ak you," he murmured. "I'll never make my get-away if I
don't; but SHE won't let me--God bless her."

Suddenly a thought came to Billy Byrne. If he could have a start he
might escape. It wouldn't hurt the man any to stay here for a few hours,
or even for a day. Billy removed the deputy's coat and tore it into
strips. With these he bound the man to a tree. Then he fastened a gag in
his mouth.

During the operation the deputy regained consciousness. He looked
questioningly at Billy.

"I decided not to croak you," explained the young man. "I'm just a-goin'
to leave you here for a while. They'll be lookin' all along the right o'
way in a few hours--it won't be long afore they find you. Now so long,
and take care of yerself, bo," and Billy Byrne had gone.

A mistake that proved fortunate for Billy Byrne caused the penitentiary
authorities to expect him and his guard by a later train, so no
suspicion was aroused when they failed to come upon the train they
really had started upon. This gave Billy a good two hours' start that he
would not otherwise have had--an opportunity of which he made good use.

Wherefore it was that by the time the authorities awoke to the fact
that something had happened Billy Byrne was fifty miles west of Joliet,
bowling along aboard a fast Santa Fe freight. Shortly after night had
fallen the train crossed the Mississippi. Billy Byrne was hungry and
thirsty, and as the train slowed down and came to a stop out in the
midst of a dark solitude of silent, sweet-smelling country, Billy opened
the door of his box car and dropped lightly to the ground.

So far no one had seen Billy since he had passed from the ken of the
trussed deputy sheriff, and as Billy had no desire to be seen he slipped
over the edge of the embankment into a dry ditch, where he squatted upon
his haunches waiting for the train to depart. The stop out there in the
dark night was one of those mysterious stops which trains are prone to
make, unexplained and doubtless unexplainable by any other than a higher
intelligence which directs the movements of men and rolling stock. There
was no town, and not even a switch light. Presently two staccato blasts
broke from the engine's whistle, there was a progressive jerking at
coupling pins, which started up at the big locomotive and ran rapidly
down the length of the train, there was the squeaking of brake shoes
against wheels, and the train moved slowly forward again upon its
long journey towa