ed
crosswise, barred the sheer descent.

Just such a valley spread out beyond the barrier as on the other edge of
the hill whence Bart had seen the man he believed to be Lem Wacker.

Here, however, the landscape was barren in the extreme. There was not a
house visible.

Bart was in a dilemma, but he decided how he would act. He first ran
back to the spot whence he had last viewed the break in the woods.

A glance stirred him up to prompt and decisive action.

Three men were now in view. They were running at their top bent of speed
up the road he had taken.

"Lem Wacker and the Tollivers, sure!" murmured Bart. "They know the
wagon is up here somewhere, and they will be here in less than half an
hour."

Bart's one idea now was to locate some pit or cranny where he could stow
the trunk where it could not be readily found.

This done, he would start on foot in the direction of Clyde Station to
get assistance and return before his enemies discovered it.

There were all kinds of holes and heaps around him, but too open and
public to his way of thinking. Exploring, he came to the board barrier
again, climbed over it, and more critically than before scanned the
fifty-foot descent, and what lay at the bottom.

"Why!" said Bart, in some astonishment, "there's a railroad track--"

He leaned over, and scrutinizingly ran his eye along the dull brown
stretch of raised rails.

"And a hand car!" shouted the young express agent joyfully.

CHAPTER XXI

A LIMB OF THE LAW

The single track which Bart had discovered lined the bottom of the hill,
followed it for a distance, and then running across the valley
disappeared in among other hills and the timber.

It was a rickety concern, was unballasted, and looked as if, loosely
thrown together, it had never filled its original mission and had been
practically abandoned.

"I don't know of any branch of the B. & M. hereabouts," ruminated the
young express agent--"certainly none corresponding to this is on the
map. It is not in regular use, but that hand car looks as if it was
doing service right along."

No one was in sight about the place, yet lying in plain view on the hand
car were three or four coats and jumpers and as many dinner pails.

"I have no time to figure it out," breathed Bart quickly. "The first
thing to do is to get the trunk down there."

Bart ran back to the wagon. He hurriedly pulled away the grass covering
and then the canvas.

The trunk was