e monster engine made a leap as if freed from some incubus.

"The caboose!" screamed Fogg, and Ralph felt a shudder cross his
frame. He could only risk a flashing glance backward--the caboose was
gone! It had broken couplings, and had made a dive down through the
flood rack clear to the bottom of the river, out of sight. Then
No. 999 struck the edge of the up grade in safety, past the danger
line, gliding along on clear tracks now.

Fogg stood panting for breath, clinging to his seat, a wild horror in
his eyes. Ralph uttered a groan. His hand gripped to pull to stop, a
sharp shout thrilled through every nerve a message of gladness and
joy.

"Good for you--we've made it!"

The railroad president came sliding down the diminished coal heap at
the rear of the tender. He had grasped its rear end, and had climbed
over it just as the caboose went hurtling to destruction. The glad
delight and relief in the eyes of the young engineer revealed to the
official fully his loyal friendship. Fogg, catching sight of him,
helped him to his feet with a wild hurrah. The fireman's face shone
with new life as he swung to his work at the coal heap.

"If we can only make it--oh, we've got to make it now!" he shouted at
Ralph.

There was a sharp run of nearly an hour. It was along the lee side of
a series of cuts, and the snow was mainly massed on the opposite set
of rails. Ralph glanced at the clock.

"We're ahead of calculations," he spoke to Fogg.

"We're in for another struggle, though," announced the fireman. "When
we strike the lowlands just beyond Lisle, we'll catch it harder than
ever."

Ralph was reeking with perspiration, his eyes cinder-filled and glazed
with the strain of continually watching ahead. There had not been a
single minute of relief from duty all the way from Westbrook. They
struck the lowlands. It was a ten-mile run. First it was a great
snowdrift, then a dive across a trembling culvert. At one point the
water and slush pounded up clear across the floor of the cab and
nearly put out the fire. As No. 999 rounded to higher grade, a tree
half blown down from the top of an embankment grazed the locomotive,
smashing the headlight and cutting off half the smokestack clean as a
knife stroke.

Ralph made no stop for either inspection or repairs. A few minutes
later an incident occurred which made the occasion fairly bristle with
new animation and excitement.

Mr. Grant had sat quietly in the fireman's seat. Now h