ur days? Was that all? It seemed as if she had known
him for years. And he had had his arm around her the other night! She
laughed, forgetful of everything else for the moment, in a funny sense
of belated dismay.

He had been very good to her. And he was handsome. Above all, he was
manly--a gentleman. She knew that now. Her woman's intuition told her
he was a fine, splendid boy, sincere, brave. Now that she had come to
know him, she realized that her former suspicions had been based upon a
misunderstanding of the situation. He was not to be held responsible
for the kind of man his uncle was. How quickly he had taken the right
attitude when he found out the truth about the Honorable Milton Waring.
He had urged her not to lose a minute, to get away without fail, even
when he knew that her success meant a family disgrace which would be
very bitter to bear. Oh, but he was a dear!

That kiss, the night of the fog? How angry she had been! Yet who was
to blame for it? Hadn't she invited it? Hadn't she dared him to it?
Phil would take no dare from anybody! She laughed softly as she
thought of it all, her cheeks blush-burning in the dark.

Time passed. She halted suddenly, aware of a huge shadowy something
directly opposite, looming out at her unexpectedly. With a cry of
delight she recognized it as a water-tank; she could make out the spout
overhanging the track, a stick of pallor in the darkness.

And the station? Eagerly she ran forward--then stopped again,
perplexed. There ought to be lights of some sort; but where were they?
A day station, maybe, with the operator asleep not far away. She would
have to waken him. She did not think to look for switch-lights, and
when she discerned the dark mass where the station stood she ran to it
gladly and began pounding on the door.

The echoes resounded hollowly through the little building. They seemed
strangely loud--with emptiness! She started for the nearest window and
broken glass crunched beneath her feet.

Her sharp cry of consternation fell upon the unresponsive night and was
swallowed up in blackness, solitude, dead heavy silence. The windows
were full of broken panes!

Frantically she hobbled around to the side of the building, only to
find the doors boarded up! The truth laid a cold hand upon her. This
was one of those stations she had heard Phil tell about, built during
construction of the road, but afterwards closed up as unnecessary in
th