Ralph, the Train Dispatcher; Or, The Mystery of the Pay Car

  CHAPTER XVII

  A STRANGE MESSAGE

  Ralph had known the time when a good many of the boys and railroad menat the Junction had considered Zeph Dallas a joke. He himself, however,had tried to take Zeph as seriously as he could, and now his erraticyoung friend rose still higher in his estimation.

  In every live town there are generally one or more lads with thedetective fever. Zeph had wandered to Stanley Junction all on fire withit. He had liked railroading, but he disdained its humdrum phases. Stepby step he had kept on the trail of "detecting something," until he hadunraveled a real mystery, had been of signal aid to the road detectiveof the Great Northern, and had practically become a hired and loyalhelper to that experienced officer.

  Ralph recalled the flying visit of Zeph to his mother at StanleyJunction less than ten days previous. On that occasion Zeph had droppedsome mysterious and significant hints to Mrs. Fairbanks that he was"working on a big case." He had even asked her to warn Ralph "to lookout for dispatching trouble."

  There was no doubt in the mind of Ralph that Zeph was on the presentspot on duty pure and simple. Inside of a very few minutes he was awareof the real situation of affairs. The crippled man in whose company hehad found Zeph was the man who had operated the runaway engine. As Ralphpeered closer he believed him to be one of the men with whom he had seenthe grandfather of Glen Palmer, and whom he had later encountered in therailroad tunnel the night of the burglary of the paymaster's house.

  Ralph listened attentively as the man seated on the ground began todolefully recite a lying story of how he had got hurt. How much of thisZeph took in Ralph could not guess, for Zeph was playing a part. The manpretended to be a member of a construction gang, with friends at alittle settlement a few miles distant. Acting to perfection a simplecountry bumpkin, Zeph pulled the wool completely over the eyes of thefellow.

  "You've helped me this far," the man said, "and that makeshift crutch isa big help, but I don't think I can navigate ahead alone."

  "That's all right," declared Zeph ingenuously. "If it isn't too far,I'll stay with you till you reach your friends, mister."

  "Say, you're mighty obliging. I'll make it worth your while, too. I'llpay you well."

  "Oh, I don't care so much for that," said Zeph. "What I'd like to do isto get settled down to some steady job."

  "H'm," murmured the man reflectively, looking Zeph over in a speculativeway, "I don't know but I might steer you right up against a good thing."

  "I'm willing, I tell you," declared Zeph, with a rural drawl that causedRalph to smile. "What doing, mister?"

  "Just hanging around with a pleasant crowd and running some errands oncein a while. There's jumps in the business pretty lively, but no realwork."

  "Why, I thought you was with a construction gang?"

  "Um," observed the man in an embarrassed way--"yes, yes, just so.Changing my job, that's it. On my way to join certain friends on a newdeal when that confounded locomotive went too fast for me, and--"

  "Eh," projected Zeph. "You didn't say anything about a locomotivebefore, mister."

  "Say, you're pretty keen, you are," chuckled the man. "And I guessyou'll do. I was going to say till a locomotive loosened a log across aculvert and I stumbled over it."

  "Oh, that explains it," said Zeph with a frank relief that was mostfetching. "All right. You get me a job with your friends and you'll findme a good worker."

  "Don't doubt it. Let's make a start."

  The man winced and groaned as Zeph helped him to his feet. The latterhad rigged up a forked stick so that it answered for a crutch on oneside. Zeph got on the other side of the man who, leaning on his shoulderwith his hand, was able to hobble along.

  Ralph could foresee no particular purpose gained in keeping on thetrail. He felt certain that Zeph knew his business. He had probably beenwatching or waiting for the conspirators right in this locality.

  "It looks that way," murmured Ralph. "Anyhow, Zeph must be keeping BobAdair advised; is perhaps acting under his direct orders. Now he isfiguring for a chance to get right in with the gang. I'll follow alittle further, though, as it doesn't take me much out of my course toPreston."

  After a bit of progress the train wrecker and Zeph halted again. Theformer was getting pretty tired. Zeph cleared away some snow from a heapof old ties. The man removed his overcoat and made a pillow of it. Herested for nearly half an hour. Then he resumed his coat and theytrudged along.

  "Hello," exclaimed Ralph--"and good!"

  He spoke the words with animation, as following up the pursuit he cameto the heap of ties where the train wrecker had rested. A memorandumbook lay on the snow where it had fallen from the pocket of the man'sovercoat. The night light was not sufficiently strong to enable Ralph toinspect its contents. He observed, however, that it contained lettersand other documents.

  "I fancy it will tell something interesting when I have time to look itover," decided the young railroader.

  The train wrecker and his escort finally arrived at a stretch of singlerails and here they paused. This was a cut off from the main track withwhich Ralph was not familiar. He had an idea, however, that it connectedwith some coal pit or quarry in the neighborhood of Preston. In lessthan ten minutes after their arrival at this spot Ralph heard a rattleon the rails. A handcar propelled by two men came into view. There wasquite a lengthy talk. They seemed discussing about Zeph, for Ralph sawthe latter retire to a little distance. Then he was beckoned back to thethree men. The crippled one was helped aboard of the handcar, Zephjoined them, and the handcar sped away.

  Ralph realized that it was futile to think of following and keepingclose track of them. Zeph was in their midst, accepted as a new recruit,and the young railroader felt sanguine that he would accomplish somepractical results. Ralph proceeded on his way to Preston. It must havebeen three o'clock in the morning when he found himself not on the northbranch of the road, but on a spur considerably to the east.

  The light of a little station showed, and Ralph was glad to think ofrest and warmth. He reached a short platform and noticed the stationagent seated between the two signal windows on duty.

  The man greeted the intruder with chary suspiciousness as Ralph enteredthe waiting room, kicking the snow off his feet. When Ralph hadintroduced himself, however, he stirred himself amiably, roused up thefire in the old stove, and placed a chair for him.

  "I've had a bad two hours," explained the man, "and was ready for trainwreckers, smash ups, or what not. A tramp routed me out of bed at hometelling me the old instrument here was raising mischief. Knew somethingabout telegraphing himself, he said, and scented trouble. I've beenlively up to a few minutes ago, getting all kinds of mixed instructionsabout wild locomotives and trouble generally on the north cut off."

  "I can tell you something about that," said Ralph, and explained a gooddeal that interested his companion. "Can you get me Preston?"

  "Sure--want to wire?"

  "It will save me a long pull through the snow."

  The operator led Ralph into his little office. As he did so Ralphnoticed that a piece of bagging was tacked over one of the upper sashesand the floor covered with splintered glass. He had already observedthat the operator wore a bandage over one eye, but he did not just thenconnect affairs in his urgency to get in communication with Preston.

  This he soon did. He found the operator there aware of conditions. Thecrude message Ralph had sent astride the telegraph pole formed the basisfor advising headquarters of what was going on. The Limited was safelyon her way, and a special from the Junction was now starting to take No.93 in tow and investigate the wreck.

  Ralph sent a message to Glidden, more explicitly explaining affairs. Heannounced that he would return to the Junction on the first train hecould catch.

  He was pretty well satisfied with his work of the night, for he had donehis level best and he felt sure there would be some further outcome whenBob Adair's assistant reported.

  "You seem to have had some trouble here," observed R
alph, with a glanceat the shattered window as he left the instrument.

  "Yes, and this too," said the operator, indicating his bandaged eye."Nearly blinded."

  "How is that?" inquired Ralph.

  "The west freight, about an hour ago. She passes on her usual whiz.About the middle of the train some one let fly a board--a box cover. Itslashed through the window, took me in the face and keeled me clearover."

  "That is strange," commented Ralph. "Are you sure it was thrown?"

  "What could it blow off from?"

  "That's so."

  "There's the identical timber," continued the operator, touching withhis foot a piece of wood as they came out to the stove again. "I usedhalf of it to mend the fire."

  Ralph picked up the piece of wood out of curiosity. As he did so he madea discovery.

  Its smooth side, though blurred, bore some faint black marks likeletters and words. It looked as if scratched with a blunt cinder on theends of burned matches.

  In breaking the wood to mend the fire the operator had split the piecetransversely removing a part of a written line, but to his amazementRalph could make out these words:

  "Send word to Ralph Fairbanks, Stanley Junction, that Glen Palmer is--"

  The remainder of this queer message was missing--ashes in the depotstove. What had been the writing complete, and what did it mean?