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Page 11
Jerry, screwing up his small snub nose leered triumphantly across her lap
at Alice. "Goozlemy, goozlemy, goozlemy!" he squeaked, "that man was a
real hobo."
His grimace was returned with interest. Alice hugged her puppy awhile
contentedly, murmuring in that canine's ear, "What a silly old thing that
tomato-can must have been. If I'd been him I'd have kept my mouth shut."
"Cow Run!" intoned the brakeman monotonously, passing through the
coaches, "Cow Run next stop!" His eye fell on Redmond. "Wish I'd seen
you before, Officer!" he remarked, "I'd have had a hobo for you. Beggar
stole a ride on us from Glenbow, back there. The con's goin' to chuck
him off here--do you want him?"
"No!" said Redmond shortly, "let the stiff go--I'm going on to
Davidsburg--haven't got time to get messing around with 'vags' now."
The train began to slow down and presently stopped at a small station.
Mechanically the quartette gazed through the window at the few shivering
platform loungers, and beyond them to the irregular, low-lying facade of
snow-plastered buildings that comprised the dreary main street of the
little town.
Suddenly the children uttered a shrill yelp.
"There he is!" cried Alice, darting a small finger at the window-pane.
"I saw him first!" bawled Jerry.
And, slouching past along the platform, all huddled-up with hands in
pockets, George beheld a ragged nondescript of a man whose appearance
confirmed Master Jerry's previous assertion beyond doubt.
The children drummed on the window excitedly. Glancing up at the two
small peering faces the human derelict's red-nosed, stubble-coated visage
contorted itself into a friendly grimace of recognition; at the same
time, with an indescribably droll, swashbuckling swagger he doffed a
shocking dunghill of a hat.
Suddenly though his jaw dropped and, replacing his battered headpiece,
with double-handed indecent haste the knight of the road executed an
incredibly nimble "right-about turn" and vanished behind the
station-house. Just then came the engine's toot! toot!, the conductor's
warning "All aboar-rd!" and the train started once more on its journey
westward.
Smiling grimly to himself, the policeman settled back in his seat again
and glanced across at the lady. She was shaking with convulsive laughter.
"Oh!" she giggled hysterically "he--he must have seen your red coat!"
another spasm of merriment, "it was as good as a pantomime," she murmured.
Evincing a keen interest in his soldierly vocation, for awhile she
subjected him to an exacting and minute inquisition anent the duties and
life of a Mounted Policeman. In this agreeable fashion the time passed
rapidly and it was with a feeling of regret that he heard the brakeman
announce his destination and rose to take leave of his pleasant
companion. The children insisted on bidding their late chum a cuddling,
osculatory farewell--Alice tearfully holding up the snuffling Porkey for
his share. The train drew up at the Davidsburg platform, there came a
chorus of "Good-byes" and a few minutes later George was left alone with
his kit-bags on the deserted platform.
CHAPTER III
_St. Agnes' Eve. Ah! bitter chill it was.
The owl, for all his feathers, was a-cold;
The hare limped, trembling, through the frozen grass;
And drowsy was the flock in woolly fold_.
ST. AGNES' EVE
Edmond did not have to wait long. Sounding faint and far off came the
silvery ring of sleigh-bells, gradually swelling in volume until, with a
measured crunch! crunch! of hoofs on packed snow, a smart Police cutter,
drawn by a splendid bay team, swung around a bend of the trail and pulled
up at the platform. Redmond regarded with a little awe the huge,
bear-like, uniformed figure of the teamster, whom he identified at once
from barrack gossip.
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