lph and some of his
railroad friends had succeeded in rescuing a relative of the official
from a band of blackmailers. Ralph did not believe that the president
would remember him. He was both surprised and pleased when the
official, glancing about in his keen, quick way, smiled and mentioned
his name in greeting, nodded to Fogg, and then went up to the
foreman's table.

Spread out upon this was an outline map of the great Northern and all
its branches. The foreman had been utilizing it as an exigency chart.
He had three pencils beside it--red, green and blue, and these he had
used to designate by a sort of railroad signal system the condition of
the lines running out of Rockton. Red signified a wreck or stalled
train, green snow blockades, blue bridges down and culverts under
water. The map was criss-crossed with other special marks, indicating
obstructions, flood damage and the location of wrecking crews.

"As bad as that!" commented the president in a grave tone, with a
comprehensive glance over the chart. Then he picked up the receiver.

"Martin, chief dispatcher," he spoke through the 'phone. "Give me the
situation over the Mountain Division in a nutshell."

What followed took barely sixty seconds. The information must have
been as distressing as it was definite, for Ralph noticed a deeper
concern than ever come over the serious face of the official.

"How's the South Branch?" he inquired next.

"It's useless, Mr. Grant," put in the superintendent, as the president
dropped the receiver with a disappointed and anxious sigh. After
receiving some further information he again swept his eye over the map
on the table. His fingers mechanically followed the various divisions
outlined there. The foreman came to his side.

"Excuse me, Mr. Grant," he spoke respectfully, "but I'm in pretty
close touch with conditions along the lines. If I can explain
anything----"

"You can. That is the old Shelby division?" inquired the official, his
finger point resting on a line on the chart running due southeast
between the Mountain Division and the South Branch out of Rockton.

"Yes, sir," assented the foreman proudly. "You know it has been
practically abandoned except for coal freight, since the south line
was completed. It's used as a belt line now--transfer at Shelby
Junction."

"What's the condition."

"Risky. We sent a freight over this morning. It got through four hours
late."

"But it got through, you say?" spoke the