said. I done followed dat man all de way from
Meadow Green to de Manhattan Hotel, dat's what it mean."

Jarvis stopped and, with eyes dilating, looked Rusty full in the face.

"Jim Marcum in New York? What can he be doing here?"

Rusty chuckled.

"Me--oh--my, boss, but dat's jest what I thought at fust. But now I
knows. I spent all my time an' all de money I could beg offen de major
tryin' to snoop aroun' dem gin-mills down home to l'arn. An' it wasn't
ontel yestiddy afternoon dat I seen dis yere Marcum come galloping down
on hossback, wid some poh white trash moonshiner ridin' wid 'im. Dey
goes right to de depoh an' jumps offen de hosses. I wuz in Eph Black's
saloon, but dar ain't nuffin missin' me. I walks over to de station
agent's winder an' I sees dis Marcum wid a roll o' bills dat would
choke a hoss. He buys a ticket, an' den he goes down de patform. I axes
Hen Barrows, de agent, where dat man goin'. He says Noo York. Den I is
satisfied. I jest walks down de track to de junction, by de water
tank."

"Hurry up, Rusty. What about Marcum?" was Warren's impatient
interjection.

"Wall, I sees dis yere man with 'im watchin' de platform--an' wen de
train pull in, inter it Marcum goes. She alluz slows up at de
sidin'--cause dere's a junction, an' so I jumps 'er, at de hind
platform. Well, Marse Warren, dat man he's on de train. It's only day
coaches ontel we gets to Lueyville, an' I walks from de Jim Crow car
through de train just onct. Dis Marcum he don't recollect me,--I'm just
a darky to him. But I sees 'im a-workin' in his seat wid som'pin dat
shows he recollects you, sah."

"What was that, Rusty?"

"He was a-oilin' a gun--an' you know who dat gun is for. He'll be
a-lookin' for you, Marse Warren."

"What did you do then? How did you manage to stay on the train?"

"Oh, I jest stuck dere, Marse Warren. Dis nigger has had enough
'sperience in dis world to know dat he spends all he has w'en he has
it. So de day you left I takes de money you gives me for a railroad
ticket, an' buys one an' puts it inside my pocket. So, I was ready for
dis Marcum. I follows 'im to Lueyville, whar I telegram to you, and
keeps right on 'is trail w'en he changes cars for Cincinnati. He keeps
on comin' to Noo York, an' I am in de day coach all dat time. Den I
follows right to de Manhattan Hotel. He ain't nebber been in Noo York
befoh, because he walks all de way to de hotel instid o' takin' a
taxicab. Dat man ain't no _quality_!"