"Sage," said the Governor, bowing, "I tremble for my hidden thoughts."
"You're a fool," said the Major, stepping up beside the Executive. "I want to know where you are going."
"I!" said the Governor, "I am going to the southeast. Do you see that little railroad? I am even now about to commit myself to its irresponsible mercies."
"You must not go, Al," continued the Auditor. "Attend, I will nominate the reasons. First, there is a julep party at my palatial residence."
"Second, there is a strike at the Big Injin."
"And third," continued the Auditor, lowering his voice, "Honorable Ambercrombie Hergan is at this very hour in the second room of Crawley's Emporium, playing the taxes of Bolas County, and losing them, sir, losing them."
The Governor's face grew hard, and his remarks for a moment were quite unprintable. Then he turned to the Auditor.
"Ned," he continued, "you must get him out, and take him up to my residence. I will be here by ten o'clock. I am compelled to go to El Paso. I can't get out of it. I am compelled to go."
"Compelled?" ejaculated the Major, "who, in the name of all the living gods, is compelling you? He must be greater than the railroads, greater than the legislature, greater than the Federal Court. Compelling the Honorable Alfred Capland Randal? Shade of the blooming Witch of Endor!"
"Ned," said the Governor slowly, "I will explain it all just as soon as I can. In the meantime you must help me. You must get him out. Won't you, Ned?"
The Governor put his hand on the Auditor's shoulder, just as he had done a thousand times before when he needed the help of this unusual man. And, just as he had done a thousand times before, the Major declared that the Executive was a "damned rascal" and a "no account youngster," and that he would not do it, when all the time he knew deep down in his heart that he loved this straight young fellow better than any other thing in the world, and that presently he was going to do exactly what he said he would not do.
The Governor knew this also, for he ran down the steps without stopping to interrupt the amiable flow of the Auditor's depreciatory remarks.
At the depot he found the Chinaman, Bumgarner, waiting with his coat.
That such a primitive Celestial should be saddled with such a name arose entirely from the pious instincts of the Major. It happened that the Virginian was standing in a crowd at the corner near Crawley's Emporium when the Chinaman first appeared, having tramped from the coast. The Major, who was slightly in his cups, called the Chinaman over to the corner, and inquired by what appellation he was known, to which the foreigner responded that he was called Fu Lun. "Fu Lun!" shouted the Major, fiercely, "a name smacking of the devil, and not to be tolerated in a Christian State." And then turning to the crowd, "Gentlemen," he continued, "behold! I do a goodly missionary work. I rebuke the evil spirit dwelling in the bosom of this heathen. I give it a Christian name. I name it Bumgarner."