place? Overton? By Jove! I'll have
to be getting back to my car; we're only fifteen miles out. Thank you
much, old man--see you later"--and the passenger agent pushed through
the group in the wash-room and dropped off to once more make the circuit
of car Naught-fifty.

XV

YARD-LIMITS

It was while Brockway was making his second circuit of the private car
that Mrs. Burton looked up and encountered the calculating gaze of the
President.

"Ah--good-morning, Mrs. Burton; you remember me, I see. On your way back
to Utah, are you?"

"Yes--" the "sir" was on the tip of her tongue, but she managed to
suppress it. "We have been to Chicago, to the passenger meeting."

"So I inferred. Do you enjoy Chicago, Mrs. Burton?"

She felt that five minutes of this would unhinge her reason, but she
made shift to answer, intelligently: "Yes, in a way; but I've never been
about much. Mr. Burton is always so busy when we are there."

"Precisely; always busy; that is the whole history of civilized man in
two words, isn't it? But where is your good husband?"

"He is in the wash-room," she began; but at that moment Burton appeared.

"Ha!" said the President; "good-morning, Mr. Burton. You didn't expect
to find me here chatting with your wife, did you?"

"Well, no, not exactly--that is--" Burton's one weakness lay in undue
deference to his superior officers, and he stumbled helplessly. But his
wife came promptly to the rescue.

"It's such a distinction, Mr. Vennor, that we don't know how to properly
acknowledge it," she retorted, laughing, "Will you excuse me if I finish
buttoning my shoe?"

"Certainly, certainly"--the President's tone was genially paternal; "I
merely wanted to have a word with Mr. Burton;" and he rose and drew the
general agent across to the opposite section.

"Sit down, sit down, Burton; don't stand on ceremony with me," he said,
patronizingly. "I came to ask a favor of you, and positively you
embarrass me."

Burton sat down mechanically.

"I learned a few minutes ago through young Brockway that you were on the
train," the President continued, lowering his voice, "and I understand
that he wishes you to take charge of his party for the day on the trip
up Clear Creek Canyon. Has he spoken to you about it?"

"Yes; he was here just now." Burton answered as he had sat
down--mechanically.

"And you consented to do it, I presume?"

"Why, yes; he asked it as a personal favor, and I thought I might make