; "Oh, Miss Baker"--the doctor
had rushed off to other possible sufferers--"and tell them no one is
hurt;--I mean seriously?"

"There is," said the governess, quite calmly; "a man has been killed."

"Oh dear!"

"A brakeman," Miss Baker hastened to add. "Don't be frightened. None of
the passengers."

"Now I know he was brave, and trying to do something to save us," cried
Polly, with kindling eyes.

"Yes," said a passenger, coming up to their group, "he was running back
with a lantern to signal the train, and he slipped and fell, and the
express went over him. But it stopped just in time for us."

"Oh the poor, poor man!" Polly was quite gone by this time, and Alexia
forgot her pain in trying to comfort her.

"But suppose he had children," cried Polly, "just suppose it, Alexia."

"I don't want to suppose it," said Alexia, wriggling. "Ugh! you do say
such uncomfortable things, Polly Pepper."

"I know it." Polly swallowed hard, and held Alexia's hand tighter than
ever. "Well, I won't talk of it any more."

The governess, who had moved away a bit, now came back with vexation
plainly written all over her face. "I must go and see if there isn't
some way to get a message to Grandpapa King, Alexia," said Polly. "I'll
be back as soon as I can." She dropped a kiss on the nearest cheek.

"Don't be gone long," begged Alexia.

"I will go with you," said the governess, stepping off after her.

"Very well," said Polly, going swiftly down the aisle, to see below the
car steps a crowd of passengers all in a tumult, and vociferating
angrily. In the midst of them, Polly saw the face of the doctor who had
just fixed Alexia's arm.

"Oh sir," she began.

He looked up, and caught sight of the brown eyes. "Is the little girl
worse?" And he sprang over toward her.

Polly, not stopping to think how furious Alexia would be, who was quite
the tallest of their set, to be designated as a little girl, made haste
to say, "Oh no, sir; but oh, could you tell me how to let my grandpapa
and my mother know we are safe? Could you, sir?" Poor Polly, who had
held up so bravely, was clasping her hands tightly together, and the
brown eyes were full of tears.

"Well, you see," began the doctor, hating to disappoint her, "it's a
difficult matter to get in communication with them at once. We are only
five miles out, but--"

"Five miles?" echoed Polly. "Oh then, some one can go to the nearest
station, and telephone, can't they, sir?"

"To be