For several days this procedure was repeated with variations, until the dreadful threat of arrest put an end to it.  Allan had conceived a wholesome respect for Spiggoty police, and for a few days thereafter Kirk was rid of him.  Then one morning he reappeared as usual in one of the forward coaches.

“How the deuce did you make it?” asked Anthony.

Allan proudly, triumphantly, displayed a ticket, exclaiming: 

“It is of no h’avail to prevent me, boss!”

“That ticket is good only to Corozal, the first station.  You’ll have to get off there.”  But when Corozal had been passed he found Allan still comfortably ensconced in his seat.

“Now, boss, we shall have fine visits to-day,” the negro predicted, warmly, and Kirk did not have the heart to eject him.

At the other end of the line Allan repeated the process, and thereafter worked diligently to amass sufficient money to buy tickets from Panama to Corozal and from Colon to Mt.  Hope, relying with splendid faith upon his friend to protect him once he penetrated past the lynx-eyed gateman.

Runnels accepted Kirk’s explanation, and so far exceeded his authority as to make no objection.  Allan, therefore, managed to spend about half his time in company with the object of his adoration.

Although the Master of Transportation never referred to his conversation with Kirk on the occasion of their trip through Culebra Cut, he watched his new subordinate carefully and he felt his instinctive liking for him increase.  The young fellow was in earnest, he decided, in his effort to succeed on his own merits, and had not been posing when he offered to start at the bottom.  It gave Runnels pleasure to see how he attended to his work, once he had settled down to it.

Accordingly, it afforded him an unpleasant surprise when he received a printed letter from a St. Louis detective agency relative to one Frank Wellar, alias Jefferson Locke (last seen in New York City November 25th), and offering a substantial reward for information leading to his arrest.  The communication reached Runnels through the usual channel, copies having been distributed to the heads of various departments.  It was the description that caught his attention: 

“White; age, twenty-eight years; occupation, clerk; eyes, bluish gray; hair, light, shading upon yellow; complexion, fair; height, six feet; weight, one hundred ninety pounds.  No prominent scars or marks, so far as known, but very particular as to personal appearance, and considered a good athlete, having been captain of U. of K. football team.”

There was but one man in Runnels’ department whose appearance tallied with all this, and it gave the Master of Transportation a start to note how very complete was the identification.  Nevertheless, he held the letter on his desk, and did nothing for a time except to question his new collector upon the first occasion.  The result was not at all reassuring.  A few days later, chancing to encounter John Weeks, on his way across the Isthmus, he recalled Kirk’s mention of his first experience at Colon.  By way of an experiment he led on the consul to speak of his former guest.