"She must have been insane," a.s.serted Bart. "She attacked my friend here, and then tried to jump off. He could not hold her. I did not get hold of her in time."
"What was he doing out here?"
"Watching her. You will admit it was rather queer for a woman to come out here on the platform and stand. He thought so, and so he came out to watch her."
"Well, you can both come in off this platform!" growled the trainman, in anything but a civil manner.
They did so. The pa.s.sengers swarmed round them when they entered the car, literally flinging questions at them.
"Who was the woman?"
"What ailed her?"
"Why did she go out there?"
"What did she do?"
"Tell us about it!"
Again Bart made the explanation, and then there arose a babel.
"I noticed her," declared one. "I saw she looked queer."
"I noticed her," a.s.serted another. "I saw she acted queer."
"I saw her when she went out," put in a third, "and I thought it was a crazy thing to do."
"Without doubt the woman was insane," declared a pompous fat man.
"She must have been instantly killed."
"She jumped into the river."
"Then, she was drowned."
"Who knows her?"
"She was all alone."
Frank had been thinking swiftly all the while. He regretted that Bart had been so hasty in making his explanation, and now he resolved to tell as near the truth as possible without contradicting Hodge.
"Gentlemen and ladies," he said, "I have every reason for believing that the person was a man."
Then there were cries of astonishment and incredulity.
"A man?"
"Impossible!"
"Never!"
"Ridiculous!"
But an elderly lady, who wore gold-bowed spectacles, calmly said:
"The young gentleman is correct, I am quite sure. The person in question sat directly in front of me, and I discovered there was something wrong.
I felt almost certain it was a man before he got up and went out on the platform."
Then there was excitement in the car. A perfect torrent of questions was poured on Frank.
Merry explained that he had thought it rather remarkable that a woman should be standing all alone on the rear platform, and, after going out and speaking to the person, he became convinced that it was a man in disguise. Then he told how the man, on being accused, had attacked him furiously, and finally had seemed to fling himself over the iron gate.
It was a great sensation, but no one accused either Merry or Bart of throwing the unknown over, not a little to Frank"s relief.
At last, they got away and went forward into the car where the company was gathered. Havener and Gallup had been holding the double seat, and Frank and Bart sat down there.
"Well, I fancy you failed to find the lady you were looking for," said Havener. "But what"s the matter? You look as if something has happened."
"Something has," said Frank, grimly.
"Gol-darned ef I don"t b"lieve it!" exclaimed Ephraim. "Both yeou an"
Hodge show it. Tell us abaout it."
Frank did so in a very few words, astonishing both Ephraim and the stage manager.
"Waal," said the Vermonter, "the gal who tackled yeou in Denver warn"t no man."
"Not much," said Frank, "and it is remarkable that Hodge should have mistaken a man for such a woman as I described."
"Didn"t," said Bart.
"But you have acknowledged that you believed this was a man."
"Yes, but this man was not the veiled woman I saw."
"Wasn"t?"
"Not much!"
"By Jove!" exclaimed Frank. "The mystery deepens!"
"Did you mistake this person for the veiled woman I meant?"
"Sure thing."
"And did not find another?"
"Not a sign of one. I do not believe there is another on the train."