“Chief dispatcher, Ohio Division,” clicked out the little instrument. “A special train consisting of combination coach and private car will leave Cincinnati east-bound about ten o’clock to-morrow morning. You will have your best engines ready to take it through to Wadsworth, and from there to Parkersburg. This special is to run without orders, its time to be governed only by the maximum speed of the engine, and is to be given a clear track with rights over everything. It must be expedited in every way possible.” A. G. ROUND, “_General Manager_” Mr. Plumfield whistled softly, as the message ended. “Who do you suppose it is?” he asked. “The Emperor of Germany?” “That’s certainly an unusual order,” agreed Allan. “I never saw but one like it before,” added Mr. Plumfield. “That was when the president of the road was somewhere in the west, and his wife was reported dying back at Baltimore. We gave him right of way then.” “Did he get there in time?” asked Allan. “Oh, she didn’t die. Maybe it was his presence saved her. Anyway, his train covered the two hundred miles from Cincinnati to Parkersburg at an average speed of fifty-three miles an hour. That was going some.” “We’ll see if we can beat it to-morrow,” Allan answered, and turned to the task of clearing the track for the special. As he knew only the approximate time that the special would leave Cincinnati, it was necessary to prepare several plans, the one to be adopted depending upon the exact time the train pulled out from the Grand Central depot. From Cincinnati to Loveland he had a double track to work with, but from Loveland east, only a single track, and it was necessary to so arrange the schedule that no train would interfere with the special and at the same time to provide that they be interfered with as little as possible. Another difficulty arose from the fact that it was impossible to tell exactly how fast the special would run, and Allan’s brow wrinkled perplexedly as he bent above the time-card. “I tell you what I’m going to do,” he said, at last, “I’m going over the road with this train myself. I’m not going to take any chances.” And that night, with the time-card in his pocket and his plans carefully laid, Allan boarded the accommodation for Cincinnati. * * * * *