m.

I took Stagers's arm. "What time," said I, "does the first train start
for Dayton?"

"At twelve," said the other; "what do you want?"

"How far is it?" I continued.

"About fifteen miles," he replied.

"Good; I can get back by eight o'clock to-night."

"Easily," said Stagers, "_if_ you go. What is it you want?"

"I want," said I, "a smaller tube, to put in the windpipe. Must have it,
in fact."

"Well, I don't like it," said he, "but the thing's got to go through
somehow. If you must go, I will go along myself. Can't lose sight of
you, Doc, just at present. You're monstrous precious. Did you tell
File?"

"Yes," said I. "He's all right. Come. We've no time to lose." Nor had
we. Within twenty minutes we were seated in the last car of a long
train, and running at the rate of twenty miles an hour towards Dayton.
In about ten minutes I asked Stagers for a cigar.

"Can't smoke here," said he.

"No," I answered; "I'll go forward into the smoking-car."

"Come along, then," said he, and we went through the train accordingly.
I was not sorry he had gone with me when I found in the smoking-car one
of the spies who had been watching me so constantly. Stagers nodded to
him and grinned at me, and we sat down together.

"Chut," said I, "dropped my cigar. Left it on the window-ledge, in the
hindmost car. Be back in a moment." This time, for a wonder, Stagers
allowed me to leave unaccompanied. I hastened through to the back car,
and gained the platform at its nearer end, where I instantly cut the
signal cord. Then I knelt down, and, waiting until the two cars ran
together, I removed the connecting pin. The next moment I leaped to my
feet, and screwed up the brake wheel, so as to check the pace of the
car. Instantly the distance widened between me and the flying train. A
few moments more, and the pace of my own car slackened, while the
hurrying train flew around a distant curve. I did not wait for my own
car to stop entirely before I slipped down off the steps, leaving the
other passengers to dispose of themselves as they might until their
absence should be discovered and the rest of the train return.

As I wish rather to illustrate my very remarkable professional career,
than to amuse by describing its mere incidents, I shall not linger to
tell how I succeeded, at last, in reaching St. Louis. Fortunately, I had
never ceased to anticipate a moment when escape from File and his
friends would be possible, so that I alw