But here was something vaguely dangerous to the
feminine mind,--position, flattery, power. He was almost as firmly
satisfied now that he had been wronged and neglected as he had been
positive a few moments before that he had been remiss in his attention.
The irritation, although momentary, was enough to decide this strong
man. He telegraphed to San Francisco; and, having missed the steamer,
secured an overland passage to Washington; thought better of it, and
partly changed his mind an hour after the ticket was purchased; but,
manlike, having once made a practical step in a wrong direction, he
kept on rather than admit an inconsistency to himself. Yet he was not
entirely satisfied that his journey was a business one. The impulsive,
weak little Mistress Carmen had prudently scored one against the strong
man.
Only a small part of the present great trans-continental railway at this
time had been built, and was but piers at either end of a desolate and
wild expanse as yet unbridged. When the overland traveller left the
rail at Reno, he left, as it were, civilization with it; and, until he
reached the Nebraska frontier, the rest of his road was only the
old emigrant trail traversed by the coaches of the Overland Company.
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