y news of Mr. Gordon?"

"No," replied Lord Ralles. "And, as the lights keep moving in the
town, they must still be hunting for him."

"I reckon they'll do considerable more huntin' before they find him up
there," chuckled the man, with a self-important manner. "He's hidden
away under this ere platform."

"Not right here?" I heard Madge cry, but I had too much to do to take
in what followed. I was lying close to the loose plank, and even
before the station-master had completed his sentence I was squirming
through the crack. As I freed my legs I heard two shots, which I knew
was the signal given by the cowboys, followed by a shriek of fright
from Madge, for which she was hardly to be blamed. I was on my feet in
an instant and ran down the tracks at my best speed. It wasn't with
much hope of escape, for once out from under the planking I found,
what I had not before realized, that day was dawning, and already
outlines at a distance could be seen. However, I was bound to do my
best, and I did it.

Before I had run a hundred feet I could hear pursuers, and a moment
later a revolver cracked, ploughing up the dust in front of me.
Another bullet followed, and, seeing that affairs were getting
desperate, I dodged round the end of some cars, only to plump into a
man running at full speed. The collision was so unexpected that we
both fell, and before I could get on my feet one of my pursuers
plumped down on top of me and I felt something cold on the back of my
neck.

"Lie still, yer sneakin' coyote of a road agent," said the man, "or
I'll blow yer so full of lead that yer couldn't float in Salt Lake."

I preferred to take his advice, and lay quiet while the cowboys
gathered. From all directions I heard them coming, calling to each
other that "the skunk that shot the woman is corralled," and other
forms of the same information. In a moment I was jerked to my feet,
only to be swept off them with equal celerity, and was half carried,
half dragged, along the tracks. It wasn't as rough handling as I have
taken on the foot-ball-field, but I didn't enjoy it.

In a space of time that seemed only seconds, I was close to a
telegraph-pole; but, brief as the moment had been, a fellow with a
lariat tied round his waist was half-way up the post. I knew the
mob had been told that I had killed a woman in the hold-up, for the
cowboy, bad as he is, has his own standards, beyond which he won't go.
But I might as well have tried to tell my i