they had taken the alarm and had escaped.

Zeph Dallas had gone back to Millville with Limpy Joe, and went to
work there. A further search was made for Ike Slump, Mort Bemis and
their accomplices, but they could not be found. Jim Evans had been
discharged from the railroad service. Nothing more was heard of Gasper
Farrington, and it seemed to Ralph as if at last his enemies had been
fully routed and there was nothing but a clear track ahead.

"It feels as if I was beginning life all over again," Ralph had told
his mother that morning. "Fireman of the Limited Mail--just think of
it, mother! one of the best positions on the road."

Ralph decided that the position demanded very honorable treatment, and
he looked neat and quite dressed up, even in his working clothes, as
he now sat in the engine cab.

Griscom proceeded to give him lots of suggestions and information
regarding his new duties.

There had been a change in the old time schedule of the Limited Mail.
Originally it had started from the city terminus in the early morning.
Now the run was reversed, and the train left Stanley Junction at 10:15
A.M.

Ralph proceeded to get everything in order for the prospective run,
but everything was so handy, it was a pleasure to contemplate his
duties.

Just before train time a boy came running up to the engine. He was an
old schoolmate and a neighbor.

"Ralph! Ralph!" he called breathlessly to the young fireman. "Your
mother sent me with a letter that she got at the post-office."

"For me? Thank you, Ned," said Ralph.

He glanced at the address. The handwriting was unfamiliar. There was
no time left to inspect the enclosure, so Ralph slipped the letter in
his pocket and proceeded to attend to the fire.

He quite forgot the letter after that, finding the duties of a
first-class fireman to be extremely arduous. There was plenty of coal
to shovel, and he was pretty well tired out when they reached the
city terminus.

"There, lad," said Griscom proudly, as they steamed into the depot on
time to a second. "This makes me feel like old times once more."

There was a wait of four hours in the city, during which period the
train hands were at liberty to spend their time as they chose. Griscom
took Ralph to a neat little hotel, where they had a meal and the
privileges of a reading room. It was there that Ralph suddenly
remembered the letter sent to him that morning by his mother.

As he opened it he was somewhat puzzled,