"Well, you'll have a damned hard time getting rid of me," roared Joe,
trying to break past his rival. A baggage-man leaped between them in
time to prevent blows. He held the angry, mistaken rivals apart,--
rivals no longer, if they only knew. "Let go of me! Hold this fellow
and I'll give you a hundred dollars--hold him till the train goes!"
"Hold me, will you? My word! What is this? A highway robbery!"
Both men broke away from the baggage-man and rushed frantically down
the line of cars, each trying to hold the other back. Joe succeeded in
grasping the handrail of the first sleeping-car, but his adversary
pulled him away. An instant later they were struggling across the
station platform, clasped in savage and hysterical combat. The station
employees were rushing up to separate them when the train began to
move slowly away.
[Illustration: Eleanor was still sitting ... stiff and silent]
They came to their senses a moment later to find themselves held
firmly by brawny peacemakers, the black cars rushing swiftly by
without them.
Forgetting the battle so inopportunely begun, they started off madly
in pursuit, shouting, yelling, commanding.
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