ng sounds reached
his ears from some distance.

Chapter VIII.

GLEN RUNS A LOCOMOTIVE.

Springing from his berth, Glen began hastily to put on his shoes and the
few articles of clothing he had laid aside. Several other passengers
were doing the same thing, and each was asking the others what had
happened; but nobody knew. All the alarming sounds had now ceased, even
the women who had screamed being quiet, in the hope of discovering the
cause of their terror.

Glen was the first to leave the car, and, seeing a confused movement of
lanterns at the forward end of the train, he began to run in that
direction. It was still dark, though there were signs of dawn in the
sky. The train was not stopped at a station, but in a thick woods. As
the boy reached the baggage-car, he was horrified to see that several
men were lifting a limp and apparently lifeless body into it. The sight
made him feel sick and faint. He stood for a moment irresolute. Then,
two men, one of whom carried a lantern, came rapidly towards him.

"Here he is, now!" exclaimed one of them, as the light from the lantern
fell on the boy's face. Glen recognized the voice. It was that of his
recent acquaintance. Now he was coatless and bare-headed. In his hand
was a Colt's revolver. The other man was the conductor of the train.

"This gentleman says you can run a locomotive. Is that so?" asked the
conductor, holding up his lantern and scanning Glen's face keenly.

"Yes," answered the boy, "I can."

"Well, it looks like taking an awful risk to trust a boy as young as
you; but I don't know what else we can do. Our engineer has just been
killed, and the fireman is badly wounded. Two more men are hurt, and
we've got to get them to a doctor as quick as we can. It's fifty miles
to Kansas City, and there's only one telegraph station between here and
there. It's ten miles ahead. We'll stop there, and send a despatch. Will
you undertake to run us in?"

"Let me look at the engine first, and then I'll tell you," answered
Glen, his voice trembling with excitement in spite of his efforts to
appear calm.

The three went to the panting locomotive and swung themselves up into
its cab. Glen shuddered as he thought of the tragedy just enacted in
that cab, and almost drew back as he entered it. Then, controlling
himself by a determined effort, he gauged the water, tested the steam,
threw the lever over and back, opened the furnace door, glanced at the
amount of fuel