Kurt rode to Adrian on that freight, and upon arriving in the yards there he jumped off, only to mount another, headed south.

He meant to be traveling while it was dark.

No passenger-trains ran at night and he wanted to put as much distance between him and Wheatly as possible before daylight.
He had piled into an open box-car.

It was empty, at least of freight, and the floor appeared to have a thin covering of hay.

The train, gathering headway, made a rattling rolling roar.