The conductor, however, having a son of his own, realized from Bob's manner that the lad had something he wanted to tell but did not know how to begin, and accordingly asked him:
"What did you hear, son?"
"I heard them plan to hold up Number 4 to get even!"
"What?" demanded all the trainmen, their faces instantly growing serious.
"Yes; the man said he was going to get even for being put off the 'blind baggage'."
For a moment the members of the train crew looked at one another in amazement, then fell to plying Bob with questions, making him repeat the conversation over and over.
"Well, you've earned your passage to Fairfax, all right, Bob!" ejaculated the conductor. "It would break our record for being free from holdups, to say nothing of the loss to passengers. The company ought to do something handsome by you, my boy."
"Then you can prevent it?" queried Bob anxiously.
"Sure thing. We'll capture them at the next station. Better get ready, boys," added Hosmer significantly to his brakemen. "They may prove hard to handle."
Turning their backs, so Bob could not see exactly what they were doing, the brakemen opened
