a wreck at the bridge at Wilmer
about five years ago?"

"Let me see," mused the man. "That was the time of the big freshet.
Yes, I do remember it faintly. It's the freshet I remember most
though. Enough timber floated by here to build a barn. See that old
shed yonder?" and he pointed to a low structure. "Well, I built that
out of timber I fished ashore. Lumber yard beyond Wilmer floated into
the creek, and all of us along here got some of it."

"What do you know about the wreck?" asked Ralph.

"Heard about it at the time, that's all. Sort of connect the freshet
with it. That was a great washout," continued the farmer. "Even sheds
and chicken coops floated by. And say, a box car, too."

"Oh," cried Zeph, with a start as if he was shot.

"Indeed?" said Ralph, with a suppressed quiver of excitement in his
tone.

"Yes. It went whirling by, big and heavy as it was."

"Say, Mister, you don't know where that car went to, do you?" inquired
Zeph anxiously.

"Yes, I do. I know right where it is now."

"You do?"

"Yes, old Jabez Kane, ten miles down the creek, got it. He is using it
now for a tool shed."

"Oh!" again cried Zeph, trembling with suspense and hope.

Ralph nudged him to be quiet. He asked a few more questions of the
farmer and they left the place.

"Ralph," cried Zeph wildly, "we've found it!"

"Maybe not," answered the young fireman. "It may not be the same
car."

"But you're going to find out?"

"It's pretty late. We had better make a day of it to-morrow."

"All right, if we can't attend to it to-day," said Zeph
disappointedly; and then both returned to camp.

Next morning early both started for the creek again. By proceeding
across the country diagonally, they saved some distance.

It was about noon when they approached a rickety, old farmhouse which
a man had told them belonged to Jabez Kane.

"There it is, there it is," cried Zeph, as they neared it.

"Yes, there is an old box car in the yard near the creek, sure
enough," said Ralph.

They entered the farm yard. The box of the car they looked at sat flat
on the ground. It had been whitewashed several times, it appeared, so
they could trace no markings on it. They approached it and stood
looking it over when a man came out of the house near by.

"Hey," he hailed, advancing upon them. "What you trespassing for?"

"Are we?" inquired Ralph, with a pleasant smile. "We mean no harm."

"Dunno about that," said the farmer suspiciously. "W