ented: Farmers, merchants, a
few soldiers, plainsmen in boots and flannel shirt-sleeves and long hair
and large hats, with revolvers hanging from the racks above them or from
the seat ends; one or two white-faced gentry in broadcloth and
patent-leather shoes--who I fancied might be gamblers such as now and then
plied their trade upon the Hudson River boats; two Indians in blankets;
Eastern tourists, akin to myself; women and children of country type; and
so forth. What chiefly caught my eye were the carbines racked against the
ends of the coach, for protection in case of Indians or highwaymen, no
doubt. I observed bottles being passed from hand to hand, and tilted en
route. The amount and frequency of the whiskey for consumption in this
country were astonishing.

My friend snored peacefully. Near noon we halted for dinner at the town of
Fremont, some fifty miles out. She awakened at the general stir, and when
I squeezed by her she immediately fished for a packet of lunch. We had
thirty minutes at Fremont--ample time in which to discuss a very excellent
meal of antelope steaks, prairie fowl, fried potatoes and hot biscuits.
There was promise of buffalo meat farther on, possibly at the next meal
station, Grand Island.

The time was sufficient, also, to give me another glimpse of My Lady of
the Blue Eyes, who appeared to have been awarded the place of honor
between the conductor and the brakeman, at table. She bestowed upon me a
subtle glance of recognition--with a smile and a slight bow in one; but I
failed to find her upon the station platform after the meal. That I should
obtain other opportunities I did not doubt. Benton was yet thirty hours'
travel.

All that afternoon we rocked along up the Platte Valley, with the Platte
River--a broad but shallow stream--constantly upon our left. My seat
companion evidently had exhausted her repertoire, for she slumbered at
ease, gradually sinking into a shapeless mass, her flowered bonnet askew.
Several other passengers also were sleeping; due, in part, to the whiskey
bottles. The car was thinning out, I noted, and I might bid in advance for
the chance of obtaining a new location in a certain car ahead.

The scenery through the car window had merged into a monotony accentuated
by great spaces. As far as Fremont the country along the railroad had been
well settled with farms and unfenced cultivated fields. Now we had issued
into the untrammeled prairies, here and there humanized