“Hold on, Mac,” interrupted the superintendent; “how did you learn all this?”

“Part of it through some of his men, who have been coming over to us in the last half-hour and giving him away; part of it through Dick Rufford, who was keeping tab on him for the money he could squeeze out of him afterward.”

“How did Rufford come to tell you?”

“Why, Bradford—­that is—­er—­the two Ruffords started a little shooting match with Andy, and—­m-m—­well, Bart passed out for keeps, this time, but Dick lived long enough to tell Bradford a few things—­for old cow-boy times’ sake, I suppose.  I’ll never put it all over any man, again, as long as I live, Mr. Lidgerwood, after rubbing it into Hallock the way I did, when he was doing his level best to help us out.  But it’s partly his own fault.  He wanted to play a lone hand, and he was scheming to get them both into the same frying-pan—­Gridley and Flemister.”

Lidgerwood nodded.  “He had a pretty bitter grudge against Flemister.”

“The worst a man could have,” said McCloskey soberly.  Then he added:  “I’ve got a few thousand dollars saved up that says that Rankin Hallock isn’t going to hang for what he did in the other room a few minutes ago.  I knew it would come to that if the time ever ripened right suddenly, and I tried to find Judson to choke him off.  But John got in ahead of me.”

Lidgerwood switched the subject abruptly in deference to Eleanor’s deep breathing.

“I must take Miss Brewster to her friends.  You say the Nadia is back?  Who moved it without orders?”

“Yes, she’s back, all right, and Dawson is the man who comes in for the blessing.  He wanted an engine—­needed one right bad—­and he couldn’t wait to uncouple the car.  It was Hallock who sent that message to Mr. Leckhard that we’ve been hearing so much about, and it was a beg for the loan of a few of Uncle Sam’s boys from Fort McCook.  Gridley got on to it through Dix, and he also cut us out of Mr. Leckhard’s answer telling us that the cavalry boys were on 73.  By Gridley’s orders, the two Ruffords and some others turned an engine loose to run down the road for a head-ender with the freight that was bringing the soldiers.  Dawson chased the runaway engine with the coupled-up Nadia outfit, caught it just in the nick of time to prevent a collision with 73, and brought it back.  He’s down in the car now, with one of the young women crying on his neck, and——­”

Miss Brewster got up out of her chair, found she could stand without tottering, and said:  “Howard, I must go back to mamma.  She will be perfectly frantic if some one hasn’t told her that I am safe.  We can go now, can’t we, Mr. McCloskey?  The trouble is all over, isn’t it?”

The trainmaster nodded gravely.

“It’s over, all but the paying of the bills.  That rifle-shot we heard a little spell ago settled it.  No, he isn’t dead”—­this in answer to Lidgerwood’s unspoken question—­“but it will be a heap better for all concerned if he don’t get over it.  You can go down.  Lieutenant Baldwin has posted his men around the shops and the Crow’s Nest.”