e was with him. Before the smoking wheels had quite
ceased grinding fire out of the brake-shoes, he came to a window with a
tiny corner of a handkerchief fluttering beneath it. It was Gertrude's
signal, and he understood then that he had been keeping tryst on the
wrong side of the car as it stood on the spur-track in Denver. The
window was closed and curtained like the others, but it went up
noiselessly when he tapped on the glass.

Now it was pitchy dark, both within and without, but love has sharpened
senses and eyes which no night has ever yet been black enough to befool.
"Frederick!" said a soft voice from within, and there was joyful
surprise in the single word. Then a hand came out to him, and he
possessed himself of it as one who will keep that which is his.

"God bless you," he whispered; "I hardly dared hope to find you up."

"I wasn't up," said the tender voice, with a touch of sweet shyness in
it; "but I couldn't go to sleep for thinking how disappointed you must
be. How did you find out we were going?"

"By the merest chance; but it's all right now--your father has just been
in to see me."

"Has he? Oh, I hope you didn't quarrel!"

"Not at all," said Brockway, reassuringly. "We sat together and smoked
like two Indians at a pow-wow, and neither of us said a word for nearly
half an hour. After that, he got up to go away, and then he thought
better of it and sat down again, and we had it out about the telegrams
and other things. That cleared the air a bit, and before he left, he
accepted the situation without saying so in so many words, and promised
to graft me on the C. & U. in some place where I can earn more money.
Don't cry; it's too good to be true, but the fact remains."

"I'm not crying, but I'm glad enough to do a much more foolish thing.
You won't let my money make any difference now, will you?"

"Your money isn't in it, and I think I made your father understand that
I'd never have spoken if I hadn't known you were going to lose it."

"But I--I haven't lost it. Didn't he tell you?"

"Tell me what?"

"About Cousin Chester and Hannah Beaswicke; they were married this
evening. I don't understand the legal part of it, but papa says that
saves my money. You won't let it make any difference?"

Brockway gripped the small hand as if he were afraid it might escape him
after all, and tried to flog himself around to the new point of view. It
was a breath-taking process, but he compassed it more quick