“You are the one who will forget,” she retorted.  “When Uncle Sidney crooks his finger at you, you’ll climb up obediently beside him and let him scold you all the way over to Copah.”

“Wait and see,” said Ford; and then he said good night, not as he wanted to, but as he must, with Aunt Hester sitting within arm’s reach.

Frisbie was sitting up for him when he reached the white tents of the engineers’ camp pitched a little apart from the MacMorrogh conglomeration of shacks and storehouses.

“Just one question,” said the first assistant, “and I’ve been staying awake to ask it.  Are you still my boss?”

“For one more day,” said Ford shortly.

“Well, we can’t live more than a day at a time, if we try.  That will do to sleep on.”

“All right; sleep on it, then.”

“In a minute; after I’ve freed my mind of one little news item.  Do you remember that fellow we saw riding in on the Jack’s Canyon trail as we were coming back this afternoon?”

“Yes.”

“Have you any notion who it was?”

“No.”

“It was Mr. Julius Eckstein; and he is at present lying doggo in the MacMorrogh quarters.  That’s all.  Now you can turn in and sleep a few lines on that.”

XXI

THE MILLS OF THE GODS

It was merely by chance that Adair had Michael Gallagher for his engineer when the “01” was made up for the after-midnight run from Saint’s Rest to the MacMorrogh headquarters.  But it was a chance which was duly gratifying to Leckhard.  The little Irishman was Ford’s most loyal liegeman, and a word was all that was needed to put him on his mettle.  The word was spoken while he was oiling around for the man-killing extra service.

“Pretty well knocked out, Michael?” asked Leckhard, by way of preface.

“I am thot, Misther Leckhard.  ’Tis the good half of lasht night, all day yestherday, and thin some.”

“It’s tough.  But if any of the other men were in, I should still ask you to go.  Mr. Ford is in a pinch, and Mr. Adair, your passenger, is going to help him out.  He can do it if you get him to Horse Creek in time; and I know you’ll get him there if the 956 and the ‘01’ will stay on the steel.”

“To help Misther Foord out?  Thot’s me,” said Gallagher simply.

“Not having a wire, I can’t boost you any from this end.  You’ll meet Folsom and Graham with the other two sections of empties where you can:  you’ll run as fast as the Lord’ll let you on such a track as you have:  but above all, you’ll stay on the rails.  If you ditch yourself, it’ll go hard with Mr. Ford.”

“I’ll do all thim things and wan more—­and thot wan is the shtiffest av thim all:  the saints aidin’ me, Misther Leckhard, I’ll shtay awake.”

There was a short siding at the summit of the pass, and by good hap, Gallagher met Folsom with the first string of empties at that point:  or rather, giving the bit of good luck full credit, he heard the roaring of Folsom’s exhaust as the first of the opposing trains pounded up the dangerous western grade, and hastily backed up and took the summit siding.