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"In here? Heavens, dear girl I couldn’t say I should think not, though"

Gunfire ca ping, though Mercy couldn’t gather where it’d started or where it’d ended up She heard it tearing throughwith a plop

Someone in the next car up screaain, then the sound of return fire co out her o this time, Mercy saw more horses and more men--at least half a dozen on her side of the train alone--so she skedaddled across the aisle and pushed past the girl as sitting there already, lying across the seat with her head covered On that side, she could almost seebut not quite

She reached for the ’s latch, flipped it, and yanked it up so she could get a better look Craning her face into the wind, Mercy narrowed her eyes against the gusts, and the fierce, cold hurricane of the train’s swift passage On that side of the train she counted six--no, seven--o of theand it fell with a sliding snick back into place

Back on her side of the car, Miss Clay was trying to cale the wos," she was saying "We’ll use them for cover--I’ll put them between you and the car’s wall, in case of stray bullets"

Mercy thought this was an eminently sensible plan, and if she’d had any suitcases of her own, she would’ve promptly contributed to the e, she rifled through her bag and felt the chilly heft of the guns She hesitated, and while she made up her mind, the train picked up speed with a heave She swayed on her feet and watched out theas one of the s churned, puround

He looked up into the , a rifle slung over his shoulder and a six-​shooter bouncing roughly in one of his hands He pointed it up at her, or at the , or at the train in general--she had no way of knohat he saw as he peered up fro horse Maybe he saw nothing but a reflection of the sky, or the passing trees But for a moment she could’ve sworn they un and flipped it into his holster, while drawing up hard on his horse’s reins and letting it veer off with a bucking skid

Mercy realized she had been holding her breath She released it, and she released her grip on her own chest

Sensing so nearby, she spun about and found herself face-​to-​face with Horatio Kor at her hair The thought fired through her head--So, I’m not the only one the bushwhacker saw in the --and she said breathlessly, "Mr Koret down Take some cover like a sane wo on!"

"How should I know?" he asked without a shrug "I’er here, uess raiders, then They look like Rebs to me, so it’s safe to say they’re sworn enemies of yours, and all that" If there was an accusation buried there, he let it lie deep, and left the surface of the state blank "I’m sure the militia boys on board will make short work of theh the popping blips of gunfire The difference between the Dreadnought’s cannon and the bushwhacker rifles sounded like the difference between a lone whistler and a church choir

The engine kicked and leaned, whipping the cars behind it so they swayed on their tracks, back and forth, harder than before, more violently than normal

"They’ll be blown to bits!" Mrs Butterfield declared with naked glee

But the ranger said, "I wouldn’t bet on it Look at that, can you see? They’re peeling away, heading back into the woods"

"Maybe they knohat’s good for theot a pretty fair idea," said Horatio Korman "That was just about the fastest raid I ever saw in -​string bullets spit across the scenery, chasing after the h her"Wasn’t much of a attack," she observed

Mrs Butterfield said, "Of course not Weak and cowardly, the lot of the to write letters about We’ve certainly had a bit of exciteer snorted softly "They didn’t evensqueezed tightly in her niece’s arms

She scowled up at him "And who are you to coh demeanor, that you must be a Republican, and I daresay it’s a shaiven your near-​certain syodda safe and sound to Utah, and I can assure you I don’t have any desire to get blown up between here and there So if they got chased off, good It’s all the same to me" He flashed Mercy a look that said he’d like to say more, er had not just spoken so harshly, he tipped the brim of his hat to the hi the strained conversation to a close

When he was gone, Miss Clay’s frigid glare settled on Mercy She asked the nurse, "You know that revolting man?"

"I" She shook her head and took her seat slowly "He was on the ship I rode to St Louis He was a passenger, that’s all"

"He surely has taken an interest in you"