ese,"
suggested Mr. Baker, as he dealt the pasteboards to his companions.

"Maybe," agreed Hynard. "What time is Ike going to try it?"

"About two o'clock. He'll be sure to be asleep then."

Back in his berth, some hours after this, Roy was dreaming that he was
being shaken in his bunk at the ranch house. He thought Billy Carew
was urging him to get up early to go off on a round-up, and Roy was
trying to drive the sleep away from his eyes, and comply.

Suddenly he knew it was not a dream, but that some one was moving him,
though very gently. Then he became aware that a hand was being
cautiously thrust under his pillow.

Roy did not stop to think--he acted. His instant impression was of
thieves, and he did the most natural thing under the circumstances. He
grabbed the hand that was being gently shoved under his pillow.

Instantly the wrist, which his fingers clasped, was snatched away,
withdrawn from the curtains, and a voice exclaimed:

"Beg pardon. I was looking for your ticket. I'm the conductor. It's
all right."

Roy thought the voice did not sound a bit like the voice of the
conductor, who had spoken to him some time before. Nor could the boy
understand why a conductor should be feeling under his pillow for his
ticket, when Roy had, as was the custom, given him the bits of
pasteboard, including his berth check, earlier in the evening. The
conductor had said he would keep them until morning, to avoid the
necessity of waking Roy up to look at them during the night.

"That's queer," thought the boy.

He sat up in bed, and thrust his head through the curtains that hung
down in front of his berth. Down the aisle, which was dimly lighted,
he saw a man hurrying toward the end of the car--the end where the
smoking apartment was.

"That wasn't the conductor," said Roy to himself. "He has two brass
buttons on the back of coat, and this chap hasn't any. I believe he
was a thief, after my money. Lucky I didn't put it under my pillow, or
he'd have it now. I must be on the watch. No wonder Billy Carew
warned me to be careful. I wonder who that fellow was?"

Roy had half a notion to get up and inform a porter or the conductor
what had happened, but he did not like to dress in the middle of the
night, and go hunting through the sleeping car for someone to speak to
about the matter.

"I'll just be on the watch," thought Roy, "and if he comes back I'll be
ready for him."

However, he was not furthe