inventor needed. He felt balked.

"I believe I have hit the right idea in my improvements on the
Jandel patents," he told Ned Newton when they were discussing the
matter. "But believing is one thing. Knowing is another!"

"Theoretically it works out all right, I suppose?" questioned
Ned.

"Quite. I can prove on paper that I've got the speed. But that
isn't enough. You can see that."

"Impossible to be sure on the trackage already built here,
Tom?"

"I haven't dared give her all she'll take," grumbled Tom. "If I
did, I fear she'd jump the rails and I'd have a wreck on my
hands."

"And maybe kill yourself!" exclaimed Ned. "You want to have a
care."

"Oh, that's all right! I've taken risks before. I don't want to
risk the safety of the locomotive, which is more important. That
machine has cost us a lot of money."

"I'll say so!" agreed Ned. "You'll have to wait till you can
get the locomotive out there on the H. & P. A. tracks before you
get a fair speed-test."