"How far now to Medicine?" she smiled.

"We are about half-way. From here to Point of Rocks we follow an

Indian trail."

The car was no longer warm. The darkness, too, made Gertrude restless

and they searched the storage closets vainly for candles. When they

sat down again they could hear the panting of the engine. The exhaust

had the thinness of extreme cold. They were winding on heavy grades

among the Buttes of the Castle Creek country, and when the engineer

whistled for Castle station the big chime of the engine had shrunk to a

baby's treble; it was growing very cold.

Advertisement..

As the car slowed, Glover caught an odor of heated oil, and going back

found the coddled journal smoking again, and like an honest man cursed

it heartily, then he went forward to find out what the stop was for.

He came back after some moments. Gertrude was waiting at the door for

him. "What did you learn?"

He held his lantern up to light her face and answered her question with

another.

"Do you think you could stand a ride in the engine cab?"

"Surely, if necessary. Why?"

"The engine isn't steaming overly well. When we leave this point we

get the full wind across the Sweetgrass plains. There's no fit place

at this station for you--no place, in fact--or I should strongly advise

staying here. But if you stayed in the car there's no certainty we

could heat it another hour. If we sidetrack the car here with the

conductor and flagman they can stay with the operator and you and I can

take the cab into Medicine Bend."

"Whatever you think best."

"I hate to suggest it."

"It is my fault. Shall we go now?"

"As soon as we sidetrack the car. Meantime"--he spoke

earnestly--"remember it may mean life--bundle yourself up in everything

warm you can find."

"But you?"

"I am used to it."




Most Popular