r the traffic of the line and then
unaccountably disappear as you did last night or rather early this
morning?"

"You may ask as much as you please," answered Rod, "but I shall refuse to
answer any of your questions until I know by what authority you ask them."
The young brakeman spoke quietly, but the nature of his feelings was
betrayed by the hot flush that sprang to his cheeks.

"You'll find out before I'm through with you," cried Snyder savagely. "Mr.
Sheriff I order you to place this fellow under arrest."

"Upon what charge?" asked the sheriff. "Is he the train robber?"

"Of course not," was the reply, "but he is a thief all the same. He is one
of our brakemen and ran off with a locomotive."

"What did he do with it?" asked the sheriff, with an air of interest.

"Left it standing on the track."

"Oh, I didn't know but what he carried it off with him. Did he leave it
alone and unguarded?"

Snyder was compelled to admit that the engine had been left in charge of
its regular firemen; but still claimed that the young brakeman had
committed a crime for which he ought to be arrested.

"I suppose you want me to arrest that fireman too?" suggested the sheriff.

"Oh, no. It was his duty to accompany the engine."

"But why didn't he refuse to allow it to move?"

"He was forced to submit by threats of personal injury made by this
brakeman fellow. Isn't that so?" asked Snyder, and the fireman nodded an
assent.

The sheriff smiled as he glanced first at the burly form of the fireman
and then at Rod's comparatively slight figure. "Can any of these men
identify this alleged locomotive thief?" he asked.

"Certainly they can. Tobin, tell the sheriff what you know of him."

Blazing with indignation at the injustice and meanness of Snyder's absurd
charge against his favorite brakeman, Conductor Tobin answered promptly:
"I know him to be one of the best brakemen on the road, although he is the
youngest. He is one of the pluckiest too and as honest as he is plucky.
I'll own he might have made a mistake in going off with that engine; but
all the same it was a brave thing to do and I am certain he thought he was
on the right track."

"Do you know him too?" asked the sheriff of the other brakeman.

"Yes, sir. I am proud to say I do and in regard to what I think of him
Conductor Tobin's words exactly express my sentiments."

"Do you also know him?" was asked of the fireman.

"Yes, I know him to be the young rascal who