k. Two or three of his gang were willing enough to talk,
but they knew little, as Black had carried all his plans and schemes
in his own head.

"No matter!" muttered Dave Fulsbee. "My two men and I were close
to that thicket for some time before we broke in on the affair.
We heard enough to supply all the evidence that the courts will
want against these worthies."

As the futile questioning was drawing to a close, 'Gene Black
suddenly roused himself to say sneeringly:

"Gentlemen, look at your station clock. It's fifteen minutes
before midnight. A quarter of an hour left! Where's your through
train? If it reaches here fifteen minutes from now it will be
too late."

"Send a message down the line quickly," gasped Mr. Newnham, turning
pale. Then he wheeled savagely upon the prisoner, exclaiming:
"I forgot, Black. You rascals cut the wires. We could have
mended them at the nearer point, but the wires were cut, too,
at the scene of the blow-out. Oh, but you have been a thorn in
our sides!"

From the crowd that still lingered outside came a cheer. Tom
Reade sprang to the nearest door, throwing it open.

"Listen!" he shouted.

The sound that had started the crowd to cheering was repeated
again.

_Too-oo-oo-oot_!

"It's the train!" cried Reade joyously. "It can't be more than
two or three miles below here, either. It will get through on
time!"

With nine minutes to spare, the train rolled into the station
at Lineville. It was not the same train that had left Stormburg,
for that train had been halted, safely, just before reaching the
scene of the disastrous blow-out. At that point the passengers
had alighted and had been conducted on foot to the other side
of the gap caused by the explosion. Here Hazelton's Lineville
special stood ready to convey them into Lineville. So the road
had been legally opened, since the passengers from Stormburg---among
whom was the lieutenant governor of the state had been brought
all the way through over the line. Within the meaning of the
law a through train had been operated over the new line, and within
charter time.

The S.B. & L. had won! It had saved its charter. On the morrow,
in Wall Street, the value of the road's stock jumped by some millions
of dollars.

Let us not forget the pilot train. That returned to Lineville
in the rear of the passenger train. Though the pilot train had
a conductor, Harry Hazelton was in real charge.

"Look whom we have he