Again, the dateline tells a story: It reads “Southern Pacific – a railroad, not an ocean”. Dart is on an eastbound train, making his way toward Dot!

He relates to her a lesson in physics, which he’d forgotten until he picked up his pen this morning. In the diminished atmosphere of higher altitudes, the ink in a fountain pen can be forced out. Sometime during the night, the ink in his pen followed the force of physics, and now, it’s all over his fingers.

The route his train is on has taken him to another foreign country (Mexico) and a new state (Arizona). He has a few more states and many more miles to travel before he gets into familiar territory. He prattles on for the better part of a page about state lines, desserts, the Continental Divide, etc. “All this chatter, just to prove I can read a map of the Southern Pacific Railroad.” Now, he’s out of ink!

He’ll be in Kansas City tomorrow night. That’s a mighty long train ride.