from
Rockton to the stalled train. It was not until two mornings later,
however, that the main line was open and Ralph and Fogg got back to
Stanley Junction.

Archie came on the same train. Ralph asked him up to the house, but
the young inventor said he wanted the quiet of his hotel room to work
on his signal rocket idea, which he declared would amount to something
yet.

The young engineer had scarcely got in the house after the warm,
cheerful greeting of his anxious mother, when Zeph Dallas put in an
appearance.

Zeph was looking exceedingly prosperous. He wore a new, nicely-fitting
suit of clothes, a modest watch and chain, and was quite dignified and
subdued, for him.

"When you've had your breakfast, Ralph," he said, "I've got something
to tell you."

"Yes," nodded Ralph, "I'm expecting to hear a pretty long story from
you, Zeph."

The young engineer hurried his breakfast and soon joined Zeph in the
sitting-room.

"Say, Ralph," at once observed his friend, "you've done some big
things in your time, but the biggest thing you ever did was when you
saw to it that Jim Evans and Ike Slump, and most of all, that fellow,
Morris, were held as prisoners by Adair, the road detective."

"I fancied they deserved locking up," remarked Ralph.

"There would have been a murder if you hadn't seen to it," declared
Zeph. "I've a story to tell that would make your hair stand on end,
but it would take a book to tell it all."

"I'm here to listen, Zeph," intimated Ralph.

"Yes, but I'm due to meet Mr. Adair at the jail. He's sent Evans and
Slump back to the prison they escaped from. I hurried on here from the
Fordham cut purposely to tell him what I wanted done with Morris."

"I say, Zeph," rallied the young railroader, "you seem to have a big
say in such things for a small boy."

"That's all right," declared Zeph good-naturedly; "I'm all here, just
the same, and I'm here for a big purpose. In a word, not to mystify
you, Ralph, for you know only half of the story, I was hired by Marvin
Clark, the son of the Middletown & Western Railroad president, to do
all I've done, and I have been royally paid for it."

"Then you must have done something effective," observed Ralph.

"Clark thought so, anyway. I'll try and be brief and to the point, so
that you'll understand in a nutshell. You know Marvin Clark and Fred
Porter and the two Canaries?"

The young engineer nodded assentingly.

"Well, as I say, I ran across Clark ac