o the ground when Construction Superintendent Finnan appeared.
"Good morning, my lad. You beat me here, eh?" he said genially. "Well,
what do you make of it?"

Alex sprang down beside him, and produced the charred pine whittlings. "I
found these on the bottom of the car, sir. They don't seem to support the
careless tramp theory, do they?" Continuing, Alex then told of the man he
had seen there the evening before. "Do you think it was the work of the
K. & Z., sir?" he concluded.

The superintendent's lips were drawn tight. "Yes; I believe it was. Could
you identify the man?"

"I am afraid not, sir. It was getting dusk, and he was five or six
car-lengths from me, and running stooped over.

"Perhaps we could follow his footsteps down the side of the train?" Alex
suggested.

"Good idea! Lead ahead. There has been a good deal of tramping about, but
we may pick them out."

Proceeding to the point several cars distant at which he had seen the
stranger on the ground, Alex moved on slowly, carefully inspecting the
freshly turned but considerably trampled earth, the superintendent
following him.

A car-length beyond, the latter suddenly paused, retraced his steps a few
feet, and pointing out three succeeding impressions, exclaimed, "I think
we have him, Ward! See? A long step! He was running on his toes."

Aided by the known length of the stride, they continued, following the
footprints with comparative ease. Passing the second car from the end,
they found the steps shorten, then change to a walk. "Probably turned in
between this and the last car," the superintendent observed.

"Yes; here they go," announced Alex, halting at the opening between the
two flats. "He stood for a moment, then went on through."

Alex and the superintendent followed, and continued toward the rear of
the last car. Half way Alex halted, and with an ejaculation stooped and
picked up something white. "A small shaving, sir!"

The official took it. "That decides the matter," he said. "Probably it
was sticking to his clothes."

"He sat down here, for some time, did he not?" Alex was pointing to a
depression in the earth well under the car, between two ties, and to the
marks of bootheels. The superintendent went to his knees and closely
examined the impressions left by the heels.

"Good! Look here," he said with satisfaction. "The marks of spurs! Our
'tramp' was a horseman."

Alex turned to look about. "Where would he have kept his horse?"

S