"'Thank you very much,' said I; and I went over to the Windsor--I was
putting up there--and asked the head clerk, who was a good friend of
mine, where Strauss was.

"'Why, Simon,' said he, 'he's just gone down to the depot to take the
D. & R. G. for Colorado Springs, but you will have no trouble finding
him if you want to see him. They're not running any sleepers on the
train. It's just a local between here and Pueblo. He wears gold-rimmed
spectacles, is bald, and smokes all the time.'

"I called a cab, rushed down to the depot, checked my trunks to
Colorado Springs, and jumped on the train just as she was pulling out.
I spotted the old man as I went into the coach. He was sitting in a
double seat with his feet up on the cushions. I got a whiff of his
'Lottie Lee' ten feet away. Luckily for me, all the seats in the car
except the one the old man had his feet on, were occupied, so I
marched up and said, 'Excuse me, sir, I dislike tol make you
uncomfortable,' and sat down in front of him.

"The old man saw that I was one of the boys and, as he wanted to pump
me, he warmed up and offered me one of his Lotties. I shall never
forget that cigar. Smoke 'em in Colorado,--smell 'em in Europe! I
managed to drop it on the floor in a few minutes so that I could
switch onto one of mine. I pulled out a pair of two-bit-straights and
passed one over, lighting the other for myself.

"'Dot vas a goot seecar,' said the old man. 'You are on der roat?'

"'Yes,' said I.