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

  CHAPTER XXVIII

  THE "TEST" SPECIAL

  "Mr. Fairbanks?"

  "Yes, sir."

  "This is the office of the general superintendent. He wishes to see youimmediately."

  "I will report at once."

  Ralph put down the telephone receiver, exchanged his office coat forstreet wear, and within five minutes was admitted into the privateoffice of his superior official.

  The superintendent looked bothered and his eyes were fixed on a greatarray of documents on the desk before him. Ralph's brisk step and brightface seemed to rouse him, and with a word of welcome he said:

  "Sit down, Fairbanks." Ralph wondered why he had been sent for. He hopedit was concerning the pay car mystery. There was not an hour in the daythat in some shape or other this perplexing puzzle did not come upbefore him. More than one of his friends was vitally interested in theoutcome of that baffling case. For the sake of Bob Adair and ZephDallas, he sincerely wished that the mists of secrecy and vaguenessmight be cleared away.

  "Unfinished business," spoke the superintendent after a pause, almostirritably brushing aside a heap of papers directly before him. "Will itever be finished?" he added with a sigh. "Fairbanks," and the officialsingled out a letter from among the heap of documents, "I am afraid Imust ask you to go on special duty."

  "Very well, sir," said Ralph at once.

  "Always ready, always willing," commended the superintendent with anapproving glance at the young railroader. "I wish there were more likeyou, Fairbanks. You know the bother and stress we are in. This pay carbusiness has upset the whole official force, and we are still in thedark."

  "But Mr. Adair is on the case," submitted Ralph.

  "It has been of no use. He has made an investigation along every inch ofthe road where the car might have disappeared. He has given up,discouraged. Here is his last report. He mentions you."

  "Mentions me?" repeated Ralph.

  "Yes. That is one reason why I have sent for you. He reports fromFairview, and asks us to send you to him on Wednesday."

  "That is day after tomorrow," said Ralph.

  "Exactly. What his plans are I cannot tell you, but he refers to someefficient work you have done in his line in the past, and requests us todetail you specially in his service. What do you say, Fairbanks?"

  "I am at your orders, sir."

  "Very good. That settles one part of the business. The other may notcome so welcome to you, but you must be our man. Glance over that, willyou?"

  The official handed Ralph a card covered with calculations. There werebewildering figures, so many cars, so many used per day, so much profit.The totals were enormous.

  "The Overland Fruit Dispatch," explained the superintendent, "is out forbids on the transfer of their cars east from Rockton."

  "I heard something of that."

  "We are out for the contract. It means a big thing for us. So is theMidland Central. That means war, or, rather, more war. Their schedulebeats ours by ten minutes. We must beat them by two hours. The test runbegan at ten o'clock this morning. Porter and Winston, both good men,run as far as Portland. I am not afraid in broad daylight. Nearly allthe trouble has been east of that point--you understand?"

  "Perfectly," assented Ralph--"you are afraid of some trickery on thepart of our rivals?"

  "Yes. I want you to reach Portland and catch the special at four p. m.If the new locomotive crew look good to you, just superintend. But rushthat train into the yards by the stroke of eleven p. m., or we lose thecontract."

  "I think I can do it," said Ralph.

  "Very well, we give you free rein. Dismiss the crew and find a new one,as you like. You have orders for clear tracks over everything else. Layout your schedule, give Glidden charge of the wires at headquarters, andget us that contract."

  "I will catch the first west through and report at eleven o'clockto-night," promised Ralph confidently.

  "Good for you, Fairbanks," commended the superintendent, slapping Ralphencouragingly on the shoulder.

  The next was a busy hour for Ralph. He studied the schedules, postedGlidden, took a hurry run for home and caught the train just as it waspulling out of the depot. Ralph reached Portland at half-past three inthe afternoon.

  The special was on time and due in thirty minutes. She was to take waterand coal at the yards, and Ralph, making himself known to the operatorthere, loitered outside. He saw the relief engineer appear. He was a manhe did not know, and something about his face and manner impressed theyoung railroader rather unfavorably.

  The man set his dinner pail near the steps of the switch tower andwalked about with the air of a person looking for some one. Then at alow whistle he started for a pile of ties some distance away. A manlurking there had beckoned to him. Ralph watched closely but drew backout of view. His keenest wits were on the alert in a second. He hadrecognized the lurker as a former unreliable employe of the GreatNorthern, discharged at the time of the great strike.

  Ralph feared this fellow might recognize him and dared not approach himany nearer. The twain conversed for only a moment. Then the lurkerhanded the engineer a bag. It held apparently about a bushel of somekind of stuff. The engineer took it and returned to the tower, hiscompanion disappearing.

  Just then the special came down the tracks. The locomotive wasdisconnected and the tired and grimed crew drove for the dog house.

  In a minute or two the relief engine came down the tracks in charge ofthe fireman of the run. Ralph looked over the man. He had all theappearances of an honest, plodding fellow. After he had hitched to thetrain he got down to oil some cylinders. The engineer piled aboard withhis bag, chucked it under the seat, and alighted again and went back tomeet the conductor from the caboose.

  Of that bag Ralph had been suspicious from the start. He now deftly tookthe engine step, hauled out the bag, thrust it under the fireman's seat,swung shut its swinging board, and sat down at the engineer's post.

  "Hello!" exclaimed the fireman, stepping up into the cab--"who are you?"

  "Your engineer this trip."

  "Eh? Where does Bartley come in?"

  "He don't come in," replied Ralph definitely.

  "Your name Bartley?" inquired Ralph, as the engineer and the conductorcame up to the locomotive.

  "That's me," smartly responded the man with a wondering look at Ralph.

  "Well, you are relieved from duty on this special trip," advised Ralph.

  "Hey--who says so?"

  "The general superintendent. Is that right, operator?"

  The towerman nodded, beckoned Bartley aside and made some explanationsto him. His auditor looked sullen and ugly. Ralph did not leave the postof duty he had assumed, meantime giving the conductor an idea of howaffairs stood.

  "Hold on, there," spoke Bartley in a gruff tone, as the train got readyto start out. "I've got some personal property in that cab."

  "All right," nodded Ralph in quite a friendly way--"get it out."

  "Bag of apples for a mate down the line," mumbled the engineer, reachingunder the seat. "Bag of--thunder! they've gone."

  The conductor had run to the caboose. The engineer drew back from theempty void under the seat in a puzzled, baffled way. Ralph beckoned tothe operator.

  "Watch that man," he ordered in a quick whisper. "If he tries to sendany messages ahead advise the operator to report instantly toheadquarters."

  Then Ralph opened the throttle and sent the test special on her dubiousway, leaving the discomfited Bartley glaring after him in baffledsuspicion and distrust.