“If you say you must shop fer things, you can stay over and come along on another train. Our’s won’t be the last one out of Denver, you know,” ventured Mr. Alexander, hopefully.
“I am sorry that your shopping will detain you here, and not permit you to go on with us in the morning,” added Mr. Dalken, hoping to end the argument, and to show the lady that he was obdurate over her selfishness.
“You men might go on, and we ladies follow in the afternoon,” suggested Mrs. Alexander, appealing to Mrs. Courtney.
“No,” instantly retorted her spouse. “We got all the mileage on one ticket, and the crowd can’t break up that way. You make up your mind to stay and shop, and at the same time hire a maid for yourself to go down to the desert of Arizona, and we’ll go on and wait for you at Albuquerque.”
The evident desire of her liege lord to be rid of her society, even for a day, caused the contrary woman to change her plans. “I will sacrifice myself and all my appointments in Denver for you, dear Ebeneezer. What time must I be ready in the morning?”
“Huh! All this time and talk wasted—might have said this in the start!” snorted Mr. Alexander, marching away without replying to his wife’s honeyed question.
Now the other members in the party believed Mrs. Alexander was persuaded to go with them before noon the following day. But those who had crossed wills with her in England and, later, on the Continent, might have known her better. The next day proved that Mrs. Alexander had won her point; she acted too guileless about it to deceive any one.
It had been decided to take the eleven-forty train from Denver, but this decision came to naught much to the aggravation of the men. Polly and Eleanor, knowing as they did Mrs. Alexander’s stock of tricks, had to laugh at this newest one.
Everything was ready, and cabs were called to take the tourists to the station. Bags, girls and all were settled in the taxis, and the men were impatiently waiting for Mrs. Alexander to appear. Finally, at the very last moment in which they might reach the train by speeding the cars, she came out to the curb. Just as she was going to step inside her cab, she cried in alarm and sank down upon the curb.
Naturally her male companions sprang over to help her up, but she could not stand. She hung limply between Mr. Dalken and her husband. Meanwhile she groaned and seemed in genuine distress.