So when the judge rose to deliver his charge to the jury he was brief and incisive. “We have here,” he said, “three road agents who have been caught by their intended victims. There is no manner of doubt as to their intentions or identity. They have attempted to bribe the principal witness, and failing in that they have threatened his life if he does his duty to society, both courses, I am glad to say, being signally unsuccessful. I await your verdict with confidence, because it is high time that we in Chicago show the rest of the States that they have no monopoly of justice, a statement which has rather frequently been made of late.”
Without retiring the jury returned a unanimous verdict of guilty, and the judge immediately took up his parable again to the effect that he entirely agreed with the jury’s verdict, and that he sentenced all the prisoners to ten years in the State prison. “And,” he added, “if either of these innocent persons who have so manfully done their duty here to-day are molested in any way, I trust that the State of Illinois will rise to the occasion and hunt the vermin who would commit such a crime from the face of the earth.”
In ten minutes they were all in the carriage again and driving back to the car, a stranger to C. B. seated beside the driver. Before they had reached the car, however, there was a little tinkling noise in the carriage which made them all look at each other in wonder, until Mr. Stewart pointed quietly with his forefinger to two tiny round holes in the windows, showing the passage of a bullet. Miss Stewart turned very pale, but as she looked at C. B. and saw how absolutely unconcerned he was, her colour came back and she softly murmured what had become a sort of litany to her, her thanks for having been privileged to know such a man.
They reached the car without further incident, to find it besieged by a crowd of people who wanted all sorts of things, principally interviews and photographs, and others who only wanted to gape and shake hands, for which somehow Americans have a mania. But the man on the box, leaping down, made a way through the crowd for the three friends, and as soon as they were within the car Mr. Stewart said—
“As soon as we have ‘line clear’ tell the engineer to get out of this, and let us have dinner as soon as you will, with the blinds and shutters down. I don’t want any potting at me while I am having my food.”
In ten minutes the attendant returned with the news that the engine was now backing on and that in a few seconds they would be on their way out of the great Lake City at a good rate.
All this time Captain Taber had been suffering tortures of suspense. He had not learned the secret possessed by his friend. “Thou shalt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on Thee.” To C. B.’s inquiry how he felt he replied hastily, “Oh, my dear man, don’t bother about my health, that’s as usual, but I’m et up with longing to know how you got on in the midst of all them Chicago sharks. Do tell me, but say, first, are we gettin’ out o’ this?”
“We’re off in a minute, I believe,” answered C. B., and as he spoke the car began to move.
“Thank God,” breathed the skipper, and C. B. settled down to the task of telling him the whole story in his easy, simple style. It took but little time in the telling, and as soon as he had finished the skipper, beaming on him with a smile of intense satisfaction, pointed to a pile of newspapers lying on a chair, and said with a touch of pride, “There’s American enterprise for you, you seem to be the best talked-of man in Chicago to-day.”
C. B. made a small grimace expressive of his utter want of desire to read more about himself and replied—