"Don't get excited," laughed Phil. "They have forgotten or neglected to couple the airbrake pipes up. Someday one of these crews will wreck us all. I have talked until I am tired. You see there is air on the front end of this train, but these show cars have not been coupled up with the air pipes of the regular train. It is very bad business. I'll report it when we get in tomorrow."
"Let me. I know how to do it up brown."
"No, I will attend to it myself."
"Say, Phil!"
"Yes?"
"If the air was coupled on and the train broke in two in the middle what would happen?"
"Why it would bring everything up standing. Breaking the air circuit would set the brakes the entire length of the train."
"And if the air was not coupled up, what then?"
"In that event nothing would happen."
"The train wouldn't stop?"