ne of the rails might not be as solid as the other," said the man.

"But it should have been nearly as solid," replied Marion. "This piece
of track, you tell me, was examined to-day; the ties are equally
sound on both sides, the rail is the same weight. We have the right to
conclude then that each of these rails was about in the same condition.
I do not say precisely in the same condition. Now, it is true that
under these conditions one of the rails might have been pushed out of
alignment before the other. We can grant a certain factor of difference,
a certain reasonable factor of difference. But not a great factor of
difference. We have a right to conclude that one rail would give way
before the other. But not that one would very readily give way before
the other. For some reason this particular rail did give way, much more
readily than it ought to have done."

The trackman was listening with the greatest interest.

"Just how do you know that, Miss Warfield?" he said.

"Why," replied Marion, "don't you see, from the mark on the ties, that
the engine wheels left the rail almost at the moment they struck it. The
marks of the wheels commence on the second tie ahead of the beginning of
the rail. Therefore, this rail, for some reason, was more easily pushed
out of alignment than it should have been. What was the reason?"

The track boss reflected.

"You see, Miss Warfield, this place is the beginning of an up-grade, the
engine was coming down a long grade toward it, so when this train struck
the first rails of the up-grade it struck it just like you'd drive in
a wedge, and the hundred-ton brute of an engine jammed this rail out of
alignment. That's all there is to it. When the rail sprung the wheels
went down on the ties on that side and the train was ditched."

"It was a clean accident, then, you think?" said Marion.

"Sure, Miss Warfield," replied the man. "If anybody had tried to move
that rail out of alignment, he would have to disconnect it at the other
end, that is, take off the plate that joins it to the next rail. That
would leave the end of the rail clean, with no broken plate. But the end
of the rail is bent and the plate is twisted off. We looked at that the
first thing. Nobody could twist that plate off. The engine did it when
it left the track.

"You see, Miss Warfield, the weight of the engine, like a wedge, simply
forced one of these rails out of alignment. Don't you understand how a
hundred ton wedg