All signs of illness vanished from Mrs. Alexander. She sprang up and called imperatively to Dodo’s amazed father, “Get the small bag, Ebeneezer—it’s got my jewelry and money in it! Hurry—and then follow me.”
Mrs. Alexander was out of the seat, and tearing for the door, in another second. But Dodo caught her arm and said quietly: “Never mind jumping off, Ma. I had to apply radical treatment to establish a perfect circulation of your blood and a normal action of your nerves, you know. There really is a fire aboard this train, but it happens to be on the engine.”
“Dodo’s way of curing you, Maggie, is quicker’n better than all medicine, I see. We’ll have to dose you the same way, if you get more fits while we are on this trip,” added Mr. Alexander, frowning at his erstwhile dying mate.
“I’ll see to it that this unnatural daughter of mine pays for this breaking of the Commandment. She doesn’t know a thing about ‘honoring her mother,’ or she wouldn’t make me a joke to the world!”
With this ultimatum, Mrs. Alexander yanked aside the green curtains hanging before her berth, and disappeared from view. Another yank closed them back of her, and Mr. Alexander heaved a relieved sigh.
“Now, with my blessing, you can all go to bed, children. You needn’t worry—there won’t be no more fits to-night, I’m sure.”
“Before we retire, Alexander, I want to inform the ladies that they need not feel disturbed about leaving the Pullman in the morning,” said Mr. Dalken. Then he turned to the girls and Mrs. Courtney, and said: “We have arranged with the two other passengers of this coach to have this particular car switched off at Santa Fé, to give you all the rest you want. Jack is to remain with you and escort you about the famous old city for a day or two,—or longer if you like,—then you can come on to Albuquerque, where Mr. Alexander and I will be head over heels in conferences. We are going right on, after dropping your car at Santa Fé. And we will meet at the hotel Jack knows about, where we may remain for a week or more.”
CHAPTER V
IMPROMPTU AMUSEMENTS
Mr. Dalken’s plan met with such approval that the girls slept until late the morning that the Pullman had been dropped at the side-track in Santa Fé. When they were roused finally by the porter, they found Jack waiting impatiently for them to dress and follow him to the hotel. Mrs. Alexander seemed to have recovered entirely from her annoyance of the previous evening, and Algy apparently had forgotten there had been any disturbance in the harmony of the touring party.
“Algy, dear,” said Mrs. Alexander, sweetly, as she motioned to her numerous pieces of baggage, “when you take these from the car, don’t drop any. I have valuable things in each bag.”