at, Tom? that's my set of cameras; they're fine too, I tell
you."

"But why do you bother to take them around with you all the time, like
that?" inquired his friend.

"Oh," replied Ned, "I do that so as to be ready to catch any choice
scenes I come across; I'm making a collection of views, you know, and
I expect to get a good many on this trip. By the way, I got some
stunning views over there at your place this morning, just before
breakfast."

"The dickens, you did!" exclaimed Tom, suddenly remembering a
ludicrous predicament in which his guest had caught him.

"Oh, yes," said Ned, "and when I get away at a safe distance I'm going
to develop them and send them to you. I've got an awfully fine--well,
by Jove, if that isn't just my luck!"

Ned had just deposited his belongings on the depot platform and in
doing so, noticed a piece of blackboard propped up against the wall,
on which were chalked these words, "Train 3 ours late." His eyes
seemed riveted to the spot.

"What's the matter now?" asked Tom, who took in the situation at a
glance.

"Matter! Why, that blasted train is three hours behind time."

"Too bad!" said Tom, with a grin; "if I'd only known that I needn't
have driven my horses so hard."

"Oh, confound those little beasts of yours;" exclaimed Ned, "a little
exercise won't hurt them, but to think of three hours in a place like
this! and say, don't you know how to spell out here?"

"Well," said Tom, coolly, "I don't hold myself personally responsible
for the wording of that blackboard, but I suppose that's the phonetic
spelling they used to talk about when I lived east; you see we've
adopted it out here, for we westerners have to rustle lively, and
don't have time for old-fashioned ways."

"I see," said Ned, rather sarcastically; "perhaps you can tell me why
they don't 'rustle' that train along on time."

"I suppose," replied Tom, "it's on account of that wreck two days ago;
you know your train was ten hours late yesterday."

"Yes," assented Ned, gazing about him with an expression of intense
disgust; "I got here after dark; that's how it comes about that I
never realized until the present moment what a paradise this place is.
Valley City! I can't see more than a dozen buildings here."

"That's probably because you're so near-sighted, my dear boy,"
replied Tom; and Ned, who was very sensitive on the subject of his
near-sightedness, colored, and readjusted his eye-glasses, while he
asked in a