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174 started in pursuit of the special! If only there had not been that light engine in pursuit—as Barcus firmly believed it must be—loaded to the guards with Trine's unscrupulous hirelings!

No telling when they might not catch up!

The fear of this last catastrophe worked, together with his fears of Judith, to make that night almost a sleepless one for Barcus. He spent it in a chair whence he could watch both the door to the compartment Judith had chosen for her own (formerly Marrophat's room), and the endless ribbons of steel that swept beneath the trucks, and, shining fugitively in the light from the observation platform, streamed away into the darkness astern.

But nothing happened. He napped uneasily from time to time, waking with a start of fright, but only to find nothing amiss. Ever Judith stopped behind that closed door, and ever the track behind was innocent of the glare of a pursuing headlight.

Later he had cause to believe that Judith, during one of his cat-naps, had stolen out of that door and had managed to get into most effective communication with the engine-crew and brakeman. Unquestionably these three had been quite content with Alan's liberal-handed contributions to their bank-accounts up to that hour. Furthermore, they had his promise of a munificent reward if they finished the run to California, to say nothing of the word of