Can't you understand
ANYTHING?" groaned the conductor.
"You explain it again to me, sonny. I'm surely thick in the
haid," soothed the intruder, and listened with bland good-humor
to the official's flow of protest.
"Well--well! Disrupted the whole transcontinental traffic, didn't
I? And me so innocent, too. Now, this is how I figured it out.
Here's me in a hurry to get to Tucson. Here comes your train
a-foggin'--also and likewise hittin' the high spots for Tucson.
Seemed like we ought to travel in company, and I was some dubious
she'd forget to stop unless I flagged her. Wherefore, I aired my
bandanna in the summer breeze."
"But you don't understand." The conductor began to explain anew
as to a dull child. "It's against the law. You'll get into
trouble."
"Put me in the calaboose, will they?"
"It's no joke."
"Well, it does seem to be worrying you," Mr. Collins conceded.
"Don't mind me. Free your mind proper."
The conductor, glancing about nervously, noticed that passengers
were smiling broadly. His official dignity was being chopped to
mince-meat. Back came his harassed gaze to the imperturbable
Collins with the brown, sun-baked face and the eyes blue and
untroubled as an Arizona sky.
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