“Next week that young fellow—Bill Pepper he was, an’ he was just twenty-one—he brought an ejectment against me. She had married him that morning. So Bill Pepper kep’ the land, and Mrs. Pepper kep’ the money.”
In the laughter that followed I became conscious of Raoul pinching my arm mysteriously. “I want a word with you in private,” said he. “Would you mind coming out upon the cow-catcher? It’s been railed off on purpose for observation,” he added, answering my look of amazement, “and it’s a first-rate place to see the cobweb trestle from. It’s something about the young ladies,” he added, seeing that I still hesitated, “and there’s really no other place.”
I looked through the car, but perceived the ladies were sitting in earnest conclave. On the front platform Mrs. Langworthy and the baby were taking the air. In the cab of the engine were the two girls. I suppose I made a gesture of assent, for Raoul nodded to the engineer, who slowed to a halt that almost threw the Langworthy’s domestic group into the bed of a brawling mountain stream some three hundred feet below.
“These gen’lemen want to ride on the pilot,” shouted the engineer in explanation; and we took our way to that exalted perch, where, sitting cross-legged and with hands nervously gripping the rail, I listened to Raoul’s story.
The Misses Bruce, he said, were wild not to go back that day with the railroad party, but to drive to the end of the location through the woods.
“Great Heavens!” said I, “but only Coe and I are going, with Captain Healy. There is nothing but tents——”
“The ladies are used to camping out.”
“But it will be so rough—there are two thousand niggers in camp!”
“The ladies are not afraid.”
I certainly was; for just then, with a preliminary corkscrew-like lurch, the engine began climbing the famous cobweb trestle; the earth suddenly vanished beneath us and we looked down through a lath-like tracery of wooden girders to the foaming stream, now four hundred feet below. I heard a cry behind, and looking timidly around, I saw the pale face of Jeanie at one engine-window and of May Bruce at the other.