est of the Missouri River, he sacrificed consistency to
common-sense, halting at a little town in the Colorado mountains, again
at Pueblo, and a third time at Hastings, Nebraska only to find at each
stopping-place that the ultimate disappointment had preceded and was
waiting for him.

With his list cancelled down to two names, he resumed the eastward
flight from the Nebraska town and was again beset by the devil of
indecision. The two place-names remaining were Wahaska and a small
coal-mining town in southern Iowa. Measuring again by railroad hours, he
found that the Iowa town was the nearer; but, on the other hand, there
were good connections from Omaha to Wahaska, and a rather poor one to
the coal mines. Once more Broffin took the gambler's chance, spinning
the coin in his hat, heads for Iowa and tails for Minnesota. It came
heads; and the following day recorded the sixth in the string of
failures.

Leaving What Cheer in the caboose of a coal train, with only the train's
crew for company, and a hard bench for a bed, the man-hunter was already
thrilling to the exultant view-halloo in the chase. By the light of the
flickering caboose lamp he drew his pencil through the Iowa failure. The
one uncancelled name was now something more than a chance; it was a
certainty.

"I've got you for fair, girlie, this time!" he triumphed, and since he
did it audibly, the coal-train conductor laughed and wanted to be told
the color of her eyes and hair.

"Got 'em pretty bad, ain't you, pardner?" he commented, when Broffin,
loose-tongued in his elation, confessed that he was chasing a woman whom
he had never seen. "I know how it goes: seen a picture of one once on a
bill-board, and I'd 'a' gone plum to Californy after her if I hadn't
been too danged busy to take a lay-off."

Landing in Wahaska the next evening, Broffin's first request at the
hotel counter was for the directory. Running an eager finger down the
"F's" he came to the name. It was the only Farnham in the list, and
after it he read: "Dr. Herbert C., office 8 to 10, 2 to 4, 201 Main St.,
res. 16 Lake Boulevard."

Broffin had a traveller's appetite, and the cafe doors were invitingly
open. Yet he denied himself until the clerk, busy at the moment with
other guests, should be at liberty.

"I see there's a Doctor Farnham here," he said, when his time came. "I
was wondering if he was the man I met up with down in New Orleans last
winter."

The clerk shook his head.

"I