There were all kinds of holes and heaps around him, but too open and
public to his way of thinking. Exploring, he came to the board barrier
again, climbed over it, and more critically than before scanned the
fifty-foot descent, and what lay at the bottom.
"Why!" said Bart, in some astonishment, "there's a railroad track--"
He leaned over, and scrutinizingly ran his eye along the dull brown
stretch of raised rails.
"And a hand car!" shouted the young express agent joyfully.
CHAPTER XXI
A LIMB OF THE LAW
The single track which Bart had discovered lined the bottom of the hill,
followed it for a distance, and then running across the valley
disappeared in among other hills and the timber.
It was a rickety concern, was unballasted, and looked as if, loosely
thrown together, it had never filled its original mission and had been
practically abandoned.
"I don't know of any branch of the B. & M. hereabouts," ruminated the
young express agent--"certainly none corresponding to this is on the
map. It is not in regular use, but that hand car looks as if it was
doing service right along."
No one was in sight about the place, yet lying in plain view on the hand
car were three or four coats and jumpers and as many dinner pails.
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