"Ah ain't clutchin' nothin', Sary!" was Jeb's defense of his manhood. "Ah don't know what you call it, then. Sit up like a regular traveler, Jeb, and don't slump in the seat like-as-how your head wants to duck from some crash," declared Sary, heroically trying to lift Jeb's courage by gripping his coat collar and hoisting him almost out of his badly fitting coat. Eleanor smothered a laugh but said nothing to disturb the vaudeville she was enjoying. Mr. and Mrs. Brewster were talking earnestly about the future of their daughter. Suddenly Polly cried thrillingly: "Oh, look, everybody! We're coming to a torrent, and the train won't slow up!" Sary instantly turned to the window and saw what seemed to be an unavoidable end of all earthly things, so she half rose from the seat and grabbed Jeb in her ample embrace. "Ef we go, we goes together, Jeb!" Her voice, never soft and melodious, now rose above the whistle of the engine just as it reached the high bridge over the stream. Jeb's small head was completely hidden by the unexpected protection thrust upon him, but Eleanor had no idea of thus missing the pleasure of watching Jeb's face when the train should cross the bridge. "Look--look, Jeb and Sary! We're riding over the water!" she cried. Thus induced, Sary left Jeb's head to its fate and quickly sought the cause of Eleanor's excitement. The amazing experience of being on a vehicle that glided directly over a rushing stream of water while there was no apparent land to uphold the vehicle, held Sary and Jeb spell-bound. When the train reached land, once more, and was steaming along its way, Sary sighed audibly and whispered to Jeb: "Did you-all ever know sech doin's went on when one traveled?" But Jeb was too surprised to make a sound. He sat and stared from the small window of the car without even having heard his fiancee's words. The conductor had passed through the car many times since the Brewster family boarded the train, and when the last local station had been left behind and he had punched all the tickets of the passengers on that trip, he entered the car and sat upon the arm of the seat just opposite Sam Brewster, in order to converse with the man every one about Oak Creek knew so well. Having no stops to make for a long stretch, and the track running on a level line for many miles, the engineer increased the speed of his engine with corresponding results in Sary's anxiety. She stepped over Jeb's obstructing feet and made madly for the conductor, taking that worthy man quite by surprise. "See here, Mr. Boss, Ah ain't going to pay fer no ticket to ride on a runaway injun! It's your job to get up front and see what's ailin' this car. Ef it's locooed you'd better cut loose from th' injun--come along!" And before the amazed conductor or Mr. Brewster could resist or explain, Sary had the man by the shoulder and was actually lifting him along the aisle towards the door.