第10章

found’em。Goingtotakesomeladiesdowninthecarto—morrow。"

Giddyscowled。HedidnotdisputetheproprietyofRay’smeasures，ifthereweretobeladiesonboard，buthefeltinjured。"Isupposeyou’llexpectmetobehavelikeaY。M。C。A。secretary，"hegrowled。"Ican’tdomyworkandserveteaatthesametime。"

"Noneedtohaveatea—party，"saidRaywithdeter—

minedcheerfulness。"Mrs。Kronborgwillbringthelunch，anditwillbeadarnedgoodone。"

Giddyloungedagainstthecar，holdinghiscigarbetweentwothickfingers。"ThenIguessshe’llgetit，"heobservedknowingly。"Idon’tthinkyourmusicalfriendismuchonthegrub—box。Hastokeepherhandswhitetotickletheivories。"GiddyhadnothingagainstThea，buthefeltcantankerousandwantedtogetariseoutofKennedy。

"Everymantohisownjob，"Rayrepliedagreeably，pullinghiswhiteshirtonoverhishead。

Giddyemittedsmokedisdainfully。"Isupposeso。Themanthatgetsherwillhavetowearanapronandbakethepancakes。Well，somemenliketomessaboutthekitchen。"

Hepaused，butRaywasintentongettingintohisclothesasquicklyaspossible。Giddythoughthecouldgoalittlefurther。"Ofcourse，Idon’tdisputeyourrighttohaulwomeninthiscarifyouwantto；butpersonally，sofarasI’mconcerned，I’dagooddealratherdrinkacanoftoma—

toesanddowithoutthewomenANDtheirlunch。Iwasnevermuchenslavedtohard—boiledeggs，anyhow。"

"You’lleat’emto—morrow，allthesame。"Ray’stonehadasteelyglitterashejumpedoutofthecar，andGiddystoodasidetolethimpass。HeknewthatKennedy’snextreplywouldbedeliveredbyhand。HehadonceseenRay

beatupanastyfellowforinsultingaMexicanwomanwhohelpedaboutthegrub—carintheworktrain，andhisfistshadworkedliketwosteelhammers。Giddywasn’tlookingfortrouble。

Ateighto’clockthenextmorningRaygreetedhisladiesandhelpedthemintothecar。Giddyhadputonacleanshirtandyellowpig—skinglovesandwaswhistlinghisbest。HeconsideredKennedyaflukeasaladies’man，andiftherewastobeaparty，thehonorshadtobedonebysomeonewhowasn’tablacksmithatsmall—talk。

Giddyhad，asRaysarcasticallyadmitted，"alocalrepu—

tationasajollier，"andhewasfluentingallantspeechesofanottoo—veilednature。HeinsistedthatTheashouldtakehisseatinthecupola，oppositeRay’s，whereshecouldlookoutoverthecountry。Theatoldhim，assheclamberedup，thatshecaredagooddealmoreaboutridinginthatseatthanaboutgoingtoDenver。Raywasneversocompanionableandeasyaswhenhesatchattinginthelookoutofhislittlehouseonwheels。Goodstoriescametohim，andinterestingrecollections。Theahadagreatrespectforthereportshehadtowriteout，andforthetelegramsthatwerehandedtohimatstations；foralltheknowledgeandexperienceitmusttaketorunafreighttrain。

Giddy，downinthecar，inthepausesofhiswork，madehimselfagreeabletoMrs。Kronborg。

"It’sagreatresttobewheremyfamilycan’tgetatme，Mr。Giddy，"shetoldhim。"IthoughtyouandRaymighthavesomehouseworkhereformetolookafter，butI

couldn’timproveanyonthiscar。"

"Oh，weliketokeepherneat，"returnedGiddyglibly，winkingupatRay’sexpressiveback。"Ifyouwanttoseeacleanice—box，lookatthisone。Yes，Kennedyalwayscarriesfreshcreamtoeatonhisoatmeal。I’mnotparticu—

lar。Thetincow’sgoodenoughforme。"

"Mostofyouboyssmokesomuchthatallvictualstastealiketoyou，"saidMrs。Kronborg。"I’vegotnoreligiousscruplesagainstsmoking，butIcouldn’ttakeasmuchinterestcookingforamanthatusedtobacco。Iguessit’sallrightforbachelorswhohavetoeatround。"

Mrs。Kronborgtookoffherhatandveilandmadeher—

selfcomfortable。Sheseldomhadanopportunitytobeidle，andsheenjoyedit。Shecouldsitforhoursandwatchthesage—hensflyupandthejack—rabbitsdartawayfromthetrack，withoutbeingbored。Sheworeatanbombazinedress，madeveryplainly，andcarriedaroomy，worn，mother—of—the—familyhandbag。

RayKennedyalwaysinsistedthatMrs。Kronborgwas"afine—lookinglady，"butthiswasnotthecommonopin—

ioninMoonstone。RayhadlivedlongenoughamongtheMexicanstodislikefussiness，tofeelthattherewassome—

thingmoreattractiveineaseofmannerthaninabsent—

mindedconcernabouthairpinsanddabsoflace。Hehadlearnedtothinkthatthewayawomanstood，moved，satinherchair，lookedatyou，wasmoreimportantthantheabsenceofwrinklesfromherskirt。Rayhad，indeed，suchunusualperceptionsinsomedirections，thatonecouldnothelpwonderingwhathewouldhavebeenifhehadever，ashesaid，had"halfachance。"

Hewasright；Mrs。Kronborgwasafine—lookingwoman。

Shewasshortandsquare，butherheadwasarealhead，notamerejerkyterminationofthebody。Ithadsomeindividualityapartfromhatsandhairpins。Herhair，Moonstonewomenadmitted，wouldhavebeenverypretty"onanybodyelse。"Frizzybangswerewornthen，butMrs。Kronborgalwaysdressedherhairinthesameway，partedinthemiddle，brushedsmoothlybackfromherlow，whiteforehead，pinnedlooselyonthebackofherheadintwothickbraids。Itwasgrowinggrayaboutthetemples，butafterthemannerofyellowhairitseemedonlytohavegrownpalerthere，andhadtakenonacolor

likethatofEnglishprimroses。Hereyeswereclearanduntroubled；herfacesmoothandcalm，and，asRaysaid，"strong。"

TheaandRay，upinthesunnycupola，werelaughingandtalking。Raygotgreatpleasureoutofseeingherfacethereinthelittleboxwherehesooftenimaginedit。Theywerecrossingaplateauwheregreatredsandstoneboulderslayabout，mostofthemmuchwideratthetopthanatthebase，sothattheylookedlikegreattoadstools。

"Thesandhasbeenblowingagainstthemforagoodmanyhundredyears，"Rayexplained，directingThea’seyeswithhisglovedhand。"Youseethesandblowslow，beingsoheavy，andcutsthemoutunderneath。Windandsandareprettyhigh—classarchitects。That’stheprincipleofmostoftheCliff—DwellerremainsdownatCanyondeChelly。Thesandstormshaddugoutbigdepressionsinthefaceofacliff，andtheIndiansbuilttheirhousesbackinthatdepression。"

"Youtoldmethatbefore，Ray，andofcourseyouknow。

Butthegeographysaystheirhouseswerecutoutofthefaceofthelivingrock，andIlikethatbetter。"

Raysniffed。"Whatnonsensedoesgetprinted！It’senoughtogiveamandisrespectforlearning。HowcouldthemIndianscuthousesoutofthelivingrock，whentheyknewnothingabouttheartofforgingmetals？"Rayleanedbackinhischair，swunghisfoot，andlookedthought—

fulandhappy。Hewasinoneofhisfavoritefieldsofspecu—

lation，andnothinggavehimmorepleasurethantalkingthesethingsoverwithTheaKronborg。"I’lltellyou，Thee，ifthoseoldfellowshadlearnedtoworkmetalsonce，yourancientEgyptiansandAssyrianswouldn’thavebeatthemverymuch。Whatevertheydiddo，theydidwell。

Theirmasonry’sstandingthereto—day，thecornersastrueastheDenverCapitol。Theywerecleveratmostevery—

thingbutmetals；andthatonefailurekeptthemfromgettingacross。Itwasthequicksandthatswallowed’em

up，asarace。Iguesscivilizationproperbeganwhenmenmasteredmetals。"

Raywasnotvainabouthisbookishphrases。Hedidnotusethemtoshowoff，butbecausetheyseemedtohimmoreadequatethancolloquialspeech。Hefeltstronglyaboutthesethings，andgropedforwords，ashesaid，"toexpresshimself。"HehadthelamentableAmericanbeliefthat"expression"isobligatory。Hestillcarriedinhistrunk，amongtheunrelatedpossessionsofarailroadman，anote—

bookonthetitle—pageofwhichwaswritten"ImpressionsonFirstViewingtheGrandCanyon，RayH。Kennedy。"

Thepagesofthatbookwerelikeabattlefield；thelaboringauthorhadfallenbackfrommetaphoraftermetaphor，abandonedpositionafterposition。Hewouldhaveadmit—

tedthattheartofforgingmetalswasnothingtothistreach—

erousbusinessofrecordingimpressions，inwhichthematerialyouweresofullofvanishedmysteriouslyunderyourstrivinghand。"Escapingsteam！"hehadsaidtohim—

self，thelasttimehetriedtoreadthatnotebook。

Theadidn’tmindRay’stravel—lectureexpressions。Shedodgedthem，unconsciously，asshedidherfather’spro—

fessionalpalaver。ThelightinRay’spale—blueeyesandthefeelinginhisvoicemorethanmadeupforthestiff—

nessofhislanguage。

"WeretheCliff—Dwellersreallycleverwiththeirhands，Ray，ordoyoualwayshavetomakeallowanceandsay，’ThatwasprettygoodforanIndian’？"sheasked。

RaywentdownintothecartogivesomeinstructionstoGiddy。"Well，"hesaidwhenhereturned，"abouttheaborigines：onceortwiceI’vebeenwithsomefellowswhowerecrackingburialmounds。Alwaysfeltalittleashamedofit，butwedidpulloutsomeremarkablethings。Wegotsomepotteryoutwhole；seemedprettyfinetome。Iguesstheirwomenweretheirartists。Wefoundlotsofoldshoesandsandalsmadeoutofyuccafiber，neatandstrong；andfeatherblankets，too。"

"Featherblankets？Younevertoldmeaboutthem。"

"Didn’tI？Theoldfellows——orthesquaws——woveaclosenettingofyuccafiber，andthentiedonlittlebunchesofdownfeathers，overlapping，justthewayfeathersgrowonabird。Someofthemwerefeatheredonbothsides。

Youcan’tgetanythingwarmerthanthat，now，canyou？

——orprettier。WhatIlikeaboutthoseoldaboriginesis，thattheygotalltheirideasfromnature。"

Thealaughed。"Thatmeansyou’regoingtosaysome—

thingaboutgirls’wearingcorsets。ButsomeofyourIn—

diansflattenedtheirbabies’heads，andthat’sworsethanwearingcorsets。"

"GivemeanIndiangirl’sfigureforbeauty，"Rayin—

sisted。"Andagirlwithavoicelikeyoursoughttohaveplentyoflung—action。Butyouknowmysentimentsonthatsubject。Iwasgoingtotellyouaboutthehandsomestthingweeverlootedoutofthoseburialmounds。Itwasonawoman，too，Iregrettosay。Shewaspreservedasperfectasanymummythatevercameoutofthepyramids。Shehadabigstringofturquoisesaroundherneck，andshewaswrappedinafox—furcloak，linedwithlittleyellowfeathersthatmusthavecomeoffwildcanaries。Canyoubeatthat，now？ThefellowthatclaimeditsoldittoaBostonmanforahundredandfiftydollars。"

Thealookedathimadmiringly。"Oh，Ray，anddidn’tyougetanythingoffher，torememberherby，even？Shemusthavebeenaprincess。"

Raytookawalletfromthepocketofthecoatthatwashangingbesidehim，anddrewfromitalittlelumpwrappedinworntissuepaper。Inamomentastone，softandblueasarobin’segg，layinthehardpalmofhishand。Itwasaturquoise，rubbedsmoothintheIndianfinish，whichissomuchmorebeautifulthantheincongruoushighpolishthewhitemangivesthattenderstone。"Igotthisfromhernecklace。Seetheholewherethestringwentthrough？

YouknowhowtheIndiansdrillthem？Workthedrillwith

theirteeth。Youlikeit，don’tyou？They’rejustrightforyou。BlueandyellowaretheSwedishcolors。"Raylookedintentlyatherhead，bentoverhishand，andthengavehiswholeattentiontothetrack。

"I’lltellyou，Thee，"hebeganafterapause，"I’mgoingtoformacampingpartyoneofthesedaysandpersuadeyourPADREtotakeyouandyourmotherdowntothatcoun—

try，andwe’llliveintherockhouses——they’reascomfort—

ableascanbe——andstartthecookfiresupin’emonceagain。I’llgointotheburialmoundsandgetyoumorekeepsakesthananygirleverhadbefore。"Rayhadplannedsuchanexpeditionforhisweddingjourney，anditmadehisheartthumptoseehowThea’seyeskindledwhenhetalkedaboutit。"I’velearnedmoredownthereaboutwhatmakeshistory，"hewenton，"thaninallthebooksI’veeverread。Whenyousitinthesunandletyourheelshangoutofadoorwaythatdropsathousandfeet，ideascometoyou。Youbegintofeelwhatthehumanracehasbeenupagainstfromthebeginning。There’ssomethingmightyelevatingaboutthoseoldhabitations。Youfeellikeit’suptoyoutodoyourbest，onaccountofthosefellowshavingitsohard。Youfeellikeyouowedthemsomething。"

AtWassiwappa，RaygotinstructionstosidetrackuntilThirty—sixwentby。Afterreadingthemessage，heturnedtohisguests。"I’mafraidthiswillholdusupabouttwohours，Mrs。Kronborg，andwewon’tgetintoDenvertillnearmidnight。"

"Thatwon’ttroubleme，"saidMrs。Kronborgcontent—

edly。"TheyknowmeattheY。W。C。A。，andthey’llletmeinanytimeofnight。Icametoseethecountry，nottomaketime。I’vealwayswantedtogetoutatthiswhiteplaceandlookaround，andnowI’llhaveachance。Whatmakesitsowhite？"

"Somekindofchalkyrock。"RaysprangtothegroundandgaveMrs。Kronborghishand。"YoucangetsoilofanycolorinColorado；matchmostanyribbon。"

WhileRaywasgettinghistrainontoasidetrack，Mrs。

Kronborgstrolledofftoexaminethepost—officeandsta—

tionhouse；these，withthewatertank，madeupthetown。

Thestationagent"batched"andraisedchickens。HeranouttomeetMrs。Kronborg，clutchedatherfeverishly，andbegantellingheratoncehowlonelyhewasandwhatbadluckhewashavingwithhispoultry。Shewenttohischickenyardwithhim，andprescribedforgapes。

Wassiwappaseemedadrearyplaceenoughtopeoplewholookedforverdure，abrilliantplacetopeoplewholikedcolor。Besidethestationhousetherewasablue—grassplot，protectedbyaredplankfence，andsixfly—bittenbox—eldertrees，notmuchlargerthanbushes，werekeptalivebyfrequenthosingsfromthewaterplug。Overthewindowssomedustymorning—gloryvinesweretrainedonstrings。

Allthecountryaboutwasbrokenupintolowchalkyhills，whichweresointenselywhite，andspottedsoevenlywithsage，thattheylookedlikewhiteleopardscrouching。Whitedustpowderedeverything，andthelightwassointensethatthestationagentusuallyworeblueglasses。Behindthestationtherewasawatercourse，whichroaredinfloodtime，andabasininthesoftwhiterockwhereapoolofalkaliwaterflashedinthesunlikeamirror。Theagentlookedalmostassickashischickens，andMrs。Kronborgatonceinvitedhimtolunchwithherparty。Hehad，heconfessed，adistasteforhisowncooking，andlivedmainlyonsodacrackersandcannedbeef。Helaughedapologetic—

allywhenMrs。Kronborgsaidsheguessedshe’dlookaboutforashadyplacetoeatlunch。

Shewalkedupthetracktothewatertank，andthere，inthenarrowshadowscastbytheuprightsonwhichthetankstood，shefoundtwotramps。Theysatupandstaredather，heavywithsleep。Whensheaskedthemwheretheyweregoing，theytoldher"tothecoast。"Theyrestedbydayandtraveledbynight；walkedthetiesunlesstheycouldstealaride，theysaid；addingthat"these

Westernroadsweregettingstrict。"Theirfaceswereblistered，theireyesblood—shot，andtheirshoeslookedfitonlyforthetrashpile。

"Isupposeyou’rehungry？"Mrs。Kronborgasked。"I

supposeyoubothdrink？"shewentonthoughtfully，notcensoriously。

Thehuskierofthetwohoboes，abushy，beardedfellow，rolledhiseyesandsaid，"Iwonder？"Buttheother，whowasoldandspare，withasharpnoseandwateryeyes，sighed。"Somehasoneaffliction，someanother，"hesaid。

Mrs。Kronborgreflected。"Well，"shesaidatlast，"youcan’tgetliquorhere，anyway。Iamgoingtoaskyoutovacate，becauseIwanttohavealittlepicnicunderthistankforthefreightcrewthatbroughtmealong。IwishI

hadlunchenoughtoprovideyou，butIain’t。Thestationagentsayshegetshisprovisionsoverthereatthepost—

officestore，andifyouarehungryyoucangetsomecannedstuffthere。"Sheopenedherhandbagandgaveeachofthetrampsahalf—dollar。

Theoldmanwipedhiseyeswithhisforefinger。"Thank’ee，ma’am。Acanoftomatterswilltasteprettygoodtome。

Iwasn’talwayswalkin’ties；IhadagoodjobinCleve—

landbefore——"

Thehairytrampturnedonhimfiercely。"Aw，shutuponthat，grandpaw！Ain’tyougotnogratitude？Whatdoyouwanttohandtheladythatfur？"

Theoldmanhunghisheadandturnedaway。Ashewentoff，hiscomradelookedafterhimandsaidtoMrs。

Kronborg："It’strue，whathesays。Hehadajobinthecarshops；buthehadbadluck。"Theybothlimpedawaytowardthestore，andMrs。Kronborgsighed。Shewasnotafraidoftramps。Shealwaystalkedtothem，andneverturnedoneaway。Shehatedtothinkhowmanyofthemtherewere，crawlingalongthetracksoverthatvastcoun—

try。

HerreflectionswerecutshortbyRayandGiddyand

Thea，whocamebringingthelunchboxandwaterbottles。

Althoughtherewasnotshadowenoughtoaccommodateallthepartyatonce，theairunderthetankwasdistinctlycoolerthanthesurroundingair，andthedripmadeapleas—

antsoundinthatbreathlessnoon。Thestationagentateasifhehadneverbeenfedbefore，apologizingeverytimehetookanotherpieceoffriedchicken。Giddywasuna—

bashedbeforethedevilledeggsofwhichhehadspokensoscornfullylastnight。Afterlunchthemenlittheirpipesandlaybackagainsttheuprightsthatsupportedthetank。

"Thisisthesunnysideofrailroading，allright，"Giddydrawledluxuriously。

"Youfellowsgrumbletoomuch，"saidMrs。Kronborgasshecorkedthepicklejar。"Yourjobhasitsdrawbacks，butitdon’ttieyoudown。Ofcoursethere’stherisk；butIbelieveaman’swatchedover，andhecan’tbehurtontherailroadoranywhereelseifit’sintendedheshouldn’tbe。"

Giddylaughed。"ThenthetrainsmustbeoperatedbyfellowstheLordhasitinfor，Mrs。Kronborg。Theyfigureitoutthatarailroadman’sonlyduetolastelevenyears；

thenit’shisturntobesmashed。"

"That’sadarkProvidence，Idon’tdeny，"Mrs。Kron—

borgadmitted。"Butthere’slotsofthingsinlifethat’shardtounderstand。"

"Iguess！"murmuredGiddy，lookingoffatthespottedwhitehills。

Raysmokedinsilence，watchingTheaandhermotherclearawaythelunch。HewasthinkingthatMrs。Kron—

borghadinherfacethesameseriouslookthatTheahad；

onlyherswascalmandsatisfied，andThea’swasintenseandquestioning。Butinbothitwasalargekindoflook，thatwasnotallthetimebeingbrokenupandconvulsedbytrivialthings。TheybothcarriedtheirheadslikeIndianwomen，withakindofnobleunconsciousness。Hegotsotiredofwomenwhowerealwaysnoddingandjerking；

apologizing，deprecating，coaxing，insinuatingwiththeirheads。

WhenRay’spartysetoffagainthatafternoonthesunbeatfiercelyintothecupola，andTheacurledupinoneoftheseatsatthebackofthecarandhadanap。

Astheshorttwilightcameon，Giddytookaturninthecupola，andRaycamedownandsatwithTheaontherearplatformofthecabooseandwatchedthedarknesscomeinsoftwavesovertheplain。TheywerenowaboutthirtymilesfromDenver，andthemountainslookedverynear。

Thegreattoothedwallbehindwhichthesunhadgonedownnowseparatedintofourdistinctranges，onebehindtheother。Theywereaverypaleblue，acolorscarcelystrongerthanwoodsmoke，andthesunsethadleftbrightstreaksinthesnow—filledgorges。Intheclear，yellow—

streakedskythestarswerecomingout，flickeringlikenewlylightedlamps，growingsteadierandmoregoldenastheskydarkenedandthelandbeneaththemfellintocom—

pleteshadow。Itwasacool，restfuldarknessthatwasnotblackorforbidding，butsomehowopenandfree；thenightofhighplainswherethereisnomoistnessormisti—

nessintheatmosphere。

Raylithispipe。"Inevergettiredofthemoldstars，Thee。Imiss’emupinWashingtonandOregonwhereit’smisty。Like’embestdowninMotherMexico，wheretheyhaveeverythingtheirownway。I’mnotforanycountrywherethestarsaredim。"Raypausedanddrewonhispipe。"Idon’tknowasIeverreallynoticed’emmuchtillthatfirstyearIherdedsheepupinWyoming。Thatwastheyeartheblizzardcaughtme。"

"Andyoulostallyoursheep，didn’tyou，Ray？"Theaspokesympathetically。"Wasthemanwhoownedthemniceaboutit？"

"Yes，hewasagoodloser。ButIdidn’tgetoveritforalongwhile。Sheeparesodamnedresigned。Sometimes，tothisday，whenI’mdog—tired，Itrytosavethemsheep

allnightlong。Itcomeskindofhardonaboywhenhefirstfindsouthowlittleheis，andhowbigeverythingelseis。"

Theamovedrestlesslytowardhimanddroppedherchinonherhand，lookingatalowstarthatseemedtorestjustontherimoftheearth。"Idon’tseehowyoustoodit。I

don’tbelieveIcould。Idon’tseehowpeoplecanstandittogetknockedout，anyhow！"Shespokewithsuchfierce—

nessthatRayglancedatherinsurprise。Shewassittingonthefloorofthecar，crouchinglikealittleanimalabouttospring。

"Nooccasionforyoutosee，"hesaidwarmly。"There’llalwaysbeplentyofotherpeopletotaketheknocksforyou。"

"That’snonsense，Ray。"Theaspokeimpatientlyandleanedlowerstill，frowningattheredstar。"Everybody’supagainstitforhimself，succeedsorfails——himself。"

"Inoneway，yes，"Rayadmitted，knockingthesparksfromhispipeoutintothesoftdarknessthatseemedtoflowlikeariverbesidethecar。"Butwhenyoulookatitanotherway，therearealotofhalfwaypeopleinthisworldwhohelpthewinnerswin，andthefailersfail。Ifamanstumbles，there’splentyofpeopletopushhimdown。

Butifhe’slike`theyouthwhobore，’thosesamepeopleareforeordainedtohelphimalong。Theymayhateto，worsethanblazes，andtheymaydoalotofcussin’aboutit，buttheyhavetohelpthewinnersandtheycan’tdodgeit。It’sanaturallaw，likewhatkeepsthebigclockuptheregoing，littlewheelsandbig，andnomix—up。"Ray’shandandhispipeweresuddenlyoutlinedagainstthesky。

"Everoccurtoyou，Thee，thattheyhavetobeontimecloseenoughtoMAKETIME？TheDispatcheruptheremusthavealonghead。"Pleasedwithhissimilitude，Raywentbacktothelookout。GoingintoDenver，hehadtokeepasharpwatch。

Giddycamedown，cheerfulattheprospectofgettingintoport，andsinginganewtopicaldittythathadcomeup

fromtheSantaFebywayofLaJunta。Nobodyknowswhomakesthesesongs；theyseemtofolloweventsauto—

matically。Mrs。KronborgmadeGiddysingthewholetwelveversesofthisone，andlaugheduntilshewipedhereyes。ThestorywasthatofKatieCasey，headdining—

roomgirlatWinslow，Arizona，whowasunjustlydis—

chargedbytheHarveyHousemanager。Hersuitor，theyardmaster，tooktheswitchmenoutonastrikeuntilshewasreinstated。FreighttrainsfromtheeastandthewestpiledupatWinslowuntiltheyardslookedlikealog—jam。

Thedivisionsuperintendent，whowasinCalifornia，hadtowireinstructionsforKatieCasey’srestorationbeforehecouldgethistrainsrunning。Giddy’ssongtoldallthiswithmuchdetail，bothtenderandtechnical，andaftereachofthedozenversescametherefrain：——

"Oh，whowouldthinkthatKatieCaseyownedtheSantaFe？

Butitreallylooksthatway，Thedispatcher’sturnin’gray，Allthecrewsisofftheirpay；

ShecanholdthefreightfromAlbuquerq’toNeedlesanyday；

Thedivisionsuperintendent，hecomehomefromMonterey，Justtoseeifthingswaspleasin’KatieCa——a——a——sey。"

ThealaughedwithhermotherandapplaudedGiddy。

Everythingwassokindlyandcomfortable；GiddyandRay，andtheirhospitablelittlehouse，andtheeasy—goingcountry，andthestars。Shecurledupontheseatagainwiththatwarm，sleepyfeelingofthefriendlinessoftheworld——whichnobodykeepsverylong，andwhichshewastoloseearlyandirrevocably。