"Did ye send my message, Stranger? Did they say he war there?"

The operator flung him a churlish glance and a short answer. "Thet
office was busy," he said. "They didn't hev no time ter take your talk
jest now." Then with exaggerated carelessness he turned to one of the
other loungers. "Joe, ef ye'll come inter ther baggage room, I'll see
ef thet express parcel o' yourn's in thar. I think hit came afore ther
high-water."

"I reckon," murmured Halloway disappointedly, "I'll hev ter wait a
spell an' see kin I git my man later on," and making that observation
he settled into his chair with a seeming of permanent intent.

Meanwhile, in the privacy of the baggage room, the station-agent was
whispering excitedly to his companion. The man in his chair beyond the
door could of course hear no word of that hurried conference, but after
all he had no need to do so. He had read its essence at first hand
from the wire and it had run about like this:

"She driv two of our fellows back with a pistol when they sought to
follow her, but she left her mule and turned into the timber five miles
this side of Coal City."

Halloway had congratulated himself that to this extent at least
Alexander had succeeded, but his pleasure had been short-lived for the
operator here at Viper had flashed back the interrogation, "What then,"
and the other--who Halloway figured must be cutting in from Wolf-Pen
Gap--rapped out the disquieting reply:

"They're combin' ther timber fer her. Have your boys there head her
off at the mouth of Chimney-pot Fork in case she circles round the Gap."

A detail which might prove important struck Halloway as he listened.
He had recognized the sending from the other end as a man may recognize
a speaking voice.

It had been years since he had himself operated a key; but like many
adept telegraphers he could distinguish not only the dots and dashes of
the code, but also the individual peculiarities of their rapping out.
Now he would have been willing to take oath that the hand which had
sent this news was the same quick, sure hand that he had watched at
work yesterday.

That would indicate that Wicks had either deserted his post at Coal
City, or left it in charge of a relief man, and that he had come to
Wolf-Pen to operate a disused key nearer the scene of action.

Through the open door of the telegraph office Halloway, now burning
with impatience, could see Jerry O'Keefe strolling aimlessly along the
sid