“Faith,” said Reddy, his eyes twinkling, “it sounds like I’d been in the workhouse an’ me niver arrested in me life! I’ve throwed up me job.” “Throwed up your job?” “Since when have ye turned into an echo?” demanded Reddy. Jack laughed. “I was too surprised t’ say anything original. What was the trouble?” “I couldn’t stand it—I couldn’t stand them vermin, nor washin’ dishes nor makin’ beds fer ’em—nor I couldn’t stand that varmint of a cook. He got smart,” went on Reddy, growing angry again at thought of it, “so I jest upper-cut him an’ throwed some dish water on him an’ come away.” “But,” protested Jack, “what will Allan say?” “I don’t care what he says,” retorted Reddy, doggedly. “I ain’t needed in there—them fellers is like a flock of sheep—feed ’em an’ water ’em an’ they’ll never give any trouble. Besides, where _is_ Allan—an’ where’s Stanley? Is there trouble somewheres, Jack?” “Ain’t you heard about extra west last night?” “Nary a word—a felly might as well be in his grave as in that freight-shed. What about extra west?” So Jack told him the story of the abandoned train and missing crew, while Reddy stood listening with starting eyes and open mouth. “Well, if that don’t beat anything I ever heard!” he said, when Jack had finished. “But Allan and Stanley wasn’t there—” “No; they went out this mornin’ t’ look over the ground. They was expectin’ t’ come back this arternoon.” A sudden shadow seemed to pass across Reddy’s face. “What’s the matter?” asked Jack, noticing it. “I was jest thinkin’,” said Reddy, speaking with some difficulty, “that I’d ’a’ liked to gone along.” “So would I, but I wasn’t asked.” “Well, good-bye,” Reddy said, turning away. “I’ve got t’ go home an’ see my missus, an’ git a decent meal. Jack,” he added, stopping and looking back, “if they don’t come back, let’s go out ourselves in the mornin’.” “Oh, they’ll be back,” said Jack, confidently. “Allan, anyway. He knows he’s needed here.” But the cloud had not lifted from Reddy’s face, as he walked away across the yards in the direction of his home. * * * * * The afternoon passed, and nothing was heard from either Allan or Stanley; evening fell, and still no sign of them. The disappointed reporters champed and swore and tried to inveigle the story out of some of the other employees of the office, but in vain; and finally, driven to desperation, they concocted such accounts of the affair as their several imaginations were capable of.