-four hours had brought. It was lucky I wasriding an Indian pony, or I should probably have landed in aheap. I don't know that I should have cared particularly if aprairie-dog burrow had made me dash my brains out, for I wasn'thappy over the job that lay before me. 

We watered at Silver Spring at quarter-past twelve. From thatpoint we were clear of the pines and out on the plain, so wecould go a better pace. This brought us to the half-way ranch bytwo, where we gave the ponies a feed and an hour's rest. Wereached the last relay station just as the moon set, aboutthree-forty; and, as all the rest of the ride was throughCoconino forest, we held up there for daylight, getting a littlesleep meanwhile. 

We rode into the camp at the Grand Cañon a little after eight, and the deserted look of the tents gave me a moment's fright, forI feared that the party had gone. Tolfree explained, however, that some had ridden out to Moran Point, and the rest had gonedown Hance's trail. So I breakfasted and then took a look atAlbert Cullen's Winchester. That it had been recently fired wasas plain as the Grand Cañon itself; throwing back the bar, Ifound an empty cartridge shell, still oily from the discharge. That completed the tale of seven shots. I didn't feel absolutelysafe till I had asked Tolfree if there had been any shooting ofechoes by the party, but his denial rounded out my chain ofevidence. 

Telling the sheriff to guard the bags of the party carefully, Itook two of the posse and rode over to Moran's Point. Sureenough, there were Mr. Cullen, Albert, and Captain Ackland. Theygave a shout at seeing me, and even before I had reached themthey called to know how I could come so soon, and if I had caughtthe robbers. Mr. Cullen started to tell his pleasure at myrejoining the party, but my expression made him pause, and itseemed to dawn on all three that the Winchester across my saddle, and the cowboys' hands resting nonchalantly on the revolvers intheir belts, had a meaning. 

"Mr. Cullen, " I explained, "I've got a very unpleasant job onhand, which I don't want to make any worse than need be. Everyfact points to your party as guilty of holding up the train lastnight and stealing those letters. Probably you weren't allconcerned, but I've got to go on the assumption that you are allguilty, till you prove otherwise. "

"Aw, you're joking, " drawled Albert. 

"I hope so, " I said, "but for the present I've got to be Englishand treat the joke seriously. "

"What do you want to do?" asked Mr. Cullen. 

"I don't wish to arrest you gentlemen unless you force me to, " Isaid, "for I don't see that it will do any good. But I want youto return to camp with us. "

They assented to that, and, single file, we rode back. When thereI told each that he must be searched, to which they submitted atonce. After that we went through their baggage. I wasn't going tohave the sheriff or cowboys tumbling over Miss Cullen's clothes, so I looked over her bag myself. The prettiness and daintiness ofthe various contents were a revelation to me, and I tried to putthem back as neatly as I had found them, but I didn't know muchabout the articles, and it was a terrible job trying to fold upsome of the things. Why, there was a big pink affair, lined withsilk, with bits of ribbon and lace all over it, which nearlydrove me out of my head, for I would have defied mortal man topack it so that it shouldn't muss. I had a funny little feelingof tenderness for everything, which made fussing over it all apleasure, even while I felt all the time that I was doing a sneakact and had really no right to touch her belongings. I didn'tfind anything incriminating, and the posse reported the sameresult with the other baggage. If the letters were still inexistence, they were either concealed somewhere or were in thepossession of the party in the Cañon. Telling the sheriff to keepthose in the camp under absolute surveillance, I took a singleman, and saddling a couple of mules, started down the trail. 

We found Frederic and "Captain" Hance just dismounting at theRock Cabin, and I told the former he was in custody for thepresent, and asked him where Miss Cullen and Lord Ralles were. Hetold me they were just behind; but I wasn't going to take anyrisks, and, ordering the deputy to look after Cullen, I went ondown the trail. I couldn't resist calling back, --

"How's your respiration, Mr. Cullen?"

He laughed, and called, "Digitalis put me on my feet like aflash. "

"He's got the most brains of any man in this party, " I remarkedto myself. 

The trail at this point is very winding, so that one can rarelysee fifty feet in advance, and sometimes not ten. Owing to this, the first thing I knew I plumped round a curve on to a mule, which was patiently standing there. Just back of him was another, on which sat Miss Cullen, and standing close beside her was LordRalles. One of his hands held the mule's bridle; the other heldMadge's arm, and he was saying, "You owe it to me, and I willhave one. Or if--"

I swore to myself, and coughed aloud, which made Miss Cullenlook up. The moment she saw me she cried, "Mr. Gordon! Howdelightful!" even while she grew as red as she had been pale themoment before. Lord Ralles grew red too, but in a different way. 

"Have you caught the robbers?" cried Miss Cullen. 

"I'm afraid I have, " I answered. 

"What do you mean?" she asked. 

I smiled at the absolute innocence and wonder with which shespoke, and replied, "I know now, Miss Cullen, why you said I wasbraver than the Britishers. "

"How do you know?"

I couldn't resist getting in a side-shot at Lord Ralles, who hadmounted his mule and sat scowling. "The train-robbers were suchthoroughgoing duffers at the trade, " I said, "that if they hadleft their names and addresses they wouldn't have made it mucheasier. We Americans may not know enough to deal with real roadagents, but we can do something with amateurs. "

"What are we stopping here for?" snapped Lord Ralles. 

"I'm sure I don't know, " I responded. "Miss Cullen, if you willkindly pass us, and then if Lord Ralles will follow you, we willgo on to the cabin. I must ask you to keep close together. "

"I stay or go as I please, and not by your orders, " asserted LordRalles, snappishly. 

"Out in this part of the country, " I said calmly, "it isconsidered shocking bad form for an unarmed man to argue with onewho carries a repeating rifle. Kindly follow Miss Cullen. " And, leaning over, I struck his mule with the loose ends of my bridle, starting it up the trail. 

When we reached the cabin the deputy told me that he had madeFrederic strip and had searched his clothing, finding nothing. Iordered Lord Ralles to dismount and go into the cabin. 

"For what?" he demanded. 

"We want to search you, " I answered. 

"I don't choose to be searched, " he protested. "You have shown nowarrant, nor--"

I wasn't in a mood towards him to listen to his talk. I swung myWinchester into line and announced, "I was sworn in last night asa deputy-sheriff, and am privileged to shoot a train-robber onsight. Either dead or alive, I'm going to search your clothinginside of ten minutes; and if you have no preference as towhether the examination is an ante- or post-mortem affair, Icertainly haven't. "

That brought him down off his high horse, --that is, mule, --and Isent the deputy in with him with directions to toss his clothesout to me, for I wanted to keep my eye on Miss Cullen and herbrother, so as to prevent any legerdemain on their part. 

One by one the garments came flying through the door to me. As fast as I finished examining them I pitched them back, except--Well, as I have thought it over since then, I havedecided that I did a mean thing, and have regretted it. Butjust put yourself in my place, and think of how Lord Ralleshad talked to me as if I was his servant, had refused myapology and thanks, and been as generally "nasty" as he could, and perhaps you won't blame me that, after looking through histrousers, I gave them a toss which, instead of sending themback into the hut, sent them over the edge of the trail. Theywent down six hundred feet before they lodged in a poplar, andif his lordship followed the trail he could get round to them, but there would then be a hundred feet of sheer rock betweenthe trail and the trousers. "I hope it will teach him to studyhis Lord Chesterfield to better purpose, for if politenessdoesn't cost anything, rudeness can cost considerable, " Ichuckled to myself. 

My amusement did not last long, for my next thought was, "Ifthose letters are concealed on any one, they are on Miss Cullen. "The thought made me lean up against my mule, and turn hot andcold by turns. 

A nice situation for a lover!

CHAPTER VI

THE HAPPENINGS DOWN HANCE'S TRAIL

Miss Cullen was sitting on a rock apart from her brother andHance, as I had asked her to do when I helped her dismount. Iwent over to where she sat, and said, boldly, --

"Miss Cullen, I want those letters. "

"What letters?" she asked, looking me in the eyes with the mostinnocent of expressions. She made a mistake to do that, for Iknew her innocence must be feigned, and so didn't put much faithin her face for the rest of the interview. 

"And what is more, " I continued, with a firmness of manner aboutas genuine as her innocence, "unless you will produce them atonce, I shall have to search you. "

"Mr. Gordon!" she exclaimed, but she put such surprise and griefand disbelief into the four syllables that I wanted the earth toswallow me then and there. 

"Why, Miss Cullen, " I cried, "look at my position. I'm being paidto do certain things, and--"

"But that needn't prevent your being a gentleman, " sheinterrupted. 

That made me almost desperate. "Miss Cullen, " I groaned, hurriedly, "I'd rather be burned alive than do what I've got to, but if you won't give me those letters, search you I must. "

"But how can I give you what I haven't?" she cried, indignantly, assuming again her innocent expression. 

"Will you give me your word of honor that those letters are notconcealed in your clothes?"

"I will, " she answered. 

I was very much taken aback, for it would have been so easy forMiss Cullen to have said so before that I had become convincedshe must have them. 

"And do you give me your word?"

"I do, " she affirmed, but she didn't look me in the face as shesaid it. 

I ought to have been satisfied, but I wasn't, for, in spite ofher denial, something forced me still to believe she had them, and looking back now, I think it was her manner. I stoodreflecting for a minute, and then requested, "Please stay whereyou are for a moment. " Leaving her, I went over to Fred. 

"Mr. Cullen, " I said, "Miss Cullen, rather than be searched, hasacknowledged that she has the letters, and says that if we menwill go into the hut she'll get them for me. "

He rose at once. "I told my father not to drag her in, " hemuttered, sadly. "I don't care about myself, Mr. Gordon, butcan't you keep her out of it? She's as innocent of any real wrongas the day she was born. "

"I'll do everything in my power, " I promised. Then he and Hancewent into the cabin, and I walked back to the culprit. 

"Miss Cullen, " I said, gravely, "you have those letters, and mustgive them to me. "

"But I told you--" she began. 

To spare her a second untruth, I interrupted her by saying, "Itrapped your brother into acknowledging that you have them. "

"You must have misunderstood him, " she replied, calmly, "or elsehe didn't know that the arrangement was changed. "

Her steadiness rather shook my conviction, but I said, "You mustgive me those letters, or I must search you. "

"You never would!" she cried, rising and looking me in the face. 

On impulse I tried a big bluff. I took hold of the lapel of herwaist, intending to undo just one button. I let go in fright whenI found there was no button, --only an awful complication of hooksor some other feminine method for keeping things together, --and Igrew red and trembled, thinking what might have happened had I, by bad luck, made anything come undone. If Miss Cullen had beennoticing me, she would have seen a terribly scared man. 

But she wasn't, luckily, for the moment my hand touched herdress, and before she could realize that I snatched it away, shecollapsed on the rock, and burst into tears. "Oh! oh!" shesobbed, "I begged papa not to, but he insisted they were safestwith me. I'll give them to you, if you'll only go away and not--"Her tears made her inarticulate, and without waiting for more Iran into the hut, feeling as near like a murderer as a guiltlessman could. 

Lord Ralles by this time was making almost as much noise as anengine pulling a heavy freight up grade under forced draft, swearing over his trousers, and was offering the cowboy and Hancemoney to recover them. When they told him this was impossible hetried to get them to sell or hire a pair, but they didn't likethe idea of riding into camp minus those essentials any betterthan he did. While I waited they settled the difficulty bystrapping a blanket round him, and by splitting it up the middleand using plenty of cord they rigged him out after a fashion; butI think if he could have seen himself and been given an option hewould have preferred to wait till it was dark enough to creepinto camp unnoticed. 

Before long Miss Cullen called, and when I went to her she handedme, without a word, three letters. As she did so she crimsonedviolently, and looked down in her mortification. I was so sorryfor her that, though a moment before I had been judging herharshly, I now couldn't help saying, --

"Our positions have been so difficult, Miss Cullen, that I don'tthink we either of us are quite responsible for our actions. "

She said nothing, and, after a pause, I continued, --

"I hope you'll think as leniently of my conduct as you can, for Ican't tell you how grieved I am to have pained you. "

Cullen joined us at this point, and, knowing that every moment weremained would be distressing to his sister, I announced that wewould start up the trail. I hadn't the heart to offer to help hermount, and after Frederic had put her up we fell into single filebehind Hance, Lord Ralles coming last. 

As soon as we started I took a look at the three letters. Theywere all addressed to Theodore E. Camp, Esq. , Ash Forks, Arizona, --one of the directors of the K. & A. And also of theGreat Southern. With this clue, for the first time things beganto clear up to me, and when the trail broadened enough to permitit, I pushed my mule up alongside of Cullen and asked, --

"The letters contain proxies for the K. & A. Election nextFriday?"

He nodded his head. "The Missouri Western and the Great Southernare fighting for control, " he explained, "and we should have wonbut for three blocks of Eastern stock that had promised theirproxies to the G. S. Rather than lose the fight, we arranged tolearn when those proxies were mailed, --that was what kept mebehind, --and then to hold up the train that carried them. "

"Was it worth the risk?" I ejaculated. 

"If we had succeeded, yes. My father had put more than was safeinto Missouri Western and into California Central. The G. S. Wants control to end the traffic agreements, and that meansbankruptcy to my father. "

I nodded, seeing it all as clear as day, and hardly blaming theCullens for what they had done; for any one who has had dealingswith the G. S. Is driven to pretty desperate methods to keepfrom being crushed, and when one is fighting an antagonist thatwon't regard the law, or rather one that, through control oflegislatures and judges, makes the law to suit its needs, thetemptation is strong to use the same weapons one's self. 

"The toughest part of it is, " Fred went on, "that we thought wehad the whole thing 'hands down, ' and that was what made myfather go in so deep. Only the death of one of the M. W. Directors, who held eight thousand shares of K. & A. , got us inthis hole, for the G. S. Put up a relation to contest the will, and so delayed the obtaining of letters of administration, blocking his executors from giving a proxy. It was as mean atrick as ever was played. "

"The G. S. Is a tough customer to fight, " I remarked, and asked, "Why didn't you burn the letters?" really wishing they had doneso. 

"We feared duplicate proxies might get through in time, andthought that by keeping these we might cook up a question as towhich were legal, and then by injunction prevent the use ofeither. "

"And those Englishmen, " I inquired, "are they real?"

"Oh, certainly, " he rejoined. "They were visiting my brother, andthought the whole thing great larks. " Then he told me how thething had been done. They had sent Miss Cullen to my car, so asto get me out of the way, though she hadn't known it. He and hisbrother got off the train at the last stop, with the guns andmasks, and concealed themselves on the platform of the mail-car. Here they had been joined by the Britishers at the right moment, the disguises assumed, and the train held up as already told. Ofcourse the dynamite cartridge was only a blind, and the lettershad been thrown about the car merely to confuse the clerk. Thenwhile Frederic Cullen, with the letters, had stolen back to thecar, the two Englishmen had crept back to where they had stood. Here, as had been arranged, they opened fire, which Albert Cullenduly returned, and then joined them. "I don't see now how youspotted us, " Frederic ended. 

I told him, and his disgust was amusing to see. "Going to Oxfordmay be all right for the classics, " he growled, "but it'sdestructive to gumption. "

We rode into camp a pretty gloomy crowd, and those of the partywaiting for us there were not much better; but when Lord Rallesdismounted and showed up in his substitute for trousers there wasa general shout of laughter. Even Miss Cullen had to laugh for amoment. And as his lordship bolted for his tent, I said tomyself, "Honors are easy. "

I told the sheriff that I had recovered the lost property, butdid not think any arrests necessary as yet; and, as he was theagent of the K. & A. At Flagstaff, he didn't question my opinion. I ordered the stage out, and told Tolfree to give us a feedbefore we started, but a more silent meal I never sat down to, and I noticed that Miss Cullen didn't eat anything, while thetragic look on her face was so pathetic as nearly to drive mefrantic. 

We started a little after five, and were clear of the timberbefore it was too dark to see. At the relay station we waited anhour for the moon, after which it was a clear track. We reachedthe half-way ranch about eleven, and while changing the stagehorses I roused Mrs. Klostermeyer, and succeeded in gettingenough cold mutton and bread to make two rather decent-lookingsandwiches. With these and a glass of whiskey and water I wentto the stage, to find Miss Cullen curled up on the seat asleep, her head resting in her brother's arms. 

"She has nearly worried herself to death ever since you told herthat road agents were hung, " Frederic whispered; "and she's beencrying to-night over that lie she told you, and altogether she'sworn out with travel and excitement. "

I screwed the cover on the travelling-glass, and put it with thesandwiches in the bottom of the stage. "It's a long and a roughride, " I said, "and if she wakes up they may give her a littlestrength. I only wish I could have spared her the fatigue andanxiety. "

"She thought she had to lie for father's sake, but she's nearlybroken-hearted over it, " he continued. 

I looked Frederic in the face as I said, "I honor her for it, "and in that moment he and I became friends. 

"Just see how pretty she is!" he whispered, with evidentaffection and pride, turning back the flap of the rug in whichshe was wrapped. 

She was breathing gently, and there was just that touch ofweariness and sadness in her face that would appeal to any man. It made me gulp, I'm proud to say; and when I was back on mypony, I said to myself, "For her sake, I'll pull the Cullens outof this scrape, if it costs me my position. "

CHAPTER VII

A CHANGE OF BASE

We did not reach Flagstaff till seven, and I told the stage-loadto take possession of their car, while I went to my own. It tookme some time to get freshened up, and then I ate my breakfast;for after riding seventy-two miles in one night even the mostheroic purposes have to take the side-track. I think, as it was, I proved my devotion pretty well by not going to sleep, since Ihad been up three nights, with only such naps as I could steal inthe saddle, and had ridden over a hundred and fifty miles toboot. But I couldn't bear to think of Miss Cullen's anxiety, andthe moment I had made myself decent, and finished eating, I wentinto 218. 

The party were all in the dining-room, but it was a verydifferent-looking crowd from the one with which that firstbreakfast had been eaten, and they all looked at me as I enteredas if I were the executioner come for victims. 

"Mr. Cullen, " I began, "I've been forced to do a lot of thingsthat weren't pleasant, but I don't want to do more than I need. You're not the ordinary kind of road agents, and, as I presumeyour address is known, I don't see any need of arresting one ofour own directors as yet. All I ask is that you give me yourword, for the party, that none of you will try to leave thecountry. "

"Certainly, Mr. Gordon, " he responded. "And I thank you for yourgreat consideration. "

"I shall have to report the case to our president, and, Isuppose, to the Postmaster-General, but I sha'n't hurry abouteither. What they will do, I can't say. Probably you know how faryou can keep them quiet. "

"I think the local authorities are all I have to fear, providedtime is given me. "

"I have dismissed the sheriff and his posse, and I gave them ahundred dollars for their work, and three bottles of pretty goodwhiskey I had on my car. Unless they get orders from elsewhere, you will not hear any further from them. "

"You must let me reimburse what expense we have put you to, Mr. Gordon. I only wish I could as easily repay your kindness. "

Nodding my head in assent, as well as in recognition of histhanks, I continued, "It was my duty, as an official of the K. &A. , to recover the stolen mail, and I had to do it. "

"We understand that, " said Mr. Cullen, "and do not for a momentblame you. "

"But, " I went on, for the first time looking at Madge, "it is notmy duty to take part in a contest for control of the K. & A. , andI shall therefore act in this case as I should in any other lossof mail. "

"And that is--?" asked Frederic. 

"I am about to telegraph for instructions from Washington, " Ireplied. "As the G. S. By trickery has dishonestly tied up someof your proxies, they ought not to object if we do the same byhonest means; and I think I can manage so that Uncle Sam willprevent those proxies from being voted at Ash Forks on Friday. "

If a galvanic battery had been applied to the group about thebreakfast table, it wouldn't have made a bigger change. Madgeclapped her hands in joy; Mr. Cullen said "God bless you!" withreal feeling; Frederic jumped up and slapped me on the shoulder, crying, "Gordon, you're the biggest old trump breathing;" whileAlbert and the captain shook hands with each other, in evidentjubilation. Only Lord Ralles remained passive. 

"Have you breakfasted?" asked Mr. Cullen, when the first joy wasover. 

"Yes, " I said. "I only stopped in on my way to the station totelegraph the Postmaster-General. "

"May I come with you and see what you say?" cried Fred, jumpingup. 

I nodded, and Miss Cullen said, questioningly, "Me too?" makingme very happy by the question, for it showed that she would speakto me. I gave an assent quite as eagerly and in a moment we wereall walking towards the platform. Despite Lord Ralles, I felthappy, and especially as I had not dreamed that she would everforgive me. 

I took a telegraph blank, and, putting it so that Miss Cullencould see what I said, wrote, --

"Postmaster-General, Washington, D. C. I hold, awaiting yourinstructions, the three registered letters stolen from No. 3Overland Missouri Western Express on Monday, October fourteenth, loss of which has already been notified you. "

Then I paused and said, "So far, that's routine, Miss Cullen. Nowcomes the help for you, " and I continued:--

"The letters may have been tampered with, and I recommend aspecial agent. Reply Flagstaff, Arizona. RICHARD GORDON, Superintendent K. & A. R. R. "

"What will that do?" she asked. 

"I'm not much at prophecy, and we'll wait for the reply, " I said. 

All that day we lay at Flagstaff, and after a good sleep, asthere was no use keeping the party cooped up in their car, Idrummed up some ponies and took the Cullens and Ackland over tothe Indian cliff-dwellings. I don't think Lord Ralles gainedanything by staying behind in a sulk, for it was a very jollyride, or at least that was what it was to me. I had of course totell them all how I had settled on them as the criminals, and ageneral history of my doings. To hear Miss Cullen talk, one wouldhave inferred I was the greatest of living detectives. 

"The mistake we made, " she asserted, "was not securing Mr. Gordon's help to begin with, for then we should never have neededto hold the train up, or if we had we should never have beendiscovered. "

What was more to me than this ill-deserved admiration were twothings she said on the way back, when we two had paired off andwere a bit behind the rest. 

"The sandwiches and the whiskey were very good, " she told me, "and I'm so grateful for the trouble you took. "

"It was a pleasure, " I said. 

"And, Mr. Gordon, " she continued, and then hesitated for amoment, --"my--Frederic told me that you--you said you honored mefor--?"

"I do, " I exclaimed energetically, as she paused and colored. 

"Do you really?" she cried. "I thought Fred was only trying tomake me less unhappy by saying that you did. "

"I said it, and I meant it, " I told her. 

"I have been so miserable over that lie, " she went on; "but Ithought if I let you have the letters it would ruin papa. Ireally wouldn't mind poverty myself, Mr. Gordon, but he takessuch pride in success that I couldn't be the one to do it. Andthen, after you told me that train-robbers were hung, I had tolie to save them. I ought to have known you would help us. "

I thought this a pretty good time to make a real apology for myconduct on the trail, as well as to tell her how sorry I was atnot having been able to repack her bag better. She accepted myapology very sweetly, and assured me her belongings had been putaway so neatly that she had wondered who did it. I knew she onlysaid this out of kindness, and told her so, telling also of mystruggles over that pink-beribboned and belaced affair, in a waywhich made her laugh. I had thought it was a ball gown, andwondered at her taking it to the Cañon; but she explained that itwas what she called a "throw"--which I told her accounted for thethroes I had gone through over it. It made me open my eyes, thinking that anything so pretty could be used for the samepurposes for which I use my crash bath-gown, and while my eyeswere open I saw the folly of thinking that a girl who wore suchthings would, or in fact could, ever get along on my salary. Inthat way the incident was a good lesson for me, for it made mefeel that, even if there had been no Lord Ralles, I still shouldhave had no chance. 

On our return to the cars there was a telegram from thePostmaster-General awaiting me. After a glance at it, as the restof the party looked anxiously on, I passed it over to MissCullen, for I wanted her to have the triumph of reading it aloudto them. It read, --

"Hold letters pending arrival of special agent Jackson, due inFlagstaff October twentieth. "

"The election is the eighteenth, " Frederic laughed, executing awar dance on the platform. "The G. S. 's dough is cooked. "

"I must waltz with some one, " cried Madge, and before I couldoffer she took hold of Albert and the two went whirling about, much to my envy. The Cullens were about the most jubilant roadagents I had ever seen. 

After consultation with Mr. Cullen, we had 218 and 97 attached toNo. 1 when it arrived, and started for Ash Forks. He wanted to beon the ground a day in advance, and I could easily be back inFlagstaff before the arrival of the special agent. 

I took dinner in 218, and they toasted me, as if I had donesomething heroic instead of merely having sent a telegram. Laterfour sat down to poker, while Miss Cullen, Fred, and I went outand sat on the platform of the car while Madge played on herguitar and sang to us. She had a very sweet voice, and before shehad been singing long we had the crew of a "dust express"--as wejokingly call a gravel train--standing about, and they werespeedily reinforced by many cowboys, who deserted the medley ofcracked pianos or accordions of the Western saloons to listen toher, and who, not being over-careful in the terms with which theyexpressed their approval, finally by their riotous admirationdrove us inside. At Miss Cullen's suggestion we three had asecond game of poker, but with chips and not money. She was anawfully reckless player, and the luck was dead in my favor, soMadge kept borrowing my chips, till she was so deep in that weboth lost account. Finally, when we parted for the night she heldout her hand, and, in the prettiest of ways, said, --

"I am so deeply in your debt, Mr. Gordon, that I don't see how Ican ever repay you. "

I tried to think of something worth saying, but the wordswouldn't come, and I could only shake her hand. But, duffer as Iwas, the way she had said those words, and the double meaning shehad given them, would have made me the happiest fellow alive if Icould only have forgotten the existence of Lord Ralles. 

CHAPTER VIII

HOW DID THE SECRET LEAK OUT?

I made up for my three nights' lack of sleep by not waking thenext morning till after ten. When I went to 218, I found only the_chef_, and he told me the party had gone for a ride. Since Icouldn't talk to Madge, I went to work at my desk, for I had beenrather neglecting my routine work. While I still wrote, I heardhorses' hoofs, and, looking up, saw the Cullens returning. I wentout on the platform to wish them good-morning, arriving just intime to see Lord Ralles help Miss Cullen out of her saddle; andthe way he did it, and the way he continued to hold her handafter she was down, while he said something to her, made me gritmy teeth and look the other way. None of the riders had seen me, so I slipped into my car and went back to work. Fred came inpresently to see if I was up yet, and to ask me to lunch, but Ifelt so miserable and down-hearted that I made an excuse of mylate breakfast for not joining them. 

After luncheon the party in the other special all came out andwalked up and down the platform, the sound of their voices andlaughter only making me feel the bluer. Before long I heard a rapon one of my windows, and there was Miss Cullen peering in at me. The moment I looked up, she called, --

"Won't you make one of us, Mr. Misanthrope?"

I called myself all sorts of a fool, but out I went as eagerly asif there had been some hope. Miss Cullen began to tease me overmy sudden access of energy, declaring that she was sure it was apose for their benefit, or else due to a guilty conscience overhaving slept so late. 

"I hoped you would ride with us, though perhaps it wouldn't havepaid you. Apparently there is nothing to see in Ash Forks. "

"There is something that may interest you all, " I suggested, pointing to a special that had been dropped off No. 2 thatmorning. 

"What is it?" asked Madge. 

"It's a G. S. Special, " I said, "and Mr. Camp and Mr. Baldwin andtwo G. S. Officials came in on it. "

"What do you think he'd give for those letters?" laughed Fred. 

"If they were worth so much to you, I suppose they can't be worthany less to the G. S. , " I replied. 

"Fortunately, there is no way that he can learn where they are, "said Mr. Cullen. 

"Don't let's stand still, " cried Miss Cullen. "Mr. Gordon, I'llrun you a race to the end of the platform. " She said this onlyafter getting a big lead, and she got there about eight inchesahead of me, which pleased her mightily. "It takes men so longto get started, " was the way she explained her victory. Then shewalked me beyond the end of the boarding to explain the workingsof a switch to her. That it was only a pretext she proved to methe moment I had relocked the bar, by saying, --

"Mr. Gordon, may I ask you a question?"

"Certainly, " I assented. 

"It is one I should ask papa or Fred, but I am afraid they mightnot tell me the truth. You will, won't you?" she begged, veryearnestly. 

"I will, " I promised. 

"Supposing, " she continued, "that it became known that you havethose letters? Would it do our side any harm?"

I thought for a moment, and then shook my head. "No new proxiescould arrive here in time for the election, " I said, "and theones I have will not be voted. "

She still looked doubtful, and asked, "Then why did papa say justnow, 'Fortunately'?"

"He merely meant that it was safer they shouldn't know. "

"Then it is better to keep it a secret?" she asked, anxiously. 

"I suppose so, " I said, and then added, "Why should you be afraidof asking your father?"

"Because he might--well, if he knew, I'm sure he would sacrificehimself; and I couldn't run the risk. "

"I am afraid I don't understand?" I questioned. 

"I would rather not explain, " she said, and of course that endedthe subject. 

Our exercise taken, we went back to the Cullens' car, and Madgeleft us to write some letters. A moment later Lord Rallesremembered he had not written home recently, and he too wentforward to the dining-room. That made me call myself--something, for not having offered Miss Cullen the use of my desk in 97. Owing to this the two missed part of the big game we wereplaying; for barely were they gone when one of the servantsbrought a card to Mr. Cullen, who looked at it and exclaimed, "Mr. Camp!" Then, after a speaking pause, in which we allexchanged glances, he said, "Bring him in. "

On Mr. Camp's entrance he looked as much surprised as we had alldone a moment before. "I beg your pardon for intruding, Mr. Cullen, " he said. "I was told that this was Mr. Gordon's car, andI wish to see him. "

"I am Mr. Gordon. "

"You are travelling with Mr. Cullen?" he inquired, with a touchof suspicion in his manner. 

"No, " I answered. "My special is the next car, and I was merelyenjoying a cigar here. "

"Ah!" said Mr. Camp. "Then I won't interrupt your smoke, and willonly relieve you of those letters of mine. "

I took a good pull at my cigar, and blew the smoke out in a cloudslowly to gain time. "I don't think I follow you, " I said. 

"I understand that you have in your possession three lettersaddressed to me. "

"I have, " I assented. 

"Then I will ask you to deliver them to me. "

"I can't do that. "

"Why not?" he challenged. "They're my property. "

I produced the Postmaster-General's telegram and read it to him. 

"Why, this is infamous!" Mr. Camp cried. "What use will thoseletters be after the eighteenth? It's a conspiracy. "

"I can only obey instructions, " I said. 

"It shall cost you your position if you do, " Mr. Camp threatened. 

As I've already said, I haven't a good temper, and when he toldme that I couldn't help retorting, --

"That's quite on a par with most G. S. Methods. "

"I'm not speaking for the G. S. , young man, " roared Mr. Camp. "Ispeak as a director of the Kansas & Arizona. What is more, Iwill have those letters inside of twenty-four hours. "

He made an angry exit, and I said to Fred, "I wish you wouldstroll about and spy out the proceedings of the enemy's camp. Hemay telegraph to Washington, and if there's any chance of thePostmaster-General revoking his order I must go back to Flagstaffon No. 4 this afternoon. "

"He sha'n't do anything that I don't know about till he goes tobed, " Fred promised. "But how the deuce did he know that you hadthose letters?"

That was just what we were all puzzling over, for only theoccupants of No. 218 and myself, so far as I knew, were in aposition to let Mr. Camp hear of that fact. 

As Fred made his exit he said, "Don't tell Madge that there is anew complication, for the dear girl has had worries enoughalready. "

Miss Cullen not rejoining us, and Lord Ralles presently doing so, I went to my own car, for he and I were not good furniture forthe same room. Before I had been there long, Fred came rushingin. 

"Camp and Baldwin have been in consultation with a lawyer, " hesaid, "and now the three have just boarded those cars, " pointingout the window at the branch-line train that was to leave forPhoenix in two minutes. 

"You must go with them, " I urged, "and keep us informed as towhat they do, for they evidently are going to set the law on us, and the G. S. Has always owned the Territorial judges, so they'llstretch a point to oblige them. "

"Have I time to fill a bag?"

"Plenty, " I assured him, and, going out, I ordered the train heldtill I should give the word. 

"What does it all mean?" asked Miss Cullen, joining me. 

I laughed, and replied, "I'm doing a braver thing even than yourparty did; I'm holding up a train all by my lonesome. "

"But my brother came dashing in just now and said he was startingfor Phoenix. "

"Let her go, " I called to the conductor, as Fred jumped aboard;and the train pulled out. 

"I hope there's nothing wrong?" Madge questioned, anxiously. 

"Nothing to worry over, " I laughed. "Only a little more fun forour money. By the way, Miss Cullen, " I went on, to avoid herquestions, "if you have your letters ready, and will let me havethem at once, I can get them on No. 4, so that they'll go Eastto-night. "

Miss Cullen blushed as if I had said something I ought not tohave, and stammered, "I--I changed my mind, and--that is--Ididn't write them, after all. "

"I beg your pardon, --I ought to have known; I mean, it's verynatural, " I faltered and stuttered, thinking what a dunce I hadbeen not to understand that both hers and Lord Ralles's lettershad been only a pretext to get away from the rest of us. 

My blundering apology and evident embarrassment deepened MissCullen's blush fivefold, and she explained, hurriedly, "I foundI was tired, and so, instead of writing, I went to my room andrested. "

I suppose any girl would have invented the same yarn, yet it hurtme more than the bigger one she had told on Hance's trail. Smallas the incident was, it made me very blue, and led me to shutmyself up in my own car for the rest of that afternoon andevening. Indeed, I couldn't sleep, but sat up working, quiteforgetful of the passing hours, till a glance at my watchstartled me with the fact that it was a quarter of two. Feelinglike anything more than sleep, I went out on the platform, and, lighting a cigar, paced up and down, thinking of--well, thinking. 

The night agent was sitting in the station, nodding, and after Ihad walked for an hour I went in to ask him if the train toPhoenix had arrived on time. Just as I opened the door, thetelegraph instrument began clicking, and called Ash Forks. Theman, with the curious ability that operators get of recognizingtheir own call, even in sleep, waked up instantly and responded, and, not wishing to interrupt him, I delayed asking my questiontill he should be free. I stood there thinking of Madge, andlistening heedlessly as the instrument ticked off the ciphersignature of the sending operator, and the "twenty-four paid. "But as I heard the clicks . . . . . . . . . Which meant ph, I suddenlybecame attentive, and when it completed "Phoenix" I concludedFred was wiring me, and listened for what followed the date. Thisis what the instrument ticked:--

 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . -. . -. . . . . . - . . . - . - . . . . . . - . . . . . . . . . - -. - . . . . . - . . . . . . . . -. . . . . . -. - . . . . - . . . . . . . . . . . -. . - -. . . . . - - . . . . - . . -- . . . . . . - -. . . . . - . - - . . . . -. - . . . . . . . . . . -. . . . . . - . . . . . -. . . . . . - . - . . -. . . - . . . . - . . - - . . - - . . . . - . . -. . - . . . . . . . . . . . - . . -. --. . -. . . . . . - - . . . . . . . . . . . . -. . . . -. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . - . . . . -. . - . . . . - - - - . -. . . . . - - . -- . . . . . . . . . . . . . . - . . . . . . . . . . . - - . . . . . - . . . . . . . . . - - . - -. -. . . - - - . . - . . . . . . . . . . . . . - . -. . - . . -. . . --. . . . . - -. . . . . . . -. -. . . - -. . --. . . -- . . -- . . . . . -. . . . . . --. - . . . . . . . -. . . . . . . . . . . . . - - - . . . . . 

That may not look particularly intelligible, but if the Phoenixoperator had been talking over the 'phone to me he couldn't havesaid any plainer, --

"Sheriff yavapai county ash forks arizona be at railroad stationthree forty five today to meet train arriving from phoenixprepared to immediately serve peremptory mandamus issued tonightby judge wilson sig theodore e camp. "

My question being pretty thoroughly answered, I went back andcontinued my walk; but before five minutes had passed, theoperator came out, and handed me a message. It was from Fred, andread thus:--

"Camp, Baldwin, and lawyer went at once to house of Judge Wilson, where they stayed an hour. They then returned with judge tostation, and after despatching a telegram have taken seats intrain for Ash Forks, leaving here at three twenty-five. I shallreturn with them. "

A bigger idiot than I could have understood the move. I was to behauled before Judge Wilson by means of mandamus proceedings, and, as he was notoriously a G. S. Judge, and was coming to AshForks solely to oblige Mr. Camp, he would unquestionably declarethe letters the property of Mr. Camp and order their delivery. 

Apparently I had my choice of being a traitor to Madge, of goingto prison for contempt of court, or of running away, which wasnot far off from acknowledging that I had done something wrong. Ididn't like any one of the options. 

CHAPTER IX

A TALK BEFORE BREAKFAST

Looking at my watch, I found it was a little after three, whichmeant six in Washington: allowing for transmission, a telegramwould reach there in time to be on hand with the opening of theDepartments. I therefore wired at once to the following effect:--

"Postmaster-General, Washington, D. C. A peremptory mandamus hasbeen issued by Territorial judge to compel me to deliver toaddressee the three registered letters which by your directions, issued October sixteenth, I was to hold pending arrival ofspecial agent Jackson. Service of writ will be made at threeforty-five to-day unless prevented. Telegraph me instructions howto act. "

That done I had a good tub, took a brisk walk down the track, andfelt so freshened up as to be none the worse for my sleeplessnight. I returned to the station a little after six, and, to mysurprise, found Miss Cullen walking up and down the platform. 

"You are up early!" we both said together. 

"Yes, " she sighed. "I couldn't sleep last night. "

"You're not unwell, I hope?"

"No, --except mentally. "

I looked a question, and she went on: "I have some worries, andthen last night I saw you were all keeping some bad news from me, and so I couldn't sleep. "

"Then we did wrong to make a mystery of it, Miss Cullen, " I said, "for it really isn't anything to trouble about. Mr. Camp issimply taking legal steps to try to force me to deliver thoseletters to him. "

"And can he succeed?"

"No. "

"How will you stop him?"

"I don't know yet just what we shall do, but if worse comes toworse I will allow myself to be committed for contempt ofcourt. "

"What would they do with you?"

"Give me free board for a time. "

"Not send you to prison?"

"Yes. "

"Oh!" she cried, "that mustn't be. You must not make such asacrifice for us. "

"I'd do more than that for _you_, " I said, and I couldn't helpputting a little emphasis on the last word, though I knew I hadno right to do it. 

She understood me, and blushed rosily, even while she protested, "It is too much--"

"There's really no likelihood, " I interrupted, "of my being ableto assume a martyr's crown, Miss Cullen; so don't begin to pityme till I'm behind the bars. "

"But I can't bear to think--"

"Don't, " I interrupted again, rejoicing all the time at herevident anxiety, and blessing my stars for the luck they hadbrought me. "Why, Miss Cullen, " I went on, "I've become sointerested in your success and the licking of those fellows thatI really think I'd stand about anything rather than that theyshould win. Yesterday, when Mr. Camp threatened to--" Then Istopped, as it suddenly occurred to me that it was best not totell Madge that I might lose my position, for it would look likea kind of bid for her favor, and, besides, would only add to herworries. 

"Threatened what?" asked Miss Cullen. 

"Threatened to lose his temper, " I answered. 

"You know that wasn't what you were going to say, " Madge saidreproachfully. 

"No, it wasn't, " I laughed. 

"Then what was it?"

"Nothing worth speaking about. "

"But I want to know what he threatened. "

"Really, Miss Cullen, " I began; but she interrupted me by sayinganxiously, --

"He can't hurt papa, can he?"

"No, " I replied. 

"Or my brothers?"

"He can't touch any of them without my help. And he'll have workto get that, I suspect. "

"Then why can't you tell me?" demanded Miss Cullen. "Your refusalmakes me think you are keeping back some danger to them. "

"Why, Miss Cullen, " I said, "I didn't like to tell his threat, because it seemed--well, I may be wrong, but I thought it mightlook like an attempt--an appeal--Oh, pshaw!" I faltered, like adonkey, --"I can't say it as I want to put it. "

"Then tell me right out what he threatened, " begged Madge. 

"He threatened to get me discharged. "

That made Madge look very sober, and for a moment there wassilence. Then she said, --

"I never thought of what you were risking to help us, Mr. Gordon. And I'm afraid it's too late to--"

"Don't worry about me, " I hastened to interject. "I'm a long wayfrom being discharged, and, even if I should be, Miss Cullen, Iknow my business, and it won't be long before I have anotherplace. "

"But it's terrible to think of the injury we may have causedyou, " sighed Madge, sadly. "It makes me hate the thought ofmoney. "

"That's a very poor thing to hate, " I said, "except the lack ofit. "

"Are you so anxious to get rich?" asked Madge, looking up at mequickly, as we walked, --for we had been pacing up and down theplatform during our chat. 

"I haven't been till lately. "

"And what made you change?" she questioned. 

"Well, " I said, fishing round for some reason other than the trueone, "perhaps I want to take a rest. "

"You are the worst man for fibs I ever knew, " she laughed. 

I felt myself getting red, while I exclaimed, "Why, Miss Cullen, I never set up for a George Washington, but I don't think I'm abit worse liar than nine men in--"

"Oh, " she cried, interrupting me, "I didn't mean that way. Imeant that when you try to fib you always do it so badly that onesees right through you. Now, acknowledge that you wouldn't stopwork if you could?"

"Well, no, I wouldn't, " I owned up. "The truth is, Miss Cullen, that I'd like to be rich, because--well, hang it, I don't care ifI do say it--because I'm in love. "

Madge laughed at my confusion, and asked, "With money?"

"No, " I said. "With just the nicest, sweetest, prettiest girl inthe world. "

Madge took a look at me out of the corner of her eye, andremarked, "It must be breakfast time. "

Considering that it was about six-thirty, I wanted to ask who wastelling a taradiddle now; but I resisted the temptation, andreplied, --

"No. And I promise not to bother you about my private affairs anymore. "

Madge laughed again merrily, saying, "You are the most obviousman I ever met. Now why did you say that?"

"I thought you were making breakfast an excuse, " I said, "becauseyou didn't like the subject. "

"Yes, I was, " said Madge, frankly. "Tell me about the girl youare engaged to. "

I was so taken aback that I stopped in my walk, and merely lookedat her. 

"For instance, " she asked coolly, when she saw that I wasspeechless, "what does she look like?"

"Like, like--" I stammered, still embarrassed by this boldcarrying of the war into my own camp, --"like an angel. "

"Oh, " said Madge, eagerly, "I've always wanted to know whatangels were like. Describe her to me. "

"Well, " I said, getting my second wind, so to speak, "she has thebluest eyes I've ever seen. Why, Miss Cullen, you said you'dnever seen anything so blue as the sky yesterday; but even theatmosphere of 'rainless Arizona' has to take a back seat whenher eyes are round. And they are just like the atmosphere outhere. You can look into them for a hundred miles, but you can'tget to the bottom. "

"The Arizona sky is wonderful, " said Madge. "How do thescientists account for it?"

I wasn't going to have my description of Miss Cullenside-tracked, for, since she had given me the chance, I wantedher to know just what I thought of her. Therefore I didn't followlead on the Arizona skies, but went on, --

"And I really think her hair is just as beautiful as her eyes. It's light brown, very curly, and--"

"Her complexion!" exclaimed Madge. "Is she a mulatto? And, if so, how can a complexion be curly?"

"Her complexion, " I said, not a bit rattled, "is another greatbeauty of hers. She has one of those skins--"

"Furs are out of fashion at present, " she interjected, laughingwickedly. 

"Now look here, Miss Cullen, " I cried, indignantly, "I'm notgoing to let even you make fun of her. "

"I can't help it, " she laughed, "when you look so serious andintense. "

"It's something I feel intense about, Miss Cullen, " I said, not alittle pained, I confess, at the way she was joking. I don't minda bit being laughed at, but Miss Cullen knew, about as well as I, whom I was talking about, and it seemed to me she was laughing atmy love for her. Under this impression I went on, "I suppose itis funny to you; probably so many men have been in love with youthat a man's love for a woman has come to mean very little inyour eyes. But out here we don't make a joke of love, and when wecare for a woman we care--well, it's not to be put in words, MissCullen. "

"I really didn't mean to hurt your feelings, Mr. Gordon, " saidMadge, gently, and quite serious now. "I ought not to have triedto tease you. "

"There!" I said, my irritation entirely gone. "I had no right tolose my temper, and I'm sorry I spoke so unkindly. The truth is, Miss Cullen, the girl I care for is in love with another man, andso I'm bitter and ill-natured in these days. "

My companion stopped walking at the steps of 218, and asked, "Hasshe told you so?"

"No, " I answered. "But it's as plain as she's pretty. "

Madge ran up the steps and opened the door of the car. As sheturned to close it, she looked down at me with the oddest ofexpressions, and said, --

"How dreadfully ugly she must be!"

CHAPTER X

WAITING FOR HELP

If ever a fellow was bewildered by a single speech, it wasRichard Gordon. I walked up and down that platform till I wascalled to breakfast, trying to decide what Miss Cullen had meantto express, only to succeed in reading fifty different meaningsinto her parting six words. I wanted to think that it was her wayof suggesting that I deceived myself in thinking that there wasanything between Lord Ralles and herself; but, though I wished tobelieve this, I had seen too much to the contrary to take stockin the idea. Yet I couldn't believe that Madge was a coquette; Ibecame angry and hot with myself for even thinking it for amoment. 

Puzzle as I did over the words, I managed to eat a goodbreakfast, and then went into the Cullens' car and electrifiedthe party by telling them of Camp's and Fred's despatches, andhow I had come to overhear the former. Mr. Cullen and Albertcouldn't say enough about my cleverness in what had really beenpure luck, and seemed to think I had sat up all night in order tohear that telegram. The person for whose opinion I cared themost--Miss Cullen--didn't say anything, but she gave me a lookthat set my heart beating like a trip-hammer and made me put themost hopeful construction on that speech of hers. It seemedimpossible that she didn't care for Lord Ralles, and that shemight care for me; but, after having had no hope whatsoever, thesmallest crumb of a chance nearly lifted me off my feet. 

We had a consultation over what was best to be done, but didn'treach any definite conclusion till the station-agent brought me atelegram from the Postmaster-General. Breaking it open, I readaloud, --

"Do not allow service of writ, and retain possession of lettersaccording to prior instructions. At the request of thisdepartment, the Secretary of War has directed the commandingofficer at Fort Whipple to furnish you with military protection, and you will call upon him at once, if in your judgment it isnecessary. On no account surrender United States property toTerritorial authorities. Keep Department notified. "

"Oh, splendid!" cried Madge, clapping her hands. 

"Mr. Camp will find that other people can give surprise partiesas well as himself, " I said cheerfully. 

"You'll telegraph at once?" asked Mr. Cullen. 

"Instantly, " I said, rising, and added, "Don't you want to seewhat I say, Miss Cullen?"

"Of course I do, " she cried, jumping up eagerly. 

Lord Ralles scowled as he said, "Yes; let's see what Mr. Superintendent has to say. "

"You needn't trouble yourself, " I remarked, but he followed usinto the station. I was disgusted, but at the same time it seemedto me that he had come because he was jealous; and that wasn't anunpleasant thought. Whatever his motive, he was a third party inthe writing of that telegram, and had to stand by while MissCullen and I discussed and draughted it. I didn't try to make itany too brief, not merely asking for a guard and when I mightexpect it, but giving as well a pretty full history of the case, which was hardly necessary. 

"You'll bankrupt yourself, " laughed Madge. "You must let us pay. "

"I'll let you pay, Miss Cullen, if you want, " I offered. "Howmuch is it, Welply?" I asked, shoving the blanks in to theoperator. 

"Nothin' for a lady, " said Welply, grinning. 

"There, Miss Cullen, " I asked, "does the East come up to that ingallantry?"

"Do you really mean that there is no charge?" demanded Madge, incredulously, with her purse in her hand. 

"That's the size of it, " said the operator. 

"I'm not going to believe that!" cried Madge. "I know you areonly deceiving me, and I really want to pay. "

I laughed as I said, "Sometimes railroad superintendents can sendmessages free, Miss Cullen. "

"How silly of me!" exclaimed Madge. Then she remarked, "How niceit is to be a railroad superintendent, Mr. Gordon! I should liketo be one myself. "

That speech really lifted me off my feet, but while I wasthinking what response to make, I came down to earth with abounce. 

"Since the telegram's done, " said Lord Ralles to Miss Cullen, ina cool, almost commanding tone, "suppose we take a walk. "

"I don't think I care to this morning, " answered Madge. 

"I think you had better, " insisted his lordship, with such amanner that I felt inclined to knock him down. 

To my surprise, Madge seemed to hesitate, and finally said, "I'll walk up and down the platform, if you wish. "

Lord Ralles nodded, and they went out, leaving me in a state ofmingled amazement and rage at the way he had cut me out. Try as Iwould, I wasn't able to hit upon any theory that supplied asolution to the conduct of either Lord Ralles or Miss Cullen, unless they were engaged and Miss Cullen displeased him by herbehavior to me. But Madge seemed such an honest, frank girl thatI'd have believed anything sooner than that she was only playingwith me. 

If I was perplexed, I wasn't going to give Lord Ralles the rightof way, and as soon as I had made certain that the telegram wassafely started I joined the walkers. I don't think any of usenjoyed the hour that followed, but I didn't care how miserable Iwas myself, so long as I was certain that I was blocking LordRalles; and his grumpiness showed very clearly that my presencedid that. As for Madge, I couldn't make her out. I had alwaysthought I understood women a little, but her conduct was beyondunderstanding. 

Apparently Miss Cullen didn't altogether relish her position, forpresently she said she was going to the car. "I'm sure you andLord Ralles will be company enough for each other, " shepredicted, giving me a flash of her eyes which showed them fullof suppressed merriment, even while her face was grave. 

In spite of her prediction, the moment she was gone Lord Rallesand I pulled apart about as quickly as a yard-engine can split acouple of cars. 

I moped around for an hour, too unsettled mentally to do anythingbut smoke, and only waiting for an invitation or for some excuseto go into 218. About eleven o'clock I obtained the latter inanother telegram, and went into the car at once. 

"Telegram received, " I read triumphantly. "A detail of twocompanies of the Twelfth Cavalry, under the command of CaptainSinger, is ordered to Ash Forks, and will start within an hour, arriving at five o'clock. C. D. OLMSTEAD, Adjutant. "

"That won't do, Gordon, " cried Mr. Cullen. "The mandamus will behere before that. "

"Oh, don't say there is something more wrong!" sighed Madge. 

"Won't it be safer to run while there is still time?" suggestedAlbert, anxiously. 

"I was born lazy about running away, " I said. 

"Oh, but please, just for once, " Madge begged. "We know alreadyhow brave you are. "

I thought for a moment, not so much objecting, in truth, to therunning away as to the running away from Madge. 

"I'd do it for you, " I said, looking at Miss Cullen so that sheunderstood this time what I meant, without my using any emphasis, "but I don't see any need of making myself uncomfortable, when Ican make the other side so. Come along and see if my method isn'tquite as good. "

We went to the station, and I told the operator to call RockButte; then I dictated:

"Direct conductor of Phoenix No. 3 on its arrival at RockButte to hold it there till further orders. RICHARD GORDON, Superintendent. "

"That will save my running and their chasing, " I laughed; "thoughI'm afraid a long wait in Rock Butte won't improve theirtempers. "

The next few hours were pretty exciting ones to all of us, ascan well be imagined. Most of the time was spent, I have toconfess, in manoeuvres and struggles between Lord Ralles andmyself as to which should monopolize Madge, without either of ussucceeding. I was so engrossed with the contest that I forgotall about the passage of time, and only when the sheriffstrolled up to the station did I realize that the climax was athand. As a joke I introduced him to the Cullens, and we allstood chatting till far out on the hill to the south I saw acloud of dust and quietly called Miss Cullen's attention to it. She and I went to 97 for my field-glasses, and the moment Madgelooked through them she cried, --

"Yes, I can see horses, and, oh, there are the stars and stripes!I don't think I ever loved them so much before. "

"I suppose we civilians will have to take a back seat now, MissCullen?" I said; and she answered me with a demure smileworth--well, I'm not going to put a value on that smile. 

"They'll be here very quickly, " she almost sang. 

"You forget the clearness of the air, " I said, and then asked thesheriff how far away the dust-cloud was. 

"Yer mean that cattle-drive?" he asked. "'Bout ten miles. "

"You seem to think of everything, " exclaimed Miss Cullen, as ifmy knowing that distances are deceptive in Arizona was wonderful. I sometimes think one gets the most praise in this world for whatleast deserves it. 

I waited half an hour to be safe, and then released No. 3, justas we were called to luncheon; and this time I didn't refuse theinvitation to eat mine in 218. 

We didn't hurry over the meal, and towards the end I took tolooking at my watch, wondering what could keep the cavalry fromarriving. 

"I hope there is no danger of the train arriving first, isthere?" asked Madge. 

"Not the slightest, " I assured her. "The train won't be here foran hour, and the cavalry had only five miles to cover fortyminutes ago. I must say, they seem to be taking their time. "

"There they are now!" cried Albert. 

Listening, we heard the clatter of horses' feet, going at a goodpace, and we all rose and went to the windows, to see thearrival. Our feelings can be judged when across the tracks cameonly a mob of thirty or forty cowboys, riding in their usual"show-off" style. 

"The deuce!" I couldn't help exclaiming, in my surprise. "Areyou sure you saw a flag, Miss Cullen?"

"Why--I--thought--" she faltered. "I saw something red, and--Isupposed of course--"

Not waiting to let her finish, I exclaimed, "There's been a flukesomewhere, I'm afraid; but we are still in good shape, for thetrain can't possibly be here under an hour. I'll get myfield-glasses and have another look before I decide what--"

My speech was interrupted by the entrance of the sheriff and Mr. Camp!

CHAPTER XI

THE LETTERS CHANGE HANDS AGAIN

What seemed at the moment an incomprehensible puzzle had, as weafterwards learned, a very simple explanation. One of the G. S. Directors, Mr. Baldwin, who had come in on Mr. Camp's car, wasthe owner of a great cattle-ranch near Rock Butte. When the trainhad been held at that station for a few minutes, Camp went to theconductor, demanded the cause for the delay, and was shown mytelegram. Seeing through the device, the party had at once goneto this ranch, where the owner, Baldwin, mounted them, and it wastheir dust-cloud we had seen as they rode up to Ash Forks. Tomake matters more serious, Baldwin had rounded up his cowboys andbrought them along with him, in order to make any resistanceimpossible. 

I made no objection to the sheriff serving the paper, though itnearly broke my heart to see Madge's face. To cheer her I said, suggestively, "They've got me, but they haven't got the letters, Miss Cullen. And, remember, it's always darkest before the dawn, and the stars in their courses are against Sisera. "

With the sheriff and Mr. Camp I then walked over to the saloon, where Judge Wilson was waiting to dispose of my case. Mr. Cullenand Albert tried to come too, but all outsiders were excluded byorder of the "court. " I was told to show cause why I should notforthwith produce the letters, and answered that I asked anadjournment of the case so that I might be heard by counsel. Itwas denied, as was to have been expected; indeed, why they tookthe trouble to go through the forms was beyond me. I told WilsonI should not produce the letters, and he asked if I knew whatthat meant. I couldn't help laughing and retorting, --

"It very appropriately means 'contempt of the court, ' yourhonor. "

"I'll give you a stiff term, young man, " he said. 

"It will take just one day to have habeas corpus proceedings in aUnited States court, and one more to get the papers here, " Irejoined pleasantly. 

Seeing that I understood the moves too well to be bluffed, thejudge, Mr. Camp, and the lawyer held a whispered consultation. Mysurprise can be imagined when, at its conclusion, Mr. Campsaid, --

"Your honor, I charge Richard Gordon with being concerned in theholding up of the Missouri Western Overland No. 3 on the night ofOctober 14, and ask that he be taken into custody on thatcharge. "

I couldn't make out this new move, and puzzled over it, whileJudge Wilson ordered my commitment. But the next step revealedthe object, for the lawyer then asked for a search-warrant tolook for stolen property. The judge was equally obliging, andbegan to fill one out on the instant. 

This made me feel pretty serious, for the letters were in mybreast-pocket, and I swore at my own stupidity in not having putthem in the station safe when I had first arrived at Ash Forks. There weren't many moments in which to think while the judgescribbled away at the warrant, but in what time there was I did alot of head-work, without, however, finding more than one way outof the snarl. And when I saw the judge finish off his signaturewith a flourish, I played a pretty desperate card. 

"You're just too late, gentlemen, " I said, pointing out the sidewindow of the saloon. "There come the cavalry. "

The three conspirators jumped to their feet and bolted for thewindow; even the sheriff turned to look. As he did so I gave hima shove towards the three which sent them all sprawling on thefloor in a pretty badly mixed-up condition. I made a dash for thedoor, and as I went through it I grabbed the key and locked themin. When I turned to do so I saw the lot struggling up from thefloor, and, knowing that it wouldn't take them many seconds tofind their way out through the window, I didn't waste much timein watching them. 

Camp, Baldwin, and the judge had left their horses just outsidethe saloon, and there they were still patiently standing, withtheir bridles thrown over their heads, as only Western horseswill stand. It didn't take me long to have those bridles back inplace, and as I tossed each over the peak of the Mexican saddle Igave two of the ponies slaps which started them off at a lopeacross the railroad tracks. I swung myself into the saddle of thethird, and flicked him with the loose ends of the bridle in a waywhich made him understand that I meant business. 

Baldwin's cowboys had most of them scattered to the varioussaloons of the place, but two of them were standing in thedoor-way of a store. I acted so quickly, however, that theydidn't seem to take in what I was about till I was well mounted. Then I heard a yell, and fearing that they might shoot, --for thecowboy does love to use his gun, --I turned sharp at the salooncorner and rode up the side street, just in time to see Campclimbing through the window, with Baldwin's head in view behindhim. 

Before I had ridden a hundred feet I realized that I had adone-up horse under me, and, considering that he had covered overforty miles that afternoon in pretty quick time, it was notsurprising that there wasn't very much go left in him. I knewthat Baldwin's cowboys could get new mounts in plenty withoutwasting many minutes, and that then they would overhaul me invery short order. Clearly there was no use in my attempting toescape by running. And, as I wasn't armed, my only hope was tobeat them by some finesse. 

Ash Forks, like all Western railroad towns, is one long line ofbuildings running parallel with the railway tracks. Two hundredfeet, therefore, brought me to the edge of the town, and Iwheeled my pony and rode down behind the rear of the buildings. In turning, I looked back, and saw half a dozen mounted menalready in pursuit, but I lost sight of them the next moment. Assoon as I reached a street leading back to the railroad I turnedagain, and rode towards it, my one thought being to get back, ifpossible, to the station, and put the letters into the railroadagent's safe. 

When I reached the main street I saw that my hope was futile, foranother batch of cowboys were coming in full gallop towards me, very thoroughly heading me off in that direction. To escape them, I headed up the street away from the station, with the pack inclose pursuit. They yelled at me to hold up, and I expected everymoment to hear the crack of revolvers, for the poorest shot amongthem would have found no difficulty in dropping my horse at thatdistance if they had wanted to stop me. It isn't a very nicesensation to keep your ears pricked up in expectation of hearingthe shooting begin, and to know that any moment may be yourlast. I don't suppose I was on the ragged edge more than thirtyseconds, but they were enough to prove to me that to keep one'sback turned to an enemy as one runs away takes a deal more pluckthan to stand up and face his gun. Fortunately for me, mypursuers felt so sure of my capture that not one of them drew abead on me. 

The moment I saw that there was no escape, I put my hand in mybreast-pocket and took out the letters, intending to tear theminto a hundred pieces. But as I did so I realized that to destroyUnited States mail not merely entailed criminal liability, butwas off color morally. I faltered, balancing the outwitting ofCamp against State's prison, the doing my best for Madge againstthe wrong of it. I think I'm as honest a fellow as the average, but I have to confess that I couldn't decide to do right till Ithought that Madge wouldn't want me to be dishonest, even forher. 

I turned across the railroad tracks, and cut in behind somefreight-cars that were standing on a siding. This put me out ofview of my pursuers for a moment, and in that instant I stood upin my stirrups, lifted the broad leather flap of the saddle, andtucked the letters underneath it, as far in as I could forcethem. It was a desperate place in which to hide them, but thegame was a desperate one at best, and the very boldness of theidea might be its best chance of success. 

I was now heading for the station over the ties, and wassurprised to see Fred Cullen with Lord Ralles on the tracks upby the special, for my mind had been so busy in the last hourthat I had forgotten that Fred was due. The moment I saw him, Irode towards him, pressing my pony for all he was worth. My hopewas that I might get time to give Fred the tip as to where theletters were; but before I was within speaking distance Baldwincame running out from behind the station, and, seeing me, turned, called back and gesticulated, evidently to summon somecowboys to head me off. Afraid to shout anything which shouldconvey the slightest clue as to the whereabouts of the letters, as the next best thing I pulled a couple of old section reportsfrom my pocket, intending to ride up and run into my car, for Iknew that the papers in my hand would be taken to be the wantedletters, and that if I could only get inside the car even for amoment the suspicion would be that I had been able to hide them. Unfortunately, the plan was no sooner thought of than I heardthe whistle of a lariat, and before I could guard myself thenoose settled over my head. I threw the papers towards Fred andLord Ralles, shouting, "Hide them!" Fred was quick as a flash, and, grabbing them off the ground, sprang up the steps of my carand ran inside, just escaping a bullet from my pursuers. I triedto pull up my pony, for I did not want to be jerked off, but Iwas too late, and the next moment I was lying on the ground in apretty well shaken and jarred condition, surrounded by a lot ofmen. 

CHAPTER XII

AN EVENING IN JAIL

Before my ideas had had time to straighten themselves out, I waslifted to my feet, and half pushed, half lifted to the stationplatform. Camp was already there, and as I took this fact in Isaw Frederic and his lordship pulled through the door-way of mycar by the cowboys and dragged out on the platform beside me. Thereports were now in Lord Ralles's hands. 

"That's what we want, boys, " cried Camp. "Those letters. "

"Take your hands off me, " said Lord Ralles, coolly, "and I'llgive them to you. "

The men who had hold of his arms let go of him, and quick as aflash Ralles tore the papers in two. He tried to tear them oncemore, but, before he could do so, half a dozen men were holdinghim, and the papers were forced out of his hands. 

Albert Cullen--for all of them were on the platform of 218 bythis time--shouted, "Well done, Ralles!" quite forgetting in theexcitement of the moment his English accent and drawl. 

Apparently Camp didn't agree with him, for he ripped out astring of oaths which he impartially divided among Ralles, thecowboys, and myself. I was decidedly sorry that I hadn't giventhe real letters, for his lordship clearly had no scruple aboutdestroying them, and I knew few men whom I would have seenbehind prison-bars with as little personal regret. However, noone had, so far as I could see, paid the slightest attention tothe pony, and the probabilities were that he was already headedfor Baldwin's ranch, with no likelihood of his stopping till hereached home. At least that was what I hoped; but there were alot of ponies standing about, and, not knowing the markings ofthe one I had ridden, I wasn't able to tell whether he might notbe among them. 

Just as the fragments of the papers were passed over to Mr. Camp, he was joined by Baldwin and the judge, and Camp held the tornpieces up to them, saying, --

"They've torn the proxies in two. "

"Don't let that trouble you, " said the judge. "Make an affidavitbefore me, reciting the manner in which they were destroyed, andI'll grant you a mandamus compelling the directors to accept themas bona-fide proxies. Let me see how much injured they are. "

Camp unfolded the papers, and I chuckled to myself at the look ofsurprise that overspread his face as he took in the fact thatthey were nothing but section reports. And, though I don't likecuss-words, I have to acknowledge that I enjoyed the two or threethat he promptly ejaculated. 

When the first surprise of the trio was over, they called on thesheriff, who arrived opportunely, to take us into 97 and searchthe three of us, --a proceeding that puzzled Fred and his lordshipnot a little, for they weren't on to the fact that the lettershadn't been recovered. I presume the latter will some day write abook dwelling on the favorite theme of the foreigner, that thereis no personal privacy in America, and I don't know but hisexperiences justify the view. The running remarks as the searchwas made seemed to open Fred's eyes, for he looked at me with apuzzled air, but I winked and frowned at him, and he put his facein order. 

When the papers were not found on any of us, Camp and Baldwinboth nearly went demented. Baldwin suggested that I had never hadthe papers, but Camp argued that Fred or Lord Ralles must havehidden them in the car, in spite of the fact that the cowboys whohad caught them insisted that they couldn't have had time to hidethe papers. Anyway, they spent an hour in ferreting about in mycar, and even searched my two darkies, on the possibility thatthe true letters had been passed on to them. 

While they were engaged in this, I was trying to think out someway of letting Mr. Cullen and Albert know where the letters were. The problem was to suggest the saddle to them, without lettingthe cowboys understand, and by good luck I thought I had themeans. Albert had complained to me the day we had ridden out tothe Indian dwellings at Flagstaff that his saddle fretted somegalled spots which he had chafed on his trip to Moran's Point. Hoping he would "catch on, " I shouted to him, --

"How are your sore spots, Albert?"

He looked at me in a puzzled way, and called, "Aw, I don'tunderstand you. "

"Those sore spots you complained about to me the day beforeyesterday, " I explained. 

He didn't seem any the less befogged as he replied, "I hadforgotten all about them. "

"I've got a touch of the same trouble, " I went on; "and, if Iwere you, I'd look into the cause. "

Albert only looked very much mystified, and I didn't dare saymore, for at this point the trio, with the sheriff, came out ofmy car. If I hadn't known that the letters were safe, I couldhave read the story in their faces, for more disgusted andangry-looking men I have rarely seen. 

They had a talk with the sheriff, and then Fred, Lord Ralles, andI were marched off by the official, his lordship loudly demandingsight of a warrant, and protesting against the illegality of hisarrest, varied at moments by threats to appeal to the Britishconsul, minister plenipo. , Her Majesty's Foreign Office, etc. , all of which had about as much influence on the sheriff and hiscowboy assistants as a Moqui Indian snake-dance would have instopping a runaway engine. I confess to feeling a certain grimsatisfaction in the fact that if I was to be shut off from seeingMadge, the Britisher was in the same box with me. 

Ash Forks, though only six years old, had advanced far enoughtowards civilization to have a small jail, and into that we wereshoved. Night was come by the time we were lodged there, and, being in pretty good appetite, I struck the sheriff for somegrub. 

"I'll git yer somethin', " he said, good-naturedly; "but next timeyer shove people, Mr. Gordon, just quit shovin' yer friends. Myshoulder feels like--" perhaps it's just as well not to say whathis shoulder felt like. The Western vocabulary is expressive, butat times not quite fit for publication. 

The moment the sheriff was gone, Fred wanted the mystery of theletters explained, and I told him all there was to tell, including as good a description of the pony as I could give him. We tried to hit on some plan to get word to those outside, but itwasn't to be done. At least it was a point gained that some oneof our party besides myself knew where the letters were. 

The sheriff returned presently with a loaf of canned bread and atin of beans. If I had been alone, I should have kicked at thefood and got permission for my darkies to send me up somethingfrom 97; but I thought I'd see how Lord Ralles would like genuineWestern fare, so I said nothing. That, I have to state, ismore--or rather less--than the Britisher did, after he hadsampled the stuff; and really I don't blame him, much as Ienjoyed his rage and disgust. 

It didn't take long to finish our supper, and then Fred, whohadn't slept much the night before, stretched out on the floorand went to sleep. Lord Ralles and I sat on boxes--the onlyfurniture the room contained--about as far apart as we could get, he in the sulks, and I whistling cheerfully. I should have likedto be with Madge, but he wasn't; so there was some compensation, and I knew that time was playing the cards in our favor: so longas they hadn't found the letters we had only to sit still towin. 

About an hour after supper, the sheriff came back and told meCamp and Baldwin wanted to see me. I saw no reason to object, soin they came, accompanied by the judge. Baldwin opened the ballby saying genially, --

"Well, Mr. Gordon, you've played a pretty cute gamble, and Isuppose you think you stand to win the pot. "

"I'm not complaining, " I said. 

"Still, " snarled Camp, angrily, as if my contented manner frettedhim, "our time will come presently, and we can make it prettyuncomfortable for you. Illegal proceedings put a man in jail inthe long run. "

"I hope you take your lesson to heart, " I remarked cheerfully, which made Camp scowl worse than ever. 

"Now, " said Baldwin, who kept cool, "we know you are not riskingloss of position and the State's prison for nothing, and we wantto know what there is in it for you?"

"I wouldn't stake my chance of State's prison against yours, gentlemen. And, while I may lose my position, I'll be a long wayfrom starvation. "

"That doesn't tell us what Cullen gives you to take the risk. "

"Mr. Cullen hasn't given, or even hinted that he'll give, anything. "

"And Mr. Gordon hasn't asked, and, if I know him, wouldn't take acent for what he has done, " said Fred, rising from the floor. 

"You mean to say you are doing it for nothing?" exclaimed Camp, incredulously. 

"That's about the truth of it, " I said; though I thought of Madgeas I said it, and felt guilty in suggesting that she was nothing. 

"Then what is your motive?" cried Baldwin. 

If there had been any use, I should have replied, "The right;"but I knew that they would only think I was posing if I said it. Instead I replied: "Mr. Cullen's party has the stock majority intheir favor, and would have won a fair fight if you had playedfair. Since you didn't, I'm doing my best to put things torights. "

Camp cried, "All the more fool--" but Baldwin interrupted him bysaying, --

"That only shows what a mean cuss Cullen is. He ought to give youten thousand, if he gives you a cent. "

"Yes, " cried Camp, "those letters are worth money, whether he'soffered it or not. "

"Mr. Cullen never so much as hinted paying me, " said I. 

"Well, Mr. Gordon, " said Baldwin, suavely, "we'll show you thatwe can be more liberal. Though the letters rightfully belong toMr. Camp, if you'll deliver them to us we'll see that you don'tlose your place, and we'll give you five thousand dollars. "

I glanced at Fred, whom I found looking at me anxiously, andasked him, --

"Can't you do better than that?"

"We could with any one but you, " said Fred. 

I should have liked to shake hands over this compliment, but Ionly nodded, and turning to Mr. Camp, said, --

"You see how mean they are. "

"You'll find we are not built that way, " said Baldwin. "Fivethousand isn't a bad day's work, eh?"

"No, " I said, laughing; "but you just told me I ought to get tenthousand if I got a cent. "

"It's worth ten to Mr. Cullen, but--"

I interrupted by saying, "If it's worth ten to him, it's worth ahundred to me. "

That was too much for Camp. First he said something best omitted, and then went on, "I told you it was waste time trying to win himover. "

The three stood apart for a moment whispering, and then JudgeWilson called the sheriff over, and they all went out together. The moment we were alone, Frederic held out his hand, andsaid, --

"Gordon, it's no use saying anything, but if we can ever do--"

I merely shook hands, but I wanted the worst way to say, --

"Tell Madge what I've done, and the thing's square. "

CHAPTER XIII

A LESSON IN POLITENESS

Within five minutes we had a big surprise, for the sheriff andMr. Baldwin came back, and the former announced that Fred andLord Ralles were free, having been released on bail. When wefound that Baldwin had gone on the bond, I knew that there was ascheme of some sort in the move, and, taking Fred aside, I warnedhim against trying to recover the proxies. 

"They probably think that one or the other of you knows where theletters are hidden, " I whispered, "and they'll keep a watch onyou; so go slow. "

He nodded, and followed the sheriff and Lord Ralles out. 

The moment they were gone, Mr. Camp said, "I came back to giveyou a last chance. "

"That's very good of you, " I said. 

"I warn you, " he muttered threateningly, "we are not men to bebeaten. There are fifty cowboys of Baldwin's in this town, whothink you were concerned in the holding up. By merely tippingthem the wink, they'll have you out of this, and after they'vegot you outside I wouldn't give the toss of a nickel for yourlife. Now, then, will you hand over those letters, or will you goto ---- inside of ten minutes?"

I lost my temper in turn. "I'd much prefer going to some placewhere I was less sure of meeting you, " I retorted; "and as forthe cowboys, you'll have to be as tricky with them as you want tobe with me before you'll get them to back you up in your dirtywork. "

At this point the sheriff called back to ask Camp if he wascoming. 

"All right, " cried Camp, and went to the door. "This is the lastcall, " he snarled, pausing for a moment on the threshold. 

"I hope so, " said I, more calmly in manner than in feeling, Ihave to acknowledge, for I didn't like the look of things. Thatthey were in earnest I felt pretty certain, for I understood nowwhy they had let my companions out of jail. They knew that angrycowboys were a trifle undiscriminating, and didn't care to riskhanging more than was necessary. 

A long time seemed to pass after they were gone, but in realityit wasn't more than fifteen minutes before I heard some one stealup and softly unlock the door. I confess the evident endeavor todo it quietly gave me a scare, for it seemed to me it couldn't bean above-board movement. Thinking this, I picked up the box onwhich I had been sitting and prepared to make the best fight Icould. It was a good deal of relief, therefore, when the dooropened just wide enough for a man to put in his head, and I heardthe sheriff's voice say, softly, --

"Hi, Gordon!"

I was at the door in an instant, and asked, --

"What's up?"

"They're gettin' the fellers together, and sayin' that yer shot awoman in the hold-up. "

"It's an infernal lie, " I said. 

"Sounds that way to me, " assented the sheriff; "but two-thirds ofthe boys are drunk, and it's a long time since they've had anyfun. "

"Well, " I said, as calmly as I could, "are you going to stand byme?"

"I would, Mr. Gordon, " he replied, "if there was any good, butthere ain't time to get a posse, and what's one Winchesteragainst a mob of cowboys like them?"

"If you'll lend me your gun, " I said, "I'll show just what it isworth, without troubling you. "

"I'll do better than that, " offered the sheriff, "and that's whatI'm here for. Just sneak, while there's time. "

"You mean--?" I exclaimed. 

"That's it. I'm goin' away, and I'll leave the door unlocked. Ifyer get clear let me know yer address, and later, if I want yer, I'll send yer word. " He took a grip on my fingers that numbedthem as if they had been caught in an air-brake, and disappeared. 

I slipped out after the sheriff without loss of time. That therewasn't much to spare was shown by a crowd with some torches downthe street, collected in front of a saloon. They were making agood deal of noise, even for the West; evidently the flame wasbeing fanned. Not wasting time, I struck for the railroad, because I knew the geography of that best, but still more becauseI wanted to get to the station. It was a big risk to go there, but it was one I was willing to take for the object I had inview, and, since I had to take it, it was safest to get throughwith the job before the discovery was made that I was no longerin jail. 

It didn't take me three minutes to reach the station. The wholeplace was black as a coal-dumper, except for the slices of lightwhich shone through the cracks of the curtained windows in thespecials, the dim light of the lamp in the station, and the glowof the row of saloons two hundred feet away. I was afraid, however, that there might be a spy lurking somewhere, for it waslikely that Camp would hope to get some clue of the letters bykeeping a watch on the station and the cars. Thinking boldness thesafest course, I walked on to the platform without hesitation, andwent into the station. The "night man" was sitting in his chair, nodding, but he waked up the moment I spoke. 

"Don't speak my name, " I said, warningly, as he struggled to hisfeet; and then in the fewest possible words I told him what Iwanted of him, --to find if the pony I had ridden (Camp's orBaldwin's) was in town and, if so, to learn where it was, and toget the letters on the quiet from under the saddle-flap. I chosethis man, first, because I could trust him, and next, because Ihad only one of the Cullens as an alternative, and if any of themwent sneaking round, it would be sure to attract attention. "Themoment you have the letters, put them in the station safe, " Iended, "and then get word to me. "

"And where'll you be, Mr. Gordon?" asked the man. 

"Is there any place about here that's a safe hiding spot for afew hours?" I asked. "I want to stay till I'm sure those lettersare safe, and after that I'll steal on board the first train thatcomes along. "

"Then you'll want to be near here, " said the man. "I'll tell you, I've got just the place for you. The platform's boarded in allround, but I noticed one plank that's loose at one end, right atthis nigh corner, and if you just pry it open enough to get in, and then pull the board in place, they'll never find you. "

"That will do, " I said; "and when the letters are safe, come outon the platform, walk up and down once, bang the door twice, andthen say, 'That way freight is late. ' And if you get a chance, tell one of the Cullens where I'm hidden. "

I crossed the platform boldly, jumped down, and walked away. Butafter going fifty feet I dropped down on my hands and knees andcrawled back. Inside of two minutes I was safely stowed awayunder the platform, in about as neat a hiding-place as a mancould ask. In fact, if I had only had my wits enough about me toborrow a revolver of the man, I could have made a pretty gooddefence, even if discovered. 

Underneath the platform was loose gravel, and, as an additionalprecaution, I scooped out, close to the side-boarding, a troughlong enough for me to lie in. Then I got into the hole, shovelledthe sand over my legs, and piled the rest up in a heap close tome, so that by a few sweeps of my arm I could cover my wholebody, leaving only my mouth and nose exposed, and those below thelevel. That made me feel pretty safe, for, even if the cowboysfound the loose plank and crawled in, it would take uncommon goodeyesight, in the darkness, to find me. I had hollowed out myliving grave to fit, and if I could have smoked, I should havebeen decidedly comfortable. Sleep I dared not indulge in, and thesequel showed that I was right in not allowing myself thatluxury. 

I hadn't much more than comfortably settled myself, and letthoughts of a cigar and a nap flit through my mind, when a row upthe street showed that the jail-breaking had been discovered. Then followed shouts and confusion for a few moments, while asearch was being organized. I heard some horsemen ride over thetracks, and also down the street, followed by the hurriedfootsteps of half a dozen men. Some banged at the doors of thespecials, while others knocked at the station door. 

One of the Cullens' servants opened the door of 218, and I heardthe sheriff's voice telling him he'd got to search the car. Thedarky protested, saying that the "gentmun was all away, and onlyde miss inside. " The row brought Miss Cullen to the door, and Iheard her ask what was the matter. 

"Sorry to trouble yer, miss, " said the sheriff, "but a prisonerhas broken jail, and we've got to look for him. "

"Escaped!" cried Madge, joyfully. "How?"

"That's just what gits away with me, " marvelled the sheriff. "Myidee is--"

"Don't waste time on theories, " said Camp's voice, angrily. "Search the car. "

"Sorry to discommode a lady, " apologized the sheriff, gallantly, "but if we may just look around a little?"

"My father and brothers went out a few minutes ago, " said Madge, hesitatingly, "and I don't know if they would be willing. "

Camp laughed angrily, and ordered, "Stand aside, there. "

"Don't yer worry, " said the sheriff. "If he's on the car, hecan't git away. We'll send a feller up for Mr. Cullen, while wesearch Mr. Gordon's car and the station. "

They set about it at once, and used up ten minutes in the task. Then I heard Camp say, --

"Come, we can't wait all night for permission to search this car. Go ahead. "

"I hope you'll wait till my father comes, " begged Madge. 

"Now go slow, Mr. Camp, " said the sheriff. "We mustn't discomfortthe lady if we can avoid it. "

"I believe you're wasting time in order to help him escape, "snapped Camp. 

"Nothin' of the kind, " denied the sheriff. 

"If you won't do your duty, I'll take the law into my own hands, and order the car searched, " sputtered Camp, so angry as hardlyto be able to articulate. 

"Look a here, " growled the sheriff, "who are yer sayin' all thisto anyway? If yer talkin' to me, say so right off. "

"All I mean, " hastily said Camp, "is that it's your duty, in yourhonorable position, to search this car. "

"I don't need no instructin' in my dooty as sheriff, " retortedthe official. "But a bigger dooty is what is owin' to thefeminine sex. When a female is in question, a gentleman, Mr. Camp, --yes, sir, a gentleman, --is in dooty bound to be perlite. "

"Politeness be ---- ----!" swore Camp. 

"Git as angry as yer ---- please, " roared the sheriff, wrathfully, "but ---- me if any ---- ---- cuss has a right to usesuch ---- ---- talk in the presence of a lady!"

CHAPTER XIV

"LISTENERS NEVER HEAR ANYTHING GOOD"

Before I had ceased chuckling over the sheriff's indignantdeclaration of the canons of etiquette, I heard Mr. Cullen'svoice demanding to know what the trouble was, and it was quicklyexplained to him that I had escaped. He at once gave thempermission to search his car, and went in with the sheriff andthe cowboys. Apparently Madge went in too, for in a moment Iheard Camp say, in a low voice, --

"Two of you fellows get down below the car and crawl in under thetruck where you can't be seen. Evidently that cuss isn't here, but he's likely to come by and by. If so, nab him if you can, andif you can't, fire two shots. Mosely, are you heeled?"

"Do I chaw terbaccy?" asked Mosely, ironically, clearly insultedat the suggestion that he would travel without a gun. 

"Then keep a sharp lookout, and listen to everything you hear, especially the whereabouts of some letters. If you can spot theirlay, crawl out and get word to me at once. Now, under you gobefore they come out. "

I heard two men drop into the gravel close alongside of where Ilay, and then crawl under the truck of 218. They weren't a momenttoo soon, for the next instant I heard two or three people jumpon to the platform, and Albert Cullen's voice drawl, "Aw, byJove, what's the row?" Camp not enlightening them, Lord Rallessuggested that they get on the car to find out, and the three didso. A moment later the sheriff came to the door and told Campthat I was not to be found. 

"I told yer this was the last place to look for the cuss, Mr. Camp, " he said. "We've just discomforted the lady for nothin'. "

"Then we must search elsewhere, " spoke up Camp. "Come on, boys. "

The sheriff turned and made another elaborate apology for havinghad to trouble the lady. 

I heard Madge tell him that he hadn't troubled her at all, andthen, as the cowboys and Camp walked off, she added, "And, Mr. Gunton, I want to thank you for reproving Mr. Camp's dreadfulswearing. "

"Thank yer, miss, " said the sheriff. "We fellers are a littlerough at times, but ---- me if we don't know what's due to alady. "

"Papa, " said Madge, as soon as he was out of hearing, "thesheriff is the most beautiful swearer I ever heard. "

For a while there was silence round the station; I suppose theparty in 218 were comparing notes, while the two cowboys and Ihad the best reasons for being quiet. Presently, however, the mencame out of the car and jumped down on the platform. Madgeevidently followed them to the door, for she called, "Please letme know the moment something happens or you learn anything. "

"Better go to bed, Madgy, " Albert called. "You'll only worry, andit's after three. "

"I couldn't sleep if I tried, " she answered. 

Their footsteps died away in a moment, and I heard her close thedoor of 218. In a few moments she opened it again, and, steppingdown to the station platform, began to pace up and down it. If Ihad only dared, I could have put my finger through the crack ofthe planks and touched her foot as she walked over my head, but Iwas afraid it might startle her into a shriek, and there was noexplaining to her what it meant without telling the cowboys howclose they were to their quarry. 

Madge hadn't walked from one end of the platform to the othermore than three or four times, when I heard some one coming. Sheevidently heard it also, for she said, --

"I began to be afraid you hadn't understood me. "

"I thought you told me to see first if I were needed, " respondeda voice that even the distance and the planks did not prevent mefrom recognizing as that of Lord Ralles. 

"Yes, " said she. "You are sure you can be spared?"

"I couldn't be of the slightest use, " asserted Ralles, getting onto the platform and joining Madge. "It's as black as inkeverywhere, and I don't think there's anything to be done tilldaylight. "

"Then I'm glad you came back, for I really want to saysomething, --to ask the greatest favor of you. "

"You only have to tell me what it is, " said his lordship. 

"Even that is very hard, " murmured Madge. "If--if--Oh! I'm afraidI haven't the courage, after all. "

"I'll be glad to do anything I can. "

"It's--well--Oh, dear, I can't. Let's walk a little, while Ithink how to put it. "

They began to walk, which took a weight off my mind, as I hadbeen forced to hear every word thus far spoken, and was dreadingwhat might follow, since I was perfectly helpless to warn them. The platform was built around the station, and in a moment theywere out of hearing. 

Before many seconds were over, however, they had walked round thebuilding, and I heard Lord Ralles say, --

"You really don't mean that he's insulted you?"

"That is just what I do mean, " cried Madge, indignantly. "It'sbeen almost past endurance. I haven't dared to tell any one, buthe had the cruelty, the meanness, on Hance's trail to threatenthat--"

At that point the walkers turned the corner again, and I couldnot hear the rest of the sentence. But I had heard more thanenough to make me grow hot with mortification, even while I couldhardly believe I had understood aright. Madge had been so kind tome lately that I couldn't think she had been feeling as bitterlyas she spoke. That such an apparently frank girl was a consummateactress wasn't to be thought, and yet--I remembered how well shehad played her part on Hance's trail; but even that wouldn'tconvince me. Proof of her duplicity came quickly enough, for, while I was still thinking, the walkers were round again, andLord Ralles was saying, --

"Why haven't you complained to your father or brothers?"

"Because I knew they would resent his conduct to me, and--"

"Of course they would, " cried her companion, interrupting. "Butwhy should you object to that?"

"Because of the letters, " explained Madge. "Don't you see that ifwe made him angry he would betray us to Mr. Camp, and--"

Then they passed out of hearing, leaving me almost desperate, both at being an eavesdropper to such a conversation, and thatMadge could think so meanly of me. To say it, too, to Lord Rallesmade it cut all the deeper, as any fellow who has been in lovewill understand. 

Round they came again in a moment, and I braced myself for thelash of the whip that I felt was coming. I didn't escape it, forMadge was saying, --

"Can you conceive of a man pretending to care for a girl and yettreating her so? I can't tell you the grief, the mortification, Ihave endured. " She spoke with a half-sob in her throat, as if shewas struggling not to cry, which made me wish I had never beenborn. "It's been all I could do to control myself in hispresence, I have come so utterly to hate and despise him, " sheadded. 

"I don't wonder, " growled Lord Ralles. "My only surprise is--"

With that they passed out of hearing again, leaving me fairlydesperate with shame, grief, and, I'm afraid, with anger. I feltat once guilty and yet wronged. I knew my conduct on the trailmust have seemed to her ungentlemanly because I had never daredto explain that my action there had been a pure bluff, and that Iwouldn't have really searched her for--well, for anything; butthough she might think badly of me for that, yet I had done mybest to counterbalance it, and was running big risks, bothpresent and eventual, for Madge's sake. Yet here she wasacknowledging that thus far she had used me as a puppet, whileall the time disliking me. It was a terrible blow, made all theharder by the fact that she was proving herself such a differentgirl from the one I loved, --so different, in fact, that, despitewhat I had heard, I couldn't quite believe it of her, and foundmyself seeking to extenuate and even justify her conduct. While Iwas doing this, they came within hearing, and Lord Ralles wasspeaking. 

"--with you, " he said. "But I still do not see what I can do, however much I may wish to serve you. "

"Can't you go to him and insist that he--or tell him what Ireally feel towards him--or anything, in fact, to shame him? Ireally can't go on acting longer. "

That reached the limit of my endurance, and I crawled from myburrow, intending to get out from under that platform, whether Iwas caught or not. I know it was a foolish move; after havingheard what I had, a little more or less was quite immaterial. ButI entirely forgot my danger, in the sting of what Madge had said, and my one thought was to stand face to face with her long enoughto--I'm sure I don't know what I intended to say. 

Just as I reached the plank, however, I heard Lord Ralles ask, --

"Who's that?"

"It's me, " said a voice, --"the station agent. " Then I heard adoor close. Some one walked out to the centre of the platform andremarked, --

"That 'ere way freight is late. "

At least the letters were recovered. 

CHAPTER XV

THE SURRENDER OF THE LETTERS

If the letters were safe, that was a good deal more than Iwas. The moment the station-master had made his agreed-uponannouncement, he said to the walkers, --

"Had any news of Mr. Gordon?"

"No, " replied Lord Ralles. "And, as the lights keep moving in thetown, they must still be hunting for him. "

"I reckon they'll do considerable more huntin' before they findhim up there, " chuckled the man, with a self-important manner. "He's hidden away under this ere platform. "

"Not right here?" I heard Madge cry, but I had too much to do totake in what followed. I was lying close to the loose plank, andeven before the station-master had completed his sentence I wassquirming through the crack. As I freed my legs I heard twoshots, which I knew was the signal given by the cowboys, followedby a shriek of fright from Madge, for which she was hardly to beblamed. I was on my feet in an instant and ran down the tracks atmy best speed. It wasn't with much hope of escape, for once outfrom under the planking I found, what I had not before realized, that day was dawning, and already outlines at a distance could beseen. However, I was bound to do my best, and I did it. 

Before I had run a hundred feet I could hear pursuers, and amoment later a revolver cracked, ploughing up the dust in frontof me. Another bullet followed, and, seeing that affairs weregetting desperate, I dodged round the end of some cars, only toplump into a man running at full speed. The collision was sounexpected that we both fell, and before I could get on my feetone of my pursuers plumped down on top of me and I felt somethingcold on the back of my neck. 

"Lie still, yer sneakin' coyote of a road agent, " said the man, "or I'll blow yer so full of lead that yer couldn't float in SaltLake. "

I preferred to take his advice, and lay quiet while the cowboysgathered. From all directions I heard them coming, calling toeach other that "the skunk that shot the woman is corralled, " andother forms of the same information. In a moment I was jerked tomy feet, only to be swept off them with equal celerity, and washalf carried, half dragged, along the tracks. It wasn't as roughhandling as I have taken on the football-field, but I didn'tenjoy it. 

In a space of time that seemed only seconds, I was close to atelegraph-pole; but, brief as the moment had been, a fellow witha lariat tied round his waist was half-way up the post. I knewthe mob had been told that I had killed a woman in the hold-up, for the cowboy, bad as he is, has his own standards, beyond whichhe won't go. But I might as well have tried to tell my innocenceto the moon as to get them to listen to denials, even if I couldhave made my voice heard. 

The lariat was dropped over the crosspiece, and as a man adjustedthe noose a sudden silence fell. I thought it was a little senseof what they were doing, but it was merely due to the command ofBaldwin, who, with Camp, stood just outside the mob. 

"Let me say a word before you pull, " he called, and then to me hesaid, "Now will you give up the property?"

I was pretty pale and shaky, but I come of stiffish stock, and Iwouldn't have backed down then, it seemed to me, if they had beengoing to boil me alive. I suppose it sounds foolish, and if I hadhad plenty of time I have no doubt my common-sense would havemade me crawl. Not having time, I was on the point of saying"No, " when the door of 218, which lay about two hundred yardsaway, flew open, and out came Mr. Cullen, Fred, Albert, LordRalles, and Captain Ackland, all with rifles. Of course it wasperfect desperation for the five to tackle the cowboys, but theywere game to do it, all the same. 

How it would have ended I don't know, but as they sprang off thecar platform Miss Cullen came out on it, and stood there, onehand holding on to the door-way, as if she needed support, andthe other covering her heart. It was too far for me to see herface, but the whole attitude expressed such suffering that it wasterrible to see. What was more, her position put her in range ofevery shot the cowboys might fire at the five as they charged. IfI could have stopped them I would have done so, but, since thatwas impossible, I cried, --

"Mr. Camp, I'll surrender the letters. "

"Hold on, boys, " shouted Baldwin; "wait till we get the propertyhe stole. " And, coming through the crowd, he threw the noose offmy neck. 

"Don't shoot, Mr. Cullen, " I yelled, as my friends halted andraised their rifles, and, fortunately, the cowboys had opened upenough to let them hear me and see that I was free of the rope. 

Escorted by Camp, Baldwin, and the cowboys, I walked towardsthem. On the way Baldwin said, in a low voice, "Deliver theletters, and we'll tell the boys there has been a mistake. Otherwise--"

When we came up to the five, I called to them that I had agreedto surrender the letters. While I was saying it, Miss Cullenjoined them, and it was curious to see how respectfully thecowboys took off their hats and fell back. 

"You are quite right, " Mr. Cullen called. "Give them the lettersat once. "

"Oh, do, Mr. Gordon, " said Madge, still white and breathless withemotion. "The money is nothing. Don't think--" It was all shecould say. 

I felt pretty small, but with Camp and Baldwin, now reinforced byJudge Wilson, I went to the station, ordered the agent to openthe safe, took out the three letters, and handed them to Mr. Camp, realizing how poor Madge must have felt on Hance's trail. It was a pretty big take down to my pride I tell you, and madeall the worse by the way the three gloated over the letters andover our defeat. 

"We've taught you a lesson, young man, " sneered Camp, as afteropening the envelopes, to assure himself that the proxies wereall right, he tucked them into his pocket. "And we'll teach youanother one after to-day's election. "

Just as he concluded, we heard outside the first note of a bugle, and as it sounded "By fours, column left, " my heart gave a bigjump, and the blood came rushing to my face. Camp, Baldwin, andWilson broke for the door, but I got there first, and preventedtheir escape. They tried to force their way through, but I hadn'tblocked and interfered at football for nothing, and they might aswell have tried to break through the Sierras. Discovering this, Camp whipped out his gun, and told me to let them out. Being usedto the West, I recognized the goodness of the argument andstepped out on the platform, giving them free passage. But thetwenty seconds I had delayed them had cooked their goose, foroutside was a squadron of cavalry swinging a circle round thestation; and we had barely reached the platform when the buglesounded "Halt, " quickly followed by "Forward left. " As the rankswheeled, and closed up as a solid line about us, I could havecheered with delight. There was a moment's dramatic hush, inwhich we could all hear the breathing of the winded horses, andthen came the clatter of sword and spurs, as an officer sprangfrom his saddle. 

"I want Richard Gordon, " the officer called. 

I responded, "At your service, and badly in need of yours, Captain Singer. "

"Hope the delay hasn't spoilt things, " said the captain. "We hada cursed fool of a guide, who took the wrong trail and ran usinto Limestone Cañon, where we had to camp for the night. "

I explained the situation as quickly as I could, and thecaptain's eyes gleamed. "I'd have given a bad quarter to have gothere ten minutes sooner and ridden my men over those scoundrels, "he muttered. "I saw them scatter as we rode up, and if I'd knownwhat they'd been doing we'd have given them a volley. " Then hewalked over to Mr. Camp and said, "Give me those letters. "

"I hold those letters by virtue of an order--" Camp began. 

"Give me those letters, " the captain interrupted. 

"Do you intend a high-handed interference with the civilauthorities?" Judge Wilson demanded. 

"Come, come, " said the captain, sternly. "You have taken forciblepossession of United States property. Any talk about civilauthorities is rubbish, and you know it. "

"I will never--" cried Mr. Camp. 

"Corporal Jackson, dismount a guard of six men, " rang thecaptain's voice, interrupting him. 

Evidently something in the voice or order convinced Mr. Camp, forthe letters were hastily produced and given to Singer, who atonce handed them to me. I turned with them to the Cullens, and, laughing, quoted, "'All's well that ends well. '"

But they didn't seem to care a bit about the recovery of theletters, and only wanted to have a hand-shake all round over myescape. Even Lord Ralles said, "Glad we could be of a littleservice, " and didn't refuse my thanks, though the deuce knowsthey were badly enough expressed, in my consciousness that I haddone an ungentlemanly trick over those trousers of his, and thathe had been above remembering it when I was in real danger. I'mashamed enough to confess that when Miss Cullen held out her handI made believe not to see it. I'm a bad hand at pretending, and Isaw Madge color up at my act. 

The captain finally called me off to consult about ourproceedings. I felt no very strong love for Camp, Baldwin, orWilson, but I didn't see that a military arrest would accomplishanything, and after a little discussion it was decided to letthem alone, as we could well afford to do, having won. 

This matter decided, I said to the captain, "I'll be obliged ifyou'll put a guard round my car. And then, if you and yourofficers will come inside it, I have a--something in a bottle, recommended for removing alkali dust from the tonsils. "

"Very happy to test your prescription, " responded Singer, genially. 

I started to go with him, but I couldn't resist turning to Mr. Camp and his friends and saying, --

"Gentlemen, the G. S. Is a big affair, but it isn't quite bigenough to fight the U. S. "

CHAPTER XVI

A GLOOMY GOOD-BY

At that point my importance ceased. Apparently seeing that thegame was up, Mr. Camp later in the morning asked Mr. Cullen togive him an interview, and when he was allowed to pass the sentryhe came to the steps and suggested, --

"Perhaps we can arrange a compromise between the Missouri Westernand the Great Southern?"

"We can try, " Mr. Cullen assented. "Come into my car. " He madeway for Mr. Camp, and was about to follow him, when Madge tookhold of her father's arm, and, making him stoop, whisperedsomething to him. 

"What kind of a place?" asked Mr. Cullen, laughing. 

"A good one, " his daughter replied. 

I thought I understood what was meant. She didn't want to restunder an obligation, and so I was to be paid up for what I haddone by promotion. It made me grit my teeth, and if I hadn'ttaught myself not to swear, because of my position, I could havegiven Sheriff Gunton points on cursing. I wanted to speak upright there and tell Miss Cullen what I thought of her. 

Of the interview which took place inside 218, I can speak only atsecond-hand, and the world knows about as well as I how thecontest was compromised by the K. & A. Being turned over to theMissouri Western, the territory in Southern California beingdivided between the California Central and the Great Southern, and a traffic arrangement agreed upon that satisfied the G. S. That afternoon a Missouri Western board for the K. & A. Waselected without opposition, and they in turn elected Mr. Cullenpresident of the K. & A. ; so when my report of the holding-upwent in, he had the pleasure of reading it. I closed it with arequest for instructions, but I never received any, and thatended the matter. I turned over the letters to the special agentat Flagstaff, and I suppose his report is slumbering in somepigeon-hole in Washington, for I should have known of any attemptto bring the culprits to punishment. Mr. Cullen had taken a bigrisk, but came out of it with a great lot of money, for theMissouri Western bought all his holdings in the K. & A. And C. C. But the scare must have taught him a lesson, for ever since thenhe's been conservative, and talks about the foolishness ofinvestors who try to get more than five per cent, or who think ofanything but good railroad bonds. 

As for myself, a month after these occurrences I was appointedsuperintendent of the Missouri Western, which by this deal hadbecome one of the largest railroad systems in the world. It was abig step up for so young a man, and was of course pure favoritism, due to Mr. Cullen's influence. I didn't stay in the position long, for within two years I was offered the presidency of the Chicago& St. Paul, and I think that was won on merit. Whether or not, Ihold the position still, and have made my road earn and paydividends right through the panic. 

All this is getting away ahead of events, however. The electiondelayed us so that we couldn't couple on to No. 4 that afternoon, and consequently we had to lie that night at Ash Forks. I madethe officers my excuse for keeping away from the Cullens, as Iwished to avoid Madge. I did my best to be good company to thebluecoats, and had a first-class dinner for them on my car, but Iwas in a pretty glum mood, which even champagne couldn't modify. Though all necessity of a guard ceased with the compromise, thecavalry remained till the next morning, and, after giving them agood breakfast, about six o'clock we shook hands, the buglesounded, and off they rode. For the first time I understood how afellow disappointed in love comes to enlist. 

When I turned about to go into my car, I found Madge standing onthe platform of 218 waving a handkerchief. I paid no attention toher, and started up my steps. 

"Mr. Gordon, " she said, --and when I looked at her I saw that shewas flushing, --"what is the matter?"

I suppose most fellows would have found some excuse, but for thelife of me I couldn't. All I was able to say was, --

"I would rather not say, Miss Cullen. "

"How unfair you are!" she cried. "You--without the slightestreason you suddenly go out of your way to ill-treat--insult me, and yet will not tell me the cause. "

That made me angry. "Cause?" I cried. "As if you didn't know of acause! What you don't know is that I overheard your conversationwith Lord Ralles night before last. "

"My conversation with Lord Ralles?" exclaimed Madge, in abewildered way. 

"Yes, " I said bitterly, "keep up the acting. The practice isgood, even if it deceives no one. "

"I don't understand a word you are saying, " she retorted, gettingangry in turn. "You speak as if I had done wrong, --as if--I don'tknow what; and I have a right to know to what you allude. "

"I don't see how I can be any clearer, " I muttered. "I was underthe station platform, hiding from the cowboys, while you and LordRalles were walking. I didn't want to be a listener, but I hearda good deal of what you said. "

"But I didn't walk with Lord Ralles, " she cried. "The only personI walked with was Captain Ackland. "

That took me very much aback, for I had never questioned in mymind that it wasn't Lord Ralles. Yet the moment she spoke, Irealized how much alike the two brothers' voices were, and howeasily the blurring of distance and planking might have misledme. For a moment I was speechless. Then I replied coldly, --

"It makes no difference with whom you were. What you said was theessential part. "

"But how could you for an instant suppose that I could say what Idid to Lord Ralles?" she demanded. 

"I naturally thought he would be the one to whom you would appealconcerning my 'insulting' conduct. "

Madge looked at me for a moment as if transfixed. Then shelaughed, and cried, --

"Oh, you idiot!"

While I still looked at her in equal amazement, she went on, "Ibeg your pardon, but you are so ridiculous that I had to say it. Why, I wasn't talking about you, but about Lord Ralles. "

"Lord Ralles!" I cried. 

"Yes. "

"I don't understand, " I exclaimed. 

"Why, Lord Ralles has been--has been--oh, he's threatened that ifI wouldn't--that--"

"You mean he--?" I began, and then stopped, for I couldn'tbelieve my ears. 

"Oh, " she burst out, "of course you couldn't understand, and youprobably despise me already, but if you knew how I scorn myself, Mr. Gordon, and what I have endured from that man, you would onlypity me. "

Light broke on me suddenly. "Do you mean, Miss Cullen, " I criedhotly, "that he's been cad enough to force his attentions uponyou by threats?"

"Yes. First he made me endure him because he was going to helpus, and from the moment the robbery was done, he has beenthreatening to tell. Oh, how I have suffered!"

Then I said a very silly thing. "Miss Cullen, " I groaned, "I'dgive anything if I were only your brother. " For the moment Ireally meant it. 

"I haven't dared to tell any of them, " she explained, "because Iknew they would resent it and make Lord Ralles angry, and then hewould tell, and so ruin papa. It seemed such a little thing tobear for his sake, but, oh, it's been--I suppose you despiseme!"

"I never dreamed of despising you, " I said. "I only thought, ofcourse--seeing what I did--and--that you were fond--No--thatis--I mean--well--The beast!" I couldn't help exclaiming. 

"Oh, " said Madge, blushing, and stammering breathlessly, "youmustn't think--there was really--you happened to--usually Imanaged to keep with papa or my brothers, or else run away, as Idid when he interrupted my letter-writing, --when you thought wehad--but it was nothing of the--I kept away just--but the nightof the robbery I forgot, and on the trail his mule blocked thepath. He never--there really wasn't--you saved me the only timeshe--he--that he was really rude; and I am so grateful for it, Mr. Gordon. "

I wasn't in a mood to enjoy even Miss Cullen's gratitude. Withoutstopping for words, I dashed into 218, and, going straight toAlbert Cullen, I shook him out of a sound sleep, and before hecould well understand me I was alternately swearing at him andraging at Lord Ralles. Finally he got the truth through his head, and it was nuts to me, even in my rage, to see how his Englishdrawl disappeared, and how quick he could be when he reallybecame excited. 

I left him hurrying into his clothes, and went to my car, for Ididn't dare to see the exodus of Lord Ralles, through fear that Icouldn't behave myself. Albert came into 97 in a few moments tosay that the Englishmen were going to the hotel as soon asdressed, the captain having elected to stay by his brother. 

"I wouldn't have believed it of Ralles. I feel jolly cut up, youknow, " he drawled. 

I had been so enraged over Lord Ralles that I hadn't stopped toreckon in what position I stood myself towards Miss Cullen, but Ididn't have to do much thinking to know that I had behaved aboutas badly as was possible for me. And the worst of it was that shecould not know that right through the whole I had never quitebeen able to think badly of her. I went out on the platform ofthe station, and was lucky enough to find her there alone. 

"Miss Cullen, " I said, "I've been ungentlemanly and suspicious, andI'm about as ashamed of myself as a man can be and not jump intothe Grand Cañon. I've not come to you to ask your forgiveness, forI can't forgive myself, much less expect it of you. But I want youto know how I feel, and if there's any reparation, apology, anything, that you'd like, I'll--"

Madge interrupted my speech there by holding out her hand. 

"You don't suppose, " she said, "that, after all you have done forus, I could be angry over what was merely a mistake?"

That's what I call a trump of a girl, worth loving for alifetime. 

Well, we coupled on to No. 2 that morning and started East, thistime Mr. Cullen's car being the "ender. " All on 218 were wildlyjubilant, as was natural, but I kept growing bluer and bluer. Itook a farewell dinner on their car the night we were due inAlbuquerque, and afterwards Miss Cullen and I went out and sat onthe back platform. 

"I've had enough adventures to talk about for a year, " Madgesaid, as we chatted the whole thing over, "and you can no longerbrag that the K. & A. Has never had a robbery, even if you didn'tlose anything. "

"I have lost something, " I sighed sadly. 

Madge looked at me quickly, started to speak, hesitated, and thensaid, "Oh, Mr. Gordon, if you only could know how badly I havefelt about that, and how I appreciate the sacrifice. "

I had only meant that I had lost my heart, and, for that matter, probably my head, for it would have been ungenerous even to hintto Miss Cullen that I had made any sacrifice of conscience forher sake, and I would as soon have asked her to pay for it inmoney as have told her. 

"You mustn't think--" I began. 

"I have felt, " she continued, "that your wish to serve us madeyou do something you never would have otherwise done, for--Well, you--any one can see how truthful and honest--and it has made mefeel so badly that we--Oh, Mr. Gordon, no one has a right to dowrong in this world, for it brings such sadness and danger toinnocent--And you have been so generous--"

I couldn't let this go on. "What I did, " I told her, "was tofight fire with fire, and no one is responsible for it butmyself. "

"I should like to think that, but I can't, " she said. "I know weall tried to do something dishonest, and while you didn't do anyreal wrong, yet I don't think you would have acted as you didexcept for our sake. And I'm afraid you may some day regret--"

"I sha'n't, " I cried; "and, so far from meaning that I had lostmy self-respect, I was alluding to quite another thing. "

"Time?" she asked. 

"No. "

"What?"

"Something else you have stolen. "

"I haven't, " she denied. 

"You have, " I affirmed. 

"You mean the novel?" she asked; "because I sent it in to 97to-night. "

"I don't mean the novel. "

"I can't think of anything more but those pieces of petrifiedwood, and those you gave me, " she said demurely. "I am sure thatwhatever else I have of yours you have given me without even myasking, and if you want it back you've only got to say so. "

"I suppose that would be my very best course, " I groaned. 

"I hate people who force a present on one, " she continued, "andthen, just as one begins to like it, want it back. "

Before I could speak, she asked hurriedly, "How often do you cometo Chicago?"

I took that to be a sort of command that I was to wait, andthough longing to have it settled then and there, I braked myselfup and answered her question. Now I see what a duffer Iwas--Madge told me afterwards that she asked only because shewas so frightened and confused that she felt she must stop myspeaking for a moment. 

I did my best till I heard the whistle the locomotive gives as itruns into yard limits, and then rose. "Good-by, Miss Cullen, " Isaid, properly enough, though no death-bed farewell was ever moregloomily spoken; and she responded, "Good-by, Mr. Gordon, " withequal propriety. 

I held her hand, hating to let her go, and the first thing Iknew, I blurted out, "I wish I had the brass of Lord Ralles!"

"I don't, " she laughed, "because, if you had, I shouldn't bewilling to let you--"

And what she was going to say, and why she didn't say it, isthe concern of no one but Mr. And Mrs. Richard Gordon. 

THE END

 Transcriber's Note:

 The discrepancies of four or seven "years of Western life" on Pages 7, 15 and 26 have been retained as in the original. 

 The oe ligature in the Latin-1 and text versions of this book have been changed to "oe". 

 Page 49. Changed "good-bye" to "good-by" twice. (. . . The rest of the party were there, and I bade good-by to the captain and Albert. ); ("I hope it isn't good-by, but only au revoir, " . . . )

 Page 59. Changed "coconino" to "Coconino". (. . . And, as all the rest of the ride was through Coconino forest, . . . )

 Page 104. Corrected American Morse Code (a. K. A. Railroad Morse Code) to accurately reflect transmitted message. 

 Page 105. Changed "rail road" to "railroad". ("Sheriff yavapai county ash forks arizona be at railroad station . . . ")

 Page 140. Changed "doorway" to "door-way". (. . . Pulled through the door-way of my car by the cowboys . . . )

 Page 145. Changed "her" to "Her". (. . . Her Majesty's . . . )

 Page 181. Changed "Discoving" to "Discovering". (Discovering this, Camp whipped out his gun, and told me to let them out. )

 Page 187. Changed "sheriff" to "Sheriff". (. . . I could have given Sheriff Gunton points on cursing. )