age. "I had better open it and find out."

The young fireman was quite startled as he untied the parcel and
glanced at its contents. The package contained two bolts of silk, and
the tags on them bore the name of the firm which, Ralph had learned at
Dover, had shipped the goods stolen from the slow freight two nights
previous.

CHAPTER IV

AN OLD-TIME ENEMY

"New engine, lad?"

"Not at all, Mr. Griscom, as you well know," answered Ralph.

The veteran engineer chuckled, but he continued looking over the
locomotive with admiring eyes.

The young fireman had come to work early that afternoon. The
roundhouse men were careless and he decided to show them what "elbow
grease" and industry could do. In an hour he had the old freight
locomotive looking indeed like a new engine.

They steamed out of the roundhouse and were soon at the head of their
freight train.

"I wish I had a little time to spare," said Ralph.

"Half-an-hour before we have to leave, you know, lad," said Griscom.
"What's troubling you?"

"I wanted to see Bob Adair, the road detective."

"About the silk robbery?" inquired the engineer with interest.

"Yes."

"Something new?"

"Considerable, I think."

"You might find him in the depot offices. Run down and see. I'll
attend to things here."

"Thanks, Mr. Griscom."

Ralph hurried away from the freight train. He wished to report about
the discovery of the silk, and hunt up Zeph Dallas at once.

"I hardly believe the farmer boy a thief," mused Ralph, "but he must
explain his possession of that silk."

The young fireman did not find Adair at the depot, and came back to
the engine to discover Jim Evans lounging in the cab.

"Been helping Griscom out," grinned the man.

"Well, get out, now," growled Griscom. "Time to start up. There's the
signal from the conductor. That man has been hanging around the engine
ever since you left," the old engineer continued to Ralph, "and he is
too good-natured to suit me."

"Nothing out of order," reported the youth, looking about the cab.

"Now, lad, for a run on time," said Griscom. "This run has been late
a good deal, and I don't want to get a bad name. When I ran the
Daylight Express it was my pride and boast that we were always on time
to the minute."

They made good time out of Stanley Junction to Afton. Ten miles
beyond, however, there was a jolt, a slide and difficult progress on a
bit of upgrade rails.

So serious was the difficulty