“I’m Wolf Penniman. The money was stolen from my father. When I saw Christy leap into the cab, I jumped upon the cow-catcher.”
“Then you are the boy they were looking for down to the station.”
“I don’t know about that. I had a pistol, and I made Christy stop her, and give me the pocket-book. He got off then, and ran into the woods. I ran the engine back again.”
“I’m sorry you didn’t shoot the rascal,” added the engineer, as he examined into the condition of the locomotive.
“I got the pocket-book again, and that was all I wanted. I didn’t wish to kill him.”
“Who told you how to run an engine?” asked the engineer, as he started the locomotive.
“My father is an engineer, and I’ve always been among engines, though I never ran a locomotive alone before.”
“I suppose you think you can run one now?”
“Yes, sir; I can put her through by daylight,” I replied, using a pet phrase of mine.
“You have done very well, sonny,” said he, with a smile; and he could afford to smile, though he growled a great deal at being an hour behind time by the event of losing his engine.