"Wait till I know you're sure you will never feel ashamed of the Mormon's daughter! Oh!--oh! can't you wait one min--!" For Harry has not waited, and the girl's last word as it issues from her rosy mouth is smothered by an audacious black moustache that she can parry no longer. And perchance those lovely coral lips return his betrothal kiss--a very little:--at least Harry thinks so. A moment after he knows it; for Erma Travenion, though very hard to win, having given her hand does not hesitate to make her sweetheart very sure he has also her heart. CHAPTER XVII. A VOICE IN THE NIGHT. Into this Elysium, Buck Powers, who has been one of its architects, breaks with news-boy rapidity. The girl passenger is in the other car gossiping with the lady tourist, and Harry and Erma have forgotten there are other people in this world. Entering rapidly, the banging car door, and an excited and astounded "Gee whiz!" calls the lady and gentleman from heaven to earth. "What do you want here?" cries Lawrence, and he pounces upon the flying Buck and leads him to the forward compartment, while Erma suddenly discovers that the outside landscape is a thing of most immediate interest. "I--I didn't mean to run in on you, Cap," gasps the fleeing Buck. Then he smiles on Harry suddenly and grins: "Have you made a through connection at last? Are you switched on the main track now?" "Stop your infernal conundrums!" laughs Harry. "Take a five-dollar greenback and go away, and don't you tell a living soul that Miss Travenion is going to be Mrs. Lawrence!" "I'll take a five-dollar greenback," answers the boy, "because you're the luckiest man I ever seed, and it's business. But I've got somethin' to tell your young lady!" "Very well," answers Harry, and leads Buck back to Erma's side. Here the youth remarks with a snicker that brings blushes upon Miss Travenion, "I hear as how the Cap has just been elected president of the road!" A moment after he continues: "I come to tell you the grub's all out. Somehow, since they got an idea that they might run short, our passengers has eaten so as to make 'em run short. I haven't had a pie to sell for four hours, and there's a little gal, the daughter of the engineer of the helper, has got hungry and is screaming for food----" "Screaming for food?" cries Erma. "Thank you, Buck, for telling me," and the next minute she is in her stateroom. "Gracious! you'll be short yourself," expostulates Buck as she returns. "You ain't carrying grub to a giantess!" for she has a beef pie, three fruit tarts, and a couple of apples. "Perhaps the child's father is hungry also," replies Miss Travenion, who seems very benevolent this afternoon. "Very well!" says Mr. Powers, "I'll bring the engineer, only don't stint yourself!" and goes on his errand.