ing in terror what the trackmen intended
doing with their prisoner. Then, gathering courage at their continued
ignorance of his presence, he cautiously moved back to the opening and
peered down.

The men were gathered in the center of the room, all talking at once. But
he could not see the foreman. As he leaned farther forward heavy
footfalls sounded about the end of the house, and Big Tony, a huge
Italian who had recently been discharged from the gang, appeared in the
doorway.

"We puta him in da barn," he announced in broken English; for the rest of
the gang were Poles. "Tomaso, he watcha him."

"An' now listen," continued the big trackman fiercely, as the rest
gathered about him. "I didn't tell everyt'ing. Besides disa man Hennessy
he say cuta da wage, an' send for odders take your job, he tella da biga
boss you no worka good, so da biga boss he no pay you for all da last
mont'!"

The ignorantly credulous Poles uttered a shout of rage. Several cried:
"Keel him! Keel him!" Alex, in the loft, drew back in terror.

"No! Dere bettera way dan dat," said Tony. "Da men to taka your job come
to-night on da Nomber Twent'. I hava da plan.

"You alla know da old track dat turn off alonga da riv' to da old
brick-yard? Well, hunerd yard from da main line da old track she washed
away. We will turn da old switch, Nomber Twent' she run on da old
track--an' swoosh! Into da riv'!"

Run No. 20 into the river! Alex almost cried aloud. And he knew the plan
would succeed--that, as Big Tony said, a hundred yards from the main-line
track the old brick-yard siding embankment was washed out so that the
rails almost hung in the air.

"Dena we all say," went on Big Tony, "we alla say, Hennessy, he do it. We
say we caughta him. See?"

Again Alex glanced down, and with hope he saw that some of the Poles were
hesitating. But Tony quickly added: "An' no one else be kill buta da
strike-break'. No odder peoples on da Nomber Twent' disa day at night.
An' da trainmen dey alla have plent' time to jomp.

"Only da men wat steala your job," he repeated craftily. And with a
sinking heart Alex saw that the rest of the easily excitable foreigners
had been won.

Again he moved back out of sight. Something must be done! If he could
only reach the barn and free the foreman!

But of course the first thing to do was to make his own escape from the
house. He rose on his elbow and glanced about.

At the far end of the loft a glimmer of light through