feelings of the boy who
rejoices in delicious tears at the thought of being found cold and dead
on the doorstep of the cruel maiden of his dreams. And that letter, with
a slight substratum of fact, is the result. Don't bother about it for a
moment."

This answer may not have been completely frank, or quite expressive of
my views; but I was tired of the subject. It was hardly a time to play
with mammets or to tilt with lips, and it seemed that the matter might
wait. There was a good deal of the pettishness of nervousness among us
at that time, and I had my full share of it. Insomnia was prevalent, and
gray hairs increased and multiplied. The time was drawing near for our
meeting with Pendleton in Chicago. We had advices that he was coming in
from the West, on his return from a long journey of inspection, and
would pass over his Pacific Division. We asked him to run down to
Lattimore over our road, but Smith answered that the running schedule
could not be altered.

There seemed to be no reason for doubting that the proposed contract
would be ratified; for the last desperate rally on our part appeared to
have put a crash out of the question, for some time at least. To him
that hath shall be given; and so long as we were supposed to possess
power, we felt that we were safe. Yet the blow dealt by Cornish had
maimed us, no matter how well we hid our hurt; and we were all too
keenly conscious of the law of the hunt, by which it is the wounded
buffalo which is singled out and dragged down by the wolves.

On Wednesday Jim and I were to start for Chicago, where Mr. Pendleton
would be found awaiting us. On Sunday the weather, which had been cold
and snowy for weeks, changed; and it blew from the southeast, raw and
chill, but thawy. All day Monday the warmth increased; and the farmers
coming into town reported great ponds of water dammed up in the swales
and hollows against the enormous snow-drifts. Another warm day, and
these waters would break through, and the streams would go free in
freshets. Tuesday dawned without a trace of frost, and still the strong
warm wind blew; but now it was from the east, and as I left the carriage
to enter my office I was wet by a scattering fall of rain. In a few
moments, as I dictated my morning's letters, my stenographer called
attention to the beating on the window of a strong and persistent
downpour.

Elkins, too much engrossed in his thoughts to be able to confine himself
to the details o