Page:Ralph on the Railroad.djvu/979

Rh whiz by on a lessening run and come to a stop two hundred yards away.

Ralph dashed after the train, now halted beyond the trestle. He did not heed the shout of the brakeman already out on the tracks, but got up to the locomotive just as the conductor, lantern in hand, reached it.

"Hello!" shot out the engineer of No. 38, staring at the figure outlined within the halo of the conductor's light—"Fairbanks!"

"Why, so it is!" exclaimed the conductor, and it was easy for him to discern from Ralph's sudden appearance and breathless manner that he had some interest, if not an active part, in the mysterious disappearance of the semaphore signal. "What is it, Fairbanks?"

Very hurriedly Ralph explained. The engineer of No. 38 uttered a low whistle, meantimet [sic] regarding the active young railroader, whom he well knew, with a glance of decided admiration. Then as hurried were the further movements of the conductor.

Within a very few minutes a brakeman was speeding back to Widener to inform the man on duty there of the condition of affairs. He returned to report the situation in safe official control all up and down the line. In the meantime No 38. had moved up to the scene of the wreck.