"Yes, they will," Brockway a.s.serted, cheerfully; "Burton will take care of them--that"s what he"s here for. Moreover, I shall take it upon myself to abolish the perversities, animate or inanimate."
"Please do. And if Mrs. Burton scold me----"
"She"d better not," said Brockway, with much severity. "If she does, I"ll tell tales out of school and give her something else to think about."
"Could you?"
"You would better believe it; she is trembling in her shoes this blessed minute for fear I may. But you would have to stand by me."
"I? Well, I"ve promised, you know. What place is this?"
The train had entered the great gateway in Table Mountain, and was clattering past the Golden smelting works.
"It is Golden--you remember, don"t you?" And then Brockway bethought him of something. "Will you excuse me a minute, while I get off and speak to the agent?"
"Certainly," said Gertrude; and when the train skirted the high platform, Brockway sprang off and ran quickly to the telegraph office.
The operator was just coming out with a freshly written message in his hand.
"h.e.l.lo, Fred," he said; "didn"t know you were on. Do you happen to know a Miss Gertrude Vennor? She"s with John Burton"s party."
"Yes," said Brockway, tingling to get hold of the message before Burton should come along.
"All right; give her this, will you? I can"t leave that blessed wire a minute."
Brockway thrust the telegram into his pocket, dodged around the throng of station loungers, and won back to the rear platform of the observation-car without seeing or being seen of the general agent. Then he drew the crumpled paper from his pocket and read it shamelessly.
"TO MISS GERTRUDE VENNOR, "Care John Burton, "On Colorado Central Train 51.
"Come back from Golden on first train. Have changed our plans, and shall leave Denver at 1.30 P.M.
"FRANCIS VENNOR."
XVIII
FLAGGED DOWN
Brockway read the President"s telegram twice, folded it very small, and tucked it into his waistcoat pocket.
"That"s just about what I expected he"d do, and it"s a straight bluff,"
he muttered. "All the same, she"s not going back. And I"ve got to block it without getting Burton into trouble."
There was no time for anything but the simplest expedient. He jumped off again and ran back to the telegraph office.
"Say, Jim, that message to Miss Vennor is bulled. Ask Denver to repeat it to Beaver Brook, will you?" he said, interrupting the operator as he was repeating the train order.
The man of dots and dashes finished the order. "Can"t do it, Fred; get me into hot water up to my neck. Think of something else."
"Will you help me if I do?"
"Sure; any way that won"t cost me my job."
The conductor and engineer had signed the order, but Brockway begged for a respite. "Just a minute, Halsey, while I write a message," he said, s.n.a.t.c.hing a pad of blanks and writing hastily, while the conductor waited.
"TO FRANCIS VENNOR, "Private Car 050, Denver.
"Can"t you reconsider and leave Denver to-morrow morning, as previously arranged? Am quite sure Miss Vennor prefers to go on. Answer at Beaver Brook.
"FREDERICK BROCKWAY."
He tossed the pad to the operator.
"There you are, Jim; don"t break your neck to make a "rush" of it; and when you hear the answer coming do what you can to make it limp a little--anything to change the sense a bit."
"I"ll do it," quoth the operator; and then the conductor gave the signal, and Brockway boarded the train and rejoined Gertrude.
"Did you think I had deserted you?" he asked.
"Oh, no; and Mr. Burton"s been in to keep me company. He came to ask if I didn"t want to go back to Denver."
"Did he?" said Brockway, wondering if Burton had also had a message.
"And you told him no?"
"Of course I did. Haven"t we made a compact?"
"Yes, but----"
"But what?"
"You said you were going to be irresponsible, you know, and I didn"t know just where it might crop out."
"Not in that direction, you may be sure. You said we were to do as we pleased, and I don"t please to go back to Denver. But Mr. Burton seemed to be quite anxious about it, for some reason. I wonder why?"
"So do I," rejoined Brockway, innocently.
Gertrude stole a glance at him, and he tried to look inscrutable, and failed. Then they both laughed.
"You are keeping something back; tell me all about it," Gertrude commanded.
"I am afraid you will be very angry if I do."
"I shall be quite furious if you don"t. My! how close that rock was!"
The train was storming up the canyon, dodging back and forth from wall to wall, roaring over diminutive bridges, and vying with the foaming torrent at the track-side in its twistings and turnings. The noise was deafening, but it was bearable, since it served to isolate them.
"Does the compact mean that we are to have no secrets from each other?"