The Sentinel=record., 1914-11-01
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 others wrath by dropping down to the ballast and trotting over to the ditch, where the hand car lay.
 Looks as if it might work" he an- nounced. Come along and lend me a hand"
 Half a minute" Barcus answered, lodging suddenly back into tke car.
 When he reappeared, after some five minutes, Rose accompanied him, and Barcus was emiling as brilliantly as though nothing whatever was wrong with his world.
 Sorry to keep you waiting, old top." he explained; but 1 was smitten with an inspiration. There didn't seem to be any sense in letting the amiable Judith loose upon this fair land, so I found a coil of wire in the porter's closet and wired the handle of the drawing room door fast to the bars across the aisle. It'll take her some time to get out, now. without assist | ance."
 Ten minutes more had passed before the two grimy and perspiring gentle 1 men succeeded in placing the hand car upon the tracks
 Its swell little, hand car" Bar threw it away."s
 Whats the difference how it looks, as long as 1t will go2"
 But will it?" Barcus doubted.
 Somewhere far back along the line locomotive hooted mournfully.
 "It's got to!" Alan replied, helping Rose aboard. If we can only get out of sight before they get here"
 Don't worry" Bacus advised: that's freight whistle"
 Maybe you can distinguish the whistle of a freight from that of a pas senger train-I don't say you can't; but I'll take no chances. on your iudg ment being good. Hop aboard here if you're coming with us7" Slowly the hand car stirred on it's grease-hungry and complaining aXles; slowly it gathered momentum and eurged noisily up the track as Alan and Barcus, on opposite sides of the handlebar, alternately rose and fell | back slowly it mounted the slight grade to the bend in the track, rounded it, lost sight of the stalled Pullman on the siding and began to move more swiftly on a moderate down grade Behind it the thunder of an ap- preaching train grew momentarily in volume, lending color to the theory of Mr. Barcus that what they had heard | had been the whistle of a freighter | rather than of the light engine. But | just as Alan was about to advocate l leaving the tracks and taking the hand car with them to clear the way for the train, it's rumble began to diminish, grew less and beautifully less, and was | stilled
 What do you make of that?" Alan \ panted across the racking bar.
 "The obvious" Barcus returned. "The freight has taken the siding to wait for some other through train to pass. We'll have to look sharp and be ready to jump"
 The grade became a trace more steep; the car moved with less reluc- tance.
 Let go," Alan advised. "itll coast down the balance of this incline-and we'd better save our strength"
 But they had barely regained their breath and mopped the streaming sweat away from their eyes when a second whistle, of a different tone, startled both back to their task
 Catching the eye of Barcus Alan nodded despairingly.
 Afraid it's all up with us now" he groaned; that sounded precisely like the whistle of the light engine"
 Sure it did!" Barcus agreed. Tt wouldn't be us if we had any better luck. The saints be praised for this grade!"
 For all it's age and decrertude the hand car made very fair pace at the urge of the two who rose and sagged again without respite on either side the handlebar; and the grade was hap oily long, turning and twisting like a snake through the hills.
 A little grace was granted them, moreover, through tue circumstance Gas they afterward discovered) that 1 the light engine had stopped at the siding long enough to couple up Trine's Pullman-thus automatically ceasing to be light engine, and becoming a special.
 It was fully quarter of an hour be- fore the growing rumble of the latter warned the trio on the hand car, just as 1t gained the end of the grade and addressed itself to a level though tor tuous stretch of track.
 And at this point discovery of the switch of a spur line that shot off i southward into the hills furnished Alan with his independent inspiration.
 Stopping the hand car after it had jolted over the frogs, he jumped down set the switch to shunt the pursuit off to the spur, and leaped back upon the car
 Hardly had they succeeded in work ing the hand car up round the shoulder of the next bend when the special took the switch without pause and the roar