racks at his best speed.
He was breathless as he reached the little depot. It was dark and
deserted, but opposite it was the one business street of the town.

Ralph left the tracks finally and made a dash for the open entrance of
the general store of the village. The usual crowd of loiterers was
gathered there.

"Hello! what's this?" cried the proprietor, as the young fireman
rushed wildly into the store.

"Fireman on the Dover freight," explained Ralph breathlessly.

"What's the trouble--a wreck?"

"No, a hold-up. Men! get weapons, a handcar, if there is one here, and
we may head off the robbers."

It took some urging to get that slow crowd into action, but finally
half-a-dozen men armed with shotguns were running down the tracks
following Ralph's lead.

It was a steep climb and several fell behind, out of breath. One big
fellow kept pace with Ralph.

"There they are," spoke the latter as they rounded a curve.

Lights showed in the near distance. A flash of lightning momentarily
revealed a stirring scene. The robbers were removing packages from a
car they had broken into, and these they were loading into their wagon
at the side of the train.

"Hurry up, hurry up!" Ralph's companion shouted back to his comrades.
"Now, then, for a dash, and we'll bag those rogues, plunder, rig and
all."

"Wait," ordered Ralph sharply.

He was too late. The impetuous villager was greatly excited and he ran
ahead and fired off his gun, two of the others following his example.

Ralph was very sorry for this, for almost instantly the robbers took
the alarm and all lights near the caboose were extinguished. The echo
of rapid orders reached the ears of the relief party. Fairly upon the
scene, a flash of lightning showed the wagon being driven rapidly up a
road leading from the cut.

"Look out for yourselves," suggested Ralph. "Those men are armed."

"So are we, now!" sharply sounded the voice of one of the men from
Brocton, and another flash of lightning showed the enemy still in
view.

"Up the road after them!" came a second order.

Ralph ran up to the side of the caboose.

"All safe?" he inquired anxiously.

"All but one of us," responded the conductor.

Ralph lit a lantern, noticing one of the train hands lying on the
ground motionless.

"He's a fighter, Tom is," said the conductor. "He resisted and
grappled with one of the robbers, and another of them knocked him
senseless."

"What's this in his hand?" inquir