Part 12 (1/2)

Suddenly, from somewhere behind them, they heard a long, moaning whistle.

”The train!” shouted Jess.

In her excitement she gripped Roy's arm tightly and peered back.

All at once, around a curve, the locomotive came into view--black smoke spouting from its funnel and a column of white steam pouring from its safety valves.

”She'll beat us,” cried Jimsy, despairingly, as the thunder of the speeding train grew louder. The setting sun flashed on the varnished sides of the cars.

The engineer thrust his head out of the cab window and gazed upward. His attention had been attracted by the roaring of the motor overhead.

He broke into a yell and waved his hand as he saw the flying aeroplane das.h.i.+ng along above him. The next instant his hand sought the whistle cord.

”Toot! toot! toot!”

The occupants of the aeroplane waved their hands. To their chagrin, however, they saw that, overloaded as the aeroplane was, the train was gaining on them in leaps and bounds. Its windows were black with heads now as pa.s.sengers, regardless of the danger of encountering some trackside obstacle, leaned out and gazed up at the Golden b.u.t.terfly roaring along like some great Thunder Lizard of the dark ages.

”Don't they stop anywhere between here and the junction?” gasped Jimsy.

Roy shook his head.

”It's a through train from Montauk,” he said; ”they make all the speed they can.”

”Two minutes,” cried Jess, suddenly; ”we won't do it.”

But Peggy had suddenly swung off the tracks and was cutting across country. She had seen that the track took a long curve just before it entered the junction. By taking a direct ”crow flight” across country she might beat it after all.

And she did. As the train came thundering into the station and stopped with a mighty screaming of brakes and hiss of escaping steam, the aeroplane came to earth in the flat park-like s.p.a.ce in front of the depot.

”Tumble out quick!” shouted Roy, ”she only stops a jiffy.”

Jess and Jimsy lost no time in obeying.

”Good-bye, you darlings!” cried Jess, as she sped after her brother toward the station.

”We'll get our tickets on the train!” shouted Jimsy, as they vanished.

”All ab-o-a-r-d!”

The conductor's voice ran peremptorily out. He had seen the race between the aeroplane and the train, but even that could not disturb a conductor's desire to start on time.

As the wheels began to revolve, Jimsy and Jess swung on to the steps of the rear parlor car. As they did so the pa.s.sengers broke into an involuntary cheer. The shouts of approval at the up to date manner in which the young folks had ”made their train,” mingled with the puffing of the locomotive as it sped off.

Among the spectators of the sensational feat had been a broad-shouldered, bronzed man in a big sombrero hat, who sat in the same parlor car which Jimsy and Jess had entered. He looked like a Westerner. As the train gathered headway he suddenly, after an interval of deep thought, struck one big brawny hand upon his knee and exclaimed to himself:

”It's the very thing--the very thing. With a fleet of those I could develop the Jupiter and astonish the mining world.”

He rose, with the slowness of a powerful man, and made his way back to where Jimsy and Jess were sitting. Raising his broad-brimmed hat with old-fas.h.i.+oned courtesy, he addressed himself to Jimsy and was soon deep in conversation with him.