the linen closet the Wildcat
encountered a difficult problem, in that the least dimension of the Mud
Turtle in his present pose was greater than the width of the door.

He grabbed the door framing with both hands and applied his right foot
to the Mud Turtle's anatomy. "Whuf! Git in dere!" He strained hard at
his task, and presently a heroic effort was rewarded by the
disappearance of the Mud Turtle into the dark interior of the linen
closet. The Wildcat stooped down and removed the towel from about the
Mud Turtle's mouth. "Yell yo' head off, ol' debbil. You kain't soun'
loud in heah. Folks'll think de ol' engine is whistlin'."

Before the Wildcat shut the door the Mud Turtle took advantage of his
vocal freedom and emitted a strenuous howl. A middle-aged gentleman
half way down the car stuck his head through the berth curtains. He
called to the Wildcat. "Is she whistlin' for Ashland?"

"No suh. 'Spec' it was a cow on de track or sumpin'. 'At's all. I wakes
you up neah Ashlan'." The Wildcat neglected to say which side of
Ashland would be selected for the awakening ceremonies.

He walked to the far end of the car, and on his return journey he
accumulated the shoes of his passengers.

"I shines me dese heah shoes an' den I sees kin I sleep me some. I bet
was ol' Mud Turtle a aig, chances is he'd hatch out in dat linen
closet--so hot."

In the smoking compartment the Wildcat spent an hour shining shoes. He
distributed them with more or less accuracy, and presently he was
stretched out sound asleep on the long leather seat.

"I eats when I kin git it,
I sleeps mos' all de time.
I don't give a doggone
If the sun don't neveh shine."

CHAPTER XV

The Wildcat slept until the first grey light of dawn announced the day.
He got up and stretched himself and drank five or six slugs of free ice
water. "Lemme see," he yawned, "whah at is us." His mind covered the
events of his immediate past and collided heavily with the battle which
had been fought in the night. "Wondeh how ol' Mud Turtle is? I betteh
git him fo' de passengers gets up. Wid all dat hoof oil in 'im, 'spec'
he'll crave mo' wateh dan a mule."

He opened the door of the linen closet. In the far corner, propped
against the wall, sat the Mud Turtle. The dazed expression on his face
was completely surrounded by brunet skin and surmounted by a pair of
owl-like eyes which blinked at the sudden light.

The Wildcat whispered at him, "Is y