“About a day’s journey down the river, sir.”
Again the chief’s eyes ran over the sheet. Suddenly they lighted up. Here is what he saw:—
GOSSIP OF THE RAILROADS
Commodore Durfee Gets the
“Shaky & Windy”
Mr. De Reamer and Mr.
Chambers in contempt of
Court—Durfee and Carrington
directors allied at
last against De Reamer—It
is said that Durfee already
has a majority—Meeting
to be held nex
will be decid
De Rea
The rest of it was torn off, but he read these headings three times. Then he lowered his knees, with the paper still lying across them, and looked over it at the little group of men and mules about the water-hole. “Can that be true, or can’t it?” he asked himself. “And what am I going to do about it? I don’t believe it; it’s another war of injunctions, that’s what it is, and it isn’t likely to be settled short of the Supreme Court. We can start back in an hour or so, and as soon as we reach camp I’ll take the five-spot”—Carhart’s two engines happened to bear the numbers five and six—“the five-spot and the private car and see if Bill Cunningham can’t make a record run toward Sherman. It’s a little puzzling, but I’m inclined to think it’s a mighty good thing that I found this paper.”
He tossed it away, and then, catching sight for the first time of the other side, he took it up again. The second page was nearly covered with crude designs, made with a blue pencil. There were long rows of scallops, and others of those aimless markings a man will make when pencil and paper are before him. And in the middle, surrounded by a sort of decorative border, was printed out “MR. CARHART,” then a blank space and the name “JACK FLAGG.”
Carhart rose to his feet, folded the paper, put it in his hip pocket, and looked cheerfully around. “So, Mr. Flagg, it’s you I’m indebted to for this information. I’m sure I’m greatly obliged.” Then he waved to the men. “Come on, boys,” he shouted. “Bring those animals back to the wagons. We’ll fill the barrels here.”
Slowly and not without difficulty he walked back. But the unsteadiness in his legs no longer disturbed him. The panic was over,—and something else was over too.