d was such a dreadful deed.

But nobody paid no attention to him (except Carver, he was a friendly
feller, Carver was, kept a lookout he didn't tumble himself off the
platform) and when Denver sung out things was ready, and Santa Fe
sung out back for the Friendly Aiders to haul away, the boys all
grabbed onto the rope together--and up Shorty went a-kicking into the
air.

Shorty really did do his act wonderful: kicking every which way at
first, and then only sort of squirming, and then quieting down gradual
till he just hung limp--with the kick all kicked out of him--turning
round and round slow!

When he'd quieted, the train conductor swung his lantern to start her,
and off she went--the little man standing there on the back platform
of the Pullman, a-grabbing at the railing like he was dizzy, looking
back with all his eyes. And old Shorty up on the telegraph-pole,
making a black splotch twisting about in the moonlight, was the last
bit of Palomitas he seen!

* * * * *

Next day but one Carver come down again on his regular run, and he
told the boys the little man kept a-hanging onto the platform railing
and a-looking back hard till the train got clean round the curve.
Then he give a kind of a coughing groan, Carver said, and come inside
the Pullman--there wasn't no other passengers that night in the
Pullman--and plumped himself down on a seat anyways, a-looking as
white as a clean paper collar; and for a while he just set there, like
he had a pain.

At last he roused up and reached for his grip and got his flask out
and had a good one; and when he'd had it he says to Carver, as savage
as if Carver--who hadn't had no hand in the doings--was the whole
business: "Sir, this America of yours is a continent of chaos--and you
Americans are no better than so many wild beasts!" Then he had
another; and after that he went on, like he was talking to himself:
"All I ask is to get out of this nightmare of a country in a
hurry--and safe back to my own home in the Avenue Road!" And from then
on, Carver said, till it was bedtime--except now and then he took
another--he just set still and glared.

Carver said it wasn't any funeral of his, and so he didn't see no
need to argue with him. And he allowed, he said, maybe he had some
call to feel the way he did about America, and to want to get quick
out of it, after being up against Palomitas for what he guessed you
might say was a full da