Northern to a fairly alarming
extent. The Mountain Division had felt the full force of the blizzard
and had suffered the most extensively. There were parts of the
division where it took several days to repair culverts, strengthen
trestles and replace weakened patches of track. The Overland Express
missed several runs, but had got back on fair schedule two days
before. A new storm had set in that very morning, and as Ralph
followed Torchy there were places where the drifts were up to their
knees.

"There you are," announced his companion, pausing and pointing over at
a train on a siding. "Isn't that last car the very picture of the one
that Dallas was on?"

"Remarkably so," assented Ralph.

"I've got to get to the roundhouse," explained the little fellow,
turning back in his tracks. "Thought you'd want to know about that
car, though."

"I do, most emphatically," declared Ralph, "and greatly obliged to you
for thinking of it."

Ralph approached the train on the siding. It was one of the queerest
he had ever seen. There was a motley gathering of every class of
freight cars on the line. As he passed along he noted the destination
of some of the cars. No two were marked for the same point of
delivery. It was easy to surmise that they were victims of the recent
blockade.

Ralph came up to the rear car of the incongruous train with a good
deal of curiosity. It was not the car that had made that mysterious
run to Fordham Spur with Zeph Dallas, although it looked exactly like
it. The present car was newer and more staunch. A fresh discovery made
Ralph think hard. The car was classified as "fast freight," and across
one end was chalked its presumable destination.

"Fordham Spur," read the young engineer. "Queer--the same as the other
car. I wonder what's aboard?"

Just like the other car, the curtains were closely drawn in this one.
There was no sign of life about the present car, however. Smoke curled
from a pipe coming up through its roof. No one was visible in the
immediate vicinity except a flagman and some loiterers about a near
switch shanty. Ralph stepped to the rear platform of the car. He
placed his hand on the door knob, turned it, and to his surprise and
satisfaction the door opened unresistingly.

He stepped inside, to find himself in a queer situation. Ralph stood
in the rear partitioned-off end of the car. It resembled a homelike
kitchen. An oil stove stood on a stand, and around two sides of the
car