And then all at once he heard a faint whistle, far off down the valley.
And a little later a low rumble caught his ear--a rumble which grew
louder and louder until at last it turned into a roar, just as a stream
of light shot around the curve in the track ahead of him, which followed
the bend of the river.

Freddie Firefly was startled. He couldn't think what made that long lane
of light. And he was about to jump into the bushes and hide when he saw
all at once that it was exactly what he had been waiting for.

"It's a train!" he cried aloud. And he began flashing his light bravely
while he swayed from side to side, for Mrs. Ladybug had told him that he
must swing his light--if he expected to stop the train.

And all the while the train tore on towards Freddie Firefly. To his
great surprise it showed not the slightest sign of stopping. And in
spite of what Mrs. Ladybug had said, Freddie Firefly began to be afraid
that it wasn't going to pause at all.

He soon saw that if he did not do something quickly the train would run
over him. But by the time he had made up his mind to jump off the track,
out of harm's way, it was too late for him to escape in that fashion.

So Freddie Firefly crawled hurriedly into a chink beneath the railroad
tie on which he had been sitting. And with a horrible scream the train
thundered over him. To Freddie's dismay it paid no heed to his flashing
light, though he thought it must surely have seen that signal.

Those were terrible moments for Freddie Firefly, while the train was
passing above him. The frightful noise, the trembling of the ground, the