d heard Fogg had but little insurance.

"Wait a minute," directed the official, and he went into the next
office. Ralph heard him dictating something to his stenographer. Then
the typewriter clicked, and shortly afterwards the master mechanic
came into the office with a sheet of foolscap, which he handed to
Ralph. A pleased flush came into the face of the young railroader as
he read the typewritten heading of the sheet--it was a subscription
list in behalf of Lemuel Fogg, and headed by the signature of the
master mechanic, with "$20" after it.

"You are a noble man!" cried Ralph irresistibly. "No wonder it's a joy
to work for you."

"Down brakes there!" laughed the big-hearted fellow. "Don't draw it
too strong, Fairbanks. Don't be more liberal than you can afford now,"
he directed, as Ralph placed the paper on the desk, and added to it
his subscription for $10. "You can tell Fogg we're rising a few
pennies for him. I'll circulate the subscription among the officials,
and if any plan to have the roundhouse crowd chip in a trifle comes to
your mind, why, start it down the rails. Get out."

"All right," cried Ralph. "You've said that twice, so I guess it's
time to go now."

"One minute, though," added the master mechanic. "You and Fogg will
run No. 999 on the Tipton accommodation to-morrow. It's a shift berth,
though. I don't want you to go dreaming quite yet, Fairbanks, that
you're president of the Great Northern, and all that, but, under the
hat, I will say that you can expect a boost. We are figuring on some
big things, and I shouldn't wonder if a new train is soon to be
announced that will wake up some of our rivals. Get out now for good,
for I'm swamped with work here."

The young engineer left the office of the master mechanic with a very
happy heart. Affairs had turned out to his entire satisfaction, and,
too, for the benefit of those whose welfare he had considered beyond
his own. Ralph was full of the good news he had to impart to Lemuel
Fogg. As he left the vicinity of the depot, he began to formulate a
plan in his mind for securing a subscription from his fellow workers
to aid Fogg.

"I say," suddenly remarked Ralph to himself with a queer smile, and
halting in his progress, "talk about coincidences, here is one for
certain. 'The Overland Limited,' why, I've got an idea!"

The "Overland Limited" had been in Ralph's mind ever since leaving the
office of the master mechanic. There could be only one solut