de of the
shack was a train that provoked exclamations of delighted laughter.

"Why, that train hasn't grown up yet!" exclaimed Dolly, immensely
amused when she saw it.

"It's a narrow gauge railroad, you see, Dolly," said Eleanor. "This
road is really only used in the summer time. In the winter no one is
up here except a few guides who haven't any use for trains, anyhow, and
the tracks are covered with snow."

"I suppose it was cheaper to build than a regular railroad would be?"

"Yes, a good deal cheaper. The cars are smaller, you see, and then,
when they built it, they had a chance to get their cars and engines
very cheap. In the old days, a great many railroads were built like
this, even the regular roads that were used all the year round. But
gradually they were all changed, and the rails were made the same on
railroads all over the country, and then these people were able to get
their cars and the other things they needed second hand. And it's
plenty good enough, of course, for all the use anyone wants to make of
this."

Two puffing little engines were at the head of the two-car train that
was waiting at the junction, and, in a little while, after the
passengers for Crawford, the terminal station of the road, were all
aboard, they pulled out with a great snorting and roaring that amused
the girls immensely. But, ridiculous as they looked, the little
engines were up to their work, and they took the sharp, steady climb
well enough.

"I like this," said Dolly. "It's awfully slow, but you can see the
country. On some of those big trains you go so fast you can't see a
thing, and this is really worth seeing."

"It certainly is!" exclaimed Bessie, who was gazing raptly out of the
window. "Look back there where we came from! Who would ever have
thought that there were so many lakes and ponds?"

"We're getting so high above them now that we can see them, Bessie.
Look, there's Long Lake, and I do believe I can see Loon Pond, too!"

"I'm sure of it, Dolly. Oh, this is splendid! But we can't see much
up ahead, can we?"

"Nothing but trees. It's like the old story of the man who wanted to
see a famous forest, and when he was in the very middle of it he said
he couldn't see the forest because there were so many trees."

"I've seen mountains before," said Zara. "But they weren't like this.
Where I used to live there would be one or two big mountains, but they
stood out, and you could see all the way