Telegraphic communication having been restored between Evanston and Green River, Lawrence wires the superintendent of the division a statement of what happened at Aspen and Piedmont, and receives the following characteristic reply:
"Shall hold you for damage to locomotive. The homicide part of the matter is not our business."
A day or so after this, a passenger train gets through from the West to Green River, and walking out to meet it, Harry is astonished but delighted to see Mr. Ferdinand Chauncey step out of one of its sleepers.
This gentleman, being brought in to see Miss Travenion, informs her of her father's safety.
"I got him out of the mine within two hours," he says, "of Lawrence's leaving. Together we sneaked down through Mormondom to Ogden, where your papa concealed himself on a Central Pacific train, and is now in California, I imagine, unless the snow-drifts on the C. P. are as bad as on this!"
Relieved from anxiety about her father, Erma begins to pick up spirits again, for this young lady, in her life that has been so easy up to this time, has not been accustomed to seeing men die for her, and has not recovered from the death of the boy at the Piedmont switch.
A little while after, Mr. Chauncey, who has an Evanston "Age" in his pocket, pulls it out, and says: "Perhaps you may be interested in that!" pointing to an article in the newspaper which is an account of the inquest by coroner's jury held upon the body of Kruger at Evanston.
They had taken the evidence of some of the train-hands, and the verdict had been:
"That the boy Buck Powers killed Kruger, and Kruger killed Buck Powers! Consequently there is an all-round nolle prosequi in the matter."
This rather unique finding pleases Harry immensely, for now, he imagines, he will not be delayed in getting his sweetheart to civilization.