Page:Dave Porter at Oak Hall.djvu/249

Rh "Don't chute the chutes when we come to the river!"

"I wonder if this is safe?" asked Dave of Roger. "It seems to me we are running pretty fast."

"Running fast? I should say we were." Roger raised his voice. "I say, you of the handle in front, don't let her get away from you!"

"This is the Overland Express!" was shouted back. "Through train, with no sleepers and no stops!" And another cheer went up, which startled the inhabitants of a village through which they were rushing. Several ran out, and concluded the car was in the possession of a number of lunatics.

"You want to come up here!" came from Buster Beggs, who was perched on the roof of the car. "The moonlight effect is grand."

"You hold on when we round a curve," said Dave, warningly. "If you don't you'll find yourself pitched into the middle of next week."

"Which puts me in mind of a story I heard a railroad man tell," came from Shadow. "He was talking of the curves on a line in Colorado. He said the engineer of the train used to leave his dinner pail in the caboose of the freight and when he wanted it he'd wait till he got to one of those close curves, and then he'd just reach out from the cab into the caboose, and——"