"I'm willing, I tell you," declared Zeph, with a rural drawl that caused Ralph to smile. "What doing, mister?" "Just hanging around with a pleasant crowd and running some errands once in a while. There's jumps in the business pretty lively, but no real work." "Why, I thought you was with a construction gang?" "Um," observed the man in an embarrassed way--"yes, yes, just so. Changing my job, that's it. On my way to join certain friends on a new deal when that confounded locomotive went too fast for me, and--" "Eh," projected Zeph. "You didn't say anything about a locomotive before, mister." "Say, you're pretty keen, you are," chuckled the man. "And I guess you'll do. I was going to say till a locomotive loosened a log across a culvert and I stumbled over it." "Oh, that explains it," said Zeph with a frank relief that was most fetching. "All right. You get me a job with your friends and you'll find me a good worker." "Don't doubt it. Let's make a start." The man winced and groaned as Zeph helped him to his feet. The latter had rigged up a forked stick so that it answered for a crutch on one side. Zeph got on the other side of the man who, leaning on his shoulder with his hand, was able to hobble along. Ralph could foresee no particular purpose gained in keeping on the trail. He felt certain that Zeph knew his business. He had probably been watching or waiting for the conspirators right in this locality. "It looks that way," murmured Ralph. "Anyhow, Zeph must be keeping Bob Adair advised; is perhaps acting under his direct orders. Now he is figuring for a chance to get right in with the gang. I'll follow a little further, though, as it doesn't take me much out of my course to Preston." After a bit of progress the train wrecker and Zeph halted again. The former was getting pretty tired. Zeph cleared away some snow from a heap of old ties. The man removed his overcoat and made a pillow of it. He rested for nearly half an hour. Then he resumed his coat and they trudged along. "Hello," exclaimed Ralph--"and good!" He spoke the words with animation, as following up the pursuit he came to the heap of ties where the train wrecker had rested. A memorandum book lay on the snow where it had fallen from the pocket of the man's overcoat. The night light was not sufficiently strong to enable Ralph to inspect its contents. He observed, however, that it contained letters and other documents. "I fancy it will tell something interesting when I have time to look it over," decided the young railroader.