es in which to work, to catch the
Overland at Broken Gap. For undoubtedly it was beyond that point that the
bandits planned holding her up--probably on one of the steep grades of
the Little Timber hills.

Suddenly Alex uttered a gasp of hope. A moment he debated, with nervously
clasped hands, then, exhaustion forgotten, dashed back into the little
telegraph room, found a screw-driver, and in a few minutes had loosened
from the table the telegraph-key and the receiving instrument. Catching
them up, with some short ends of wire, he darted out and up the track to
the west.

Two hundred yards distant the intact end of the telegraph line drooped
into the drainage ditch. Alex caught it up and dragged it to the rails.
Placing the key and relay on the end of a tie, he connected them on one
side to the rail, and on the other side to the end of the line wire.

But the responding click did not come. Alex groaned in disappointment. He
had counted on the rails giving a "ground" connection. Then the line
would have closed, and he could have worked it to the west. But
apparently the hot weather had entirely dried out the sand beneath the
rails, and thus insulated them.

But he was not yet beaten. There was a ground wire at the station. Why
could he not use the rails that far, if they were insulated? With a
hurrah he seized the end of the line wire, and in a few moments had
connected it to one of the rail joints. Then, catching up the
instruments, he dashed back for the station.

Placing the instruments again on the table, he found a piece of loose
wire that would reach from the instruments, out through the window, to
the rails; ran out and quickly connected it to a rail joint, and, darting
back, connected the other end to the instruments. Instantly there was a
sharp downward click. The line was closed!

Alex could not suppress a quick "Thank Heaven!" and, trembling with
excitement, he seized the key and began swiftly calling the despatcher.
"X, X, X, HC," he called. "X, X--"

He felt the line open, and closed his own key. Then, in surprise, he
read: "So you have been monkeying with the wires there after all, have
you? Now look here--"

Quickly Alex interrupted, and shot back: "Train robbers are after the
Overland. They held me up, and cut the wires both sides of the station. I
got free, and have made a connection through the rails--HC."

For a moment the line remained silent, while at his end of the wire the
despatcher sat