chance to be
very nice to him."

Ford laughed. The evening had healed many of the woundings of the day.

"If you don't get the chance it won't be Dick's fault--or mine.
Meantime, I'll be delighted to pose as his substitute."

She had gone with him to the door, and his last word was a reminder.
"Don't forget," he said. "I'm to drive your buckboard to-morrow,
whatever happens."

"You are the one who will forget," she retorted. "When Uncle Sidney
crooks his finger at you, you'll climb up obediently beside him and let
him scold you all the way over to Copah."

"Wait and see," said Ford; and then he said good night, not as he wanted
to, but as he must, with Aunt Hester sitting within arm's reach.

Frisbie was sitting up for him when he reached the white tents of the
engineers' camp pitched a little apart from the MacMorrogh
conglomeration of shacks and storehouses.

"Just one question," said the first assistant, "and I've been staying
awake to ask it. Are you still my boss?"

"For one more day," said Ford shortly.

"Well, we can't live more than a day at a time, if we try. That will do
to sleep on."

"All right; sleep on it, then."

"In a minute; after I've freed my mind of one little news item. Do you
remember that fellow we saw riding in on the Jack's Canyon trail as we
were coming back this afternoon?"

"Yes."

"Have you any notion who it was?"

"No."

"It was Mr. Julius Eckstein; and he is at present lying doggo in the
MacMorrogh quarters. That's all. Now you can turn in and sleep a few
lines on _that_."

XXI

THE MILLS OF THE GODS

It was merely by chance that Adair had Michael Gallagher for his
engineer when the "01" was made up for the after-midnight run from
Saint's Rest to the MacMorrogh headquarters. But it was a chance which
was duly gratifying to Leckhard. The little Irishman was Ford's most
loyal liegeman, and a word was all that was needed to put him on his
mettle. The word was spoken while he was oiling around for the
man-killing extra service.

"Pretty well knocked out, Michael?" asked Leckhard, by way of preface.

"I am thot, Misther Leckhard. 'Tis the good half of lasht night, all day
yestherday, and thin some."

"It's tough. But if any of the other men were in, I should still ask you
to go. Mr. Ford is in a pinch, and Mr. Adair, your passenger, is going
to help him out. He can do it if you get him to Horse Creek in time; and
I know you'll get him there if the 956 and