And Archie narrated the events that led up to the tragedy.
"I wanted to see the old people--and the kids--and Gus." He was silent then, and Marriott did not break the silence.
"Say, Mr. Marriott," the boy suddenly asked, "where is Gus?"
"I don't know."
"What's become of her? Do you know that?"
"N-no--," said Marriott. He felt that Archie was eying him shrewdly.
"You know," said Archie in the lowest tone, "I'm afraid, I've got a kind of hunch--that she's--gone wrong."
Marriott feared his own silence, but he could not speak.
"Hell!" Archie exclaimed, in a tone that dismissed the question. "Well, I wanted to go home, and I goes, Curly and me. Kouka followed; he plants himself across the street, gets the harness bulls, and they goes gunning. Curly, he sees him--Curly can see anything. We lammed. The coppers misses us; and we gets on a freight-car. They cuts that car out, and we stays in it all night. Damn it! Did you ever hear o' such luck? Now did you, Mr. Marriott?"
Marriott owned that he had not.