of these happened within the next five minutes. He was slumped
down in his chair, which he had wheeled about so that he could rest his
feet comfortably on the window-sill, and beneath his wandering thoughts
he was only dreamily conscious of cinders clinking in the lamp funnels
and the low monotone of the rushing train. The woman, therefore, had
run past him and had reached the end of the car almost before he was
aware that he was no longer alone.

He sat up and stared after her. She wore a tight-fitting woolen
sweater with a Paddy green tam to match and clutched a silver-meshed
reticule in one hand. He could not see her face, for she did not turn
around but quickly opened the door and went out onto the brass-railed
platform beneath which the track was flowing back into the darkness.

In her hasty movements was a certain definiteness of purpose which did
not escape the puzzled Kendrick. Then he saw that she was tugging to
lift the trap in the platform which would uncover the steps on one
side. She had swung this into place and was hanging to the bottom
step, with the evident intention of leaping from the train, before Phil
found his voice.

"Hey!" he shouted, springing forward. "Don't do that!"

She gave him one startled look, and before he could reach her, let go
without a word.

A few seconds elapsed while the dumfounded young man peered into the
black void that had swallowed her. Then he too swung down the steps,
poised his body as far forward towards the engine as possible and with
a quick push backward--jumped.

For the face which had looked up at him and on which the light had
shone distinctly for an instant was the frightened face of Miss Cristy
Lawson!

CHAPTER XV

RAPPROCHEMENT

The train roared away into the night on its long trail to the West, the
noise of it lessening to a rumble off among the never-ending waste of
trees and rock ridges. Gradually the little night birds recovered from
their fright and their plaintive chorus resumed among the swamp grasses
and underbrush.

Kendrick had landed luckily and except for the shaking up and a few
bruises he was little the worse for his tumble. Still sitting where he
had plowed up the ballasting, he rubbed his arm tenderly and tried to
penetrate the gloom, his eyes not yet accustomed to the starlight after
the bright interior of the observation car. With his suitcase receding
at the rate of thirty miles an hour this was going to be a fin