“Nobody seems to have slept in these,” said she, stepping down; and on learning that even the tramp avoided Separ when he could, she exclaimed, “What lodging could be handier than this!  Only it would be so cute if you had a Louavull an’ Nashvull car,” said she.  “Twould seem like my old Kentucky home!” And laughing rather sweetly at her joke, she held the lamp up to read the car’s lettering. “‘D. and R. G.’  Oh, that’s a way-off stranger!  I reckon they’re all strange.”  She went along the train with her lamp.  “Yes, ‘B. and M.’ and ‘S.  C. and P.’  Oh, this is rich!  Nate will laugh when he hears.  I’ll choose ‘C., B. and Q.’  That’s a little nearer my country.  What time does the stage start?  Porter, please wake ‘C., B. and Q.’ at six, sharp,” said she to Lin.

From this point of the evening on, I think of our doings—­their doings—­ with a sort of unchanging homesickness.  Nothing like them can ever happen again, I know; for it’s all gone—­settled, sobered, and gone.  And whatever wholesomer prose of good fortune waits in our cup, how I thank my luck for this swallow of frontier poetry which I came in time for!

To arrange some sort of bed for her was the next thing, and we made a good shake-down—­clean straw and blankets and a pillow, and the agent would have brought sheets; but though she would not have these, she did not resist—­what do you suppose?—­a looking-glass for next morning!  And we got a bucket of water and her valise.  It was all one to her, she said, in what car Lin and I put up; and let it be next door, by all means, if it pleased him to think he could watch over her safety better so; and she shut herself in, bidding us good-night.  We began spreading straw and blankets for ourselves, when a whistle sounded far and long, and its tone rose in pitch as it came.

“I’ll get him to run right to the corrals,” said the agent, “so the sheriff can tell the boys he’s not after them.”

“That’ll convince ’em he is,” said Lin.  “Stop him here, or let him go through.”

But we were not to steer the course that events took now.  The rails of the main line beside us brightened in wavering parallels as the headlight grew down upon us, and in this same moment the shootings at the corrals chorused in a wild, hilarious threat.  The burden of the coming engine heavily throbbed in the air and along the steel, and met and mixed with the hard, light beating of hoofs.  The sounds approached together like a sort of charge, and I stepped between the freight-cars, where I heard Lin ordering the girl inside to lie down flat, and could see the agent running about in the dust, flapping his arms to signal with as much coherence as a chicken with its head off.  I had very short space for wonder or alarm.  The edge of one of my freight-cars glowed suddenly with the imminent headlight, and galloping shots invaded the place.  The horsemen flew by, overreaching, and leaning back and lugging against their impetus.