McCloskey did not resent the familiarity of the Christian name, neither did he hold out any hope of reinstatement.

“No, John.  One or two things I’ve learned about Mr. Lidgerwood:  he doesn’t often hit when he’s mad, and he doesn’t take back anything he says in cold blood.  I’m afraid you’ve cooked your last goose.”

“Let me go in and see him.  He ain’t half as hard-hearted as you are, Jim.”

The trainmaster shook his head.  “No, it won’t do any good.  I heard him tell Hallock not to let anybody in on him this morning.”

“Hallock be—­Say, Mac, what makes him keep that—­” Judson broke off abruptly, pulled his hat over his eyes, and said, “Reckon it’s worth while to shove me over to the other side, Jim McCloskey?”

“What other side?” demanded McCloskey.

Judson scoffed openly.  “You ain’t making out like you don’t know, are you?  Who was behind that break of Rufford’s last night?”

“There didn’t need to be anybody behind it.  Bart thinks he has a kick coming because his brother was discharged.”

“But there was somebody behind it.  Tell me, Mac, did you ever see me too drunk to read my orders and take my signals?”

“No, don’t know as I have.”

“Well, I never was.  And I don’t often get too drunk to hear straight, either, even if I do look and act like the biggest fool God ever let live.  I was in Cat Biggs’s day before yesterday noon, when I ought to have been down here taking 202 east.  There were two men in the back room putting their heads together.  I don’t know whether they knew I was on the other side of the partition or not.  If they did, they probably didn’t pay any attention to a drivellin’ idiot that couldn’t wrap his tongue around an order for more whiskey.”

“Go on!” snapped McCloskey, almost viciously.

“They were talking about ‘fixing’ the boss.  One of ’em was for the slow and safe way:  small bets and a good many of ’em.  The other was for pulling a straight flush on Mr. Lidgerwood, right now.  Number One said no, that things were moving along all right, and it wasn’t worth while to rush.  Then something was said about a woman; I didn’t catch her name or just what the hurry man said about her, only it was something about Mr. Lidgerwood’s bein’ in shape to mix up in it.  At that Number One flopped over.  ‘Pull it off whenever you like!’ says he, savage-like.”

McCloskey sprang from his chair and towered over the smaller man.

“One of those men was Bart Rufford:  who was the other one, Judson?”

Judson was apparently unmoved.  “You’re forgettin’ that I was plum’ fool drunk, Jim.  I didn’t see either one of ’em.”

“But you heard?”

“Yes, one of ’em was Rufford, as you say, and up to a little bit ago I’d ‘a’ been ready to swear to the voice of the one you haven’t guessed.  But now I can’t.”

“Why can’t you do it now?”