In no possible way, as far as Ralph could see, could Cherry have been hurt at a later time and her injury not reported. The train crew and passengers were all about her, or so it seemed reasonable to suppose, while she viewed the wreck. Her disappearance was a mysterious thing! Ralph could not even pull down his locomotive at the place where Number 33 had been wrecked. He got the signal from the guard beside the tracks and had to push on. Despite the fire, that fortunately was now blowing away from the tracks, he made the run without any trouble and arrived at the Rockton terminal at 11:30. The young engineer had no desire to see Mr. Barton Hopkins at this time. He learned from the day telegraph operator that nothing new about Cherry had been discovered. The supervisor had become wildly excited when he had tried to find his daughter and could not do so. It was positive that the girl had not arrived in town. She had surely disappeared at the scene of the wreck of Number 33. Ralph did not go home at once after being relieved of his duty on the locomotive. Instead, he searched for Bob Adair. But the chief detective had not returned. It was believed he had gone down into Shadow Valley to examine into the wreck at first hand. Ralph wondered if Mr. Adair was in the supervisor’s confidence. Had the road detective gone to Shadow Valley to look for Cherry Hopkins? The young fellow was tempted greatly to take the first train for the vicinity of the morning’s disaster! Again, and quite involuntarily, Ralph found himself passing through the street on which the Hopkins family lived. He hesitated at the door of the bungalow, then ventured up the walk and rang the bell. A maid servant came to the door. She started back and half closed the door when she saw Ralph in his overalls and cap. It was evident that she had been warned against receiving employees of the railroad. “What do you want?” demanded the girl sharply. “I don’t suppose Mr. Hopkins is at home?” asked Ralph. “You know he ain’t supposed to be home at this time of day.” “And—and hasn’t Miss Cherry returned?” The maid broke out crying. “Ain’t you heard? She’s dead—or lost—or something. Her father is ’most crazy about it——” “And Mrs. Hopkins?” Ralph interrupted. “What does she think?” “They don’t dare tell her. Anyway, Mrs. Hopkins isn’t here. They took her last evening to Dr. Poole’s sanitarium. She’s going under an operation. Miss Cherry was coming back to be with her.” “That’s tough,” muttered Ralph, turning away. He went home feeling much disturbed. Mrs. Fairbanks had not only obtained some news of the wreck at Shadow Valley, but she had got a garbled account of Supervisor Hopkins’ family troubles. “They have taken that poor woman to the sanitarium, and they say he won’t let the girl come home to her mother,” Ralph’s mother said, quite excitedly. “Somebody ought to talk to that Barton Hopkins.”