“Oh, yes, sir.”
“And I got a calling-down—two of them, first by wire, then by letter from headquarters, and I said to myself, ‘I hope I meet that young woman one day, and when I do I shall have something to say to her.’”
“Now is your opportunity,” reminded Grace. “What is it that you wish to say?”
“Just this, Mrs. Gray—that, were you a man, I should make you a division superintendent on my railroad whether or not you had ever seen a railroad,” answered the colonel amid laughter.
“Suppose we go in and have dinner,” suggested Grace. “Miss Briggs was my assistant on the occasion to which you refer. I suppose the criticism applies equally to her.”
“I had nothing to do with it,” protested J. Elfreda. “Mrs. Gray has a habit of going ahead and doing things, asking advice afterwards,” retorted Elfreda, as the party started for the hotel dining room.
The Overlanders were the center of attraction and many an amused smile from the diners was directed at Stacy Brown, but Stacy did not appear to observe their glances. He was pleased, however, that the diners were impressed with him despite the strip of black court plaster that now decorated the bridge of his nose. Hence the excuse for the fat boy to throw back his shoulders and tilt the damaged nose up a few degrees.
Stacy ate his dinner gravely, controlling his appetite very well. In fact, his table manners were something of a pleasant surprise to his companions, who had feared that the lad’s appetite might outdistance his breeding, as was not infrequently the case in camp.
After dinner the Overland party returned to the veranda where they were joined by Colonel Scott, and reminiscences of the great war were indulged in, to which there were many listeners.
After they had chatted for a time, Hippy excused himself to go back to the camp to repair his saddle. When he reached there the campfire was burning low and Jim Badger was nowhere to be seen. Hippy did not give the guide’s absence any special thought at the moment, though Badger should have remained there, instead of leaving the camp unprotected at night.