Produced by Roger Frank and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net [Illustration: "An Avalanche!" declared Fogg. "Dodge--something's coming!" Page 254. Ralph on the Overland Express.] RALPH ON THE OVERLAND EXPRESS OR THE TRIALS AND TRIUMPHS OF A YOUNG ENGINEER BY ALLEN CHAPMAN AUTHOR OF "RALPH OF THE ROUNDHOUSE," "RALPH IN THE SWITCH TOWER," "RALPH ON THE ENGINE," "DAREWELL CHUMS SERIES," ETC. ILLUSTRATED NEW YORK GROSSET & DUNLAP PUBLISHERS Made in the United States of America THE RAILROAD SERIES By Allen Chapman 12mo. Illustrated. Cloth RALPH OF THE ROUNDHOUSE Or, Bound to Become a Railroad Man RALPH IN THE SWITCH TOWER Or, Clearing the Track RALPH ON THE ENGINE Or, The Young Fireman of the Limited Mail RALPH ON THE OVERLAND EXPRESS Or, The Trials and Triumphs of a Young Engineer (Other Volumes in Preparation.) GROSSET & DUNLAP, Publishers, New York Copyright, 1910, by GROSSET & DUNLAP Ralph on the Overland Express CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE I. No. 999 1 II. A Special Passenger 12 III. One of the Rules 22 IV. A Warning 35 V. At Bay 43 VI. Four Medals 51 VII. Dave Bissell, Train Boy 60 VIII. An Astonishing Discovery 68 IX. The Light of Home 76 X. Fire! 88 XI. The Master Mechanic 95 XII. A Good Friend 104 XIII. The "Black Hand" 114 XIV. A Serious Plot 123 XV. "The Silvandos" 129 XVI. Zeph Dallas and His "Mystery" 138 XVII. In Widener's Gap 145 XVIII. At the Semaphore 153 XIX. The Boy Who Was Hazed 160 XX. "Lord Lionel Montague" 171 XXI. Archie Graham's Invention 179 XXII. Ike Slump Again 188 XXIII. A Critical Moment 195 XXIV. The New Run 203 XXV. The Mountain Division 209 XXVI. Mystery 217 XXVII.