quick!" he
whispered, pressing money into the town-marshal's hand and losing
himself in the crowd. And when Biggin had obeyed his instructions:
"Now for a back way out of this, if there is one. We'll have to take
to the hills till train time."

They found a way through the bar and out into a side street leading
abruptly up to the spruce-clad hills behind the town. Biggin held his
peace until they were safe from immediate danger of pursuit. Then his
curiosity got the better of him.

"Didn't take you more'n a week to change your mind about pullin' it
off with that tinhorn scrapper in the courts, did it?"

"No," said Winton.

"'Tain't none o' my business, but I'd like to know what stampeded
you."

"A telegram,"--shortly. "It was a put-up job to have me locked up on a
criminal charge, and so hold me out another day."

Biggin grinned. "The old b'iler-buster again. Say, he's a holy terror,
ain't he?"

"He doesn't mean to let me build my railroad if he can help it."

The ex-cowboy found his sack of chip tobacco and dexterously rolled a
cigarette in a bit of brown wrapping-paper.

"If that's the game, Mr. Sheeny Mike, or his backers, will be most
likely to play it to a finish, don't you guess?"

"How?"

"By havin' a po-liceman layin' for you at the train."

"I hadn't thought of that."

"Well, I can think you out of it, I reckon. The branch train is a
'commodation, and it'll stop most anywhere if you throw up your hand
at it. We can take out through the woods and across the hills, and mog
up the track a piece. How'll that do?"

"It will do for me, but there is no need of your tramping when you can
just as well ride."

But now that side of Mr. Peter Biggin which endears him and his kind
to every man who has ever shared his lonely round-ups, or broken bread
with him in his comfortless shack, came uppermost.

"What do you take me fer?" was the way it vocalized itself; but there
was more than a formal oath of loyal allegiance in the curt question.

"For a man and a brother," said Winton heartily; and they set out
together to waylay the outgoing train at some point beyond the danger
limit.

It was accomplished without further mishap, and the short winter day
was darkening to twilight when the train came in sight and the
engineer slowed to their signal. They climbed aboard, and when they
had found a seat in the smoker the chief of construction spoke to the
ex-cowboy as to a friend.

"I hope Adams has knocke