you do wid dis?" he demanded fiercely, indicating the
lantern.

"If you can't guess, I'm not going to tell you," declared Alex stoutly,
though his heart was in his throat.

"O ho! You wonta, eh? Alla right," said Tony softly through his teeth,
and in a grim silence more terrifying than the threat of his words, he
blew the lantern out, tossed it to the ground, and proceeding to clamber
down, grasped Alex by the leg and dragged him down after.

But help was at hand. As they reached the ground a second tall figure
loomed up suddenly out of the darkness. "Who dat?" demanded Big Tony. The
answer was a rush, and a blow, and with a throttled cry of terror the big
track worker went to the ground in a heap, the foreman on top of him.

Alex uttered a cry of joy, then with quick wit, while the two men engaged
in a terrific struggle, he darted in search of the lantern, found it,
fortunately unbroken, and in a trice was again running up the semaphore
ladder.

As he once more reached his post on the platform the big Italian
succeeded in breaking from the foreman, scrambled to his feet, and dashed
off across the brick-yard. "Come down, Alex. It's all over," called
Hennessy, gathering himself up. "And now we've got to hike right off, a
mile a minute, for the main-line if we are to stop that train. They ran
me so far I only just got back. Unless Twenty's late we--"

"I am trying to stop her from up here," interrupted Alex, relighting the
lantern.

"Up there? What do you mean?" exclaimed the foreman.

"Signalling father at the station, with the telegraph code," said Alex as
he replaced the lantern on the semaphore arm. "Come on up."

"Al," said the incredulous foreman as he reached the platform, "can you
really do it?"

"I had it going when that Italian stopped me. Watch."

But Alex was doomed again to interruption. Scarcely had he begun once
more flashing forth the telegraph call of the station when from the
direction of the woods came a shout, several answers, then a rush of
feet.

"Some of the Poles!" exclaimed the foreman. "But you go ahead, Al, and
I'll see that they don't get up to interfere," he added, determinedly.

The running figures came dimly into view below. "If any of you idiots
come up here I'll crack your heads!" shouted Hennessy, warningly.

"I've got the station again," announced Alex. "Now it will take only a
few minutes."

One of the men below reached the ladder, and, looking up, shouted
threatenin