By this time the two men had their coats on, and were outside the
building.

"Let's see," said Bannon, "we go this way, don't we?"

"Yes."

There was still the light, flying flakes of snow, and the biting wind that
came sweeping down from the northwest. The two men crossed the siding,
and, picking their way between the freight cars on the Belt Line tracks,
followed the path that wound across the stretch of dusty meadow.

"Go ahead," said Peterson; "you was telling about Murphy."

"Well, that was the situation. I could see that Brown was up on his hind
legs about it, but it made me tired, all the same. Of course the job had
to be done, but I wasn't letting him have any satisfaction. I told him he
ought to give it to somebody else, and he handed me a lot of stuff about
my experience. Finally I said: 'You come around in the morning, Mr. Brown.
I ain't had any sleep to speak of for three weeks. I lost thirty-two
pounds,' I said, 'and I ain't going to be bothered tonight.' Well, sir, he
kind of shook his head, but he went away, and I got to thinking about it.
Long about half-past seven I went down and got a time-table. There was a
train to Stillwater at eight-forty-two."

"That night?"

"Sure. I went over to the shops with an express wagon and got a thousand
feet of rope--had it in two coils so I could handle it--and just made the