"This is a freight train, sonny," replied the man; "takes four hours to
get there. Better wait till 10.45; buy your ticket up in the station."

"10.45!" Tim saw visions of Mrs. Simmons speeding down upon him in hot
pursuit, kindled by Gay's disappearance into an appreciation of her
charms.

The tears stood in his eyes as Gay clambered out of the basket, and
danced with impatience, exclaiming, "Gay wants to yide now! yide now!
yide now!"

"Did you want to go sooner?" asked the man, who seemed to be entirely
too much interested in humanity to succeed in the railroad business.
"Well, as you seem to have consid'rable of a family on your hands, I
guess we'll take you along. Jim, unlock that car and let these children
in, and then lock it up again. It's a car we're taking up to the end of
the road for repairs, bubby, so the comp'ny 'll give you and your folks
a free ride!"

Timothy thanked the man in his politest manner, and Gay pressed a piece
of moist cooky in his hand, and offered him one of her swan's-down
kisses, a favor of which she was usually as chary as if it had possessed
a market value.

"Are you going to take the dog?" asked the man, as Rags darted up the
steps with sniffs and barks of ecstatic delight. "He ain't so handsome
but you can get another easy enough!" (Rags held his breath in suspense,
and wondered if he had been put under a roaring cataract, and then
ploughed in deep furrows with a sharp-toothed instrument of torture,
only to be left behind at last!)