Fortunately business was light and the trains were running on time, so he really had little to do; and when, at last, his relief came at seven o'clock, he arose from the desk with a sense of work well done, without mistake or accident. For two weeks, night after night, he sat at that desk, ordering the traffic over that hundred miles of track, and with every night he felt his confidence increase. Problems arose, of course, but his training had been of the very best; he never lost his head or his nerve, and when, at last, the dispatcher came back from his vacation, Allan returned to the operator's desk conscious that he had "made good," and that he would be strong enough to climb the ladder of promotion for some rounds, at least. He had been kept at the office rather later than usual the evening after he had resumed his work as operator, for there happened to be a sudden rush of business to be attended to, and it was after six o'clock when he finally put on his coat and started home to supper. As he entered the dining-room, he saw that supper had not yet been served, and from the kitchen he heard Jack's voice raised excitedly. "That you, Allan?" called Jack. "Come on out here." The boy entered the kitchen and saw Jack standing near the lamp, the evening paper in his hand. "Did ye see this?" he asked, holding out the paper, and pointing to some flaring headlines on the first page. They read: DARING ESCAPE! Four Convicts Scale the Wall of the State Prison! * * * * * GUARD WHO TRIED TO STOP THEM SERIOUSLY INJURED! * * * * * Had Made a Rope of Their Bedclothing and Carefully Arranged the Details of Their Plan! * * * * * No Present Trace of Their Whereabouts--Had Been Sent from Ross County under Ten-year Sentence for Train-wrecking! Not until he read the last line did Allan understand why Jack appeared so interested. "Them's our men," said Jack; "but read the article." "Don't read it now," protested Mary; "supper's about spoiled as it is." And then an odour from the stove caused her to fly to it. "Look a-there, now," she added, "th' p'taties nearly burned up! Come along, both o' ye," and taking the paper inexorably from Allan, she pushed them all in toward the table. "They's no use in lettin' th' supper spile, even if all th' convicts in th' pen. got loose!" Which, indeed, was true. And Allan did not fully understand the cause of Jack's excitement until, near the end of the meal, a single remark fell from him. "Well, all I've got t' say," he remarked, "is that I certainly pity Dan Nolan if them fellys git hold o' him!" Allan looked up with sudden interest.