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

  CHAPTER V

  IKE SLUMP

  "Things are narrowing down and closing in," said the young engineer tohimself as he left the Fairbanks cottage.

  Ralph started away at a brisk pace. As he had told his mother, he wasanxious to see the paymaster of the Great Northern. The general officeswere now closed, and Ralph had the home of the paymaster in view as hispresent destination.

  A vivid memory of what the torn sheet found in the riddled vest pocketrevealed engrossed his mind. That sheet was a scrawl, a letter, orrather what was left of it. Enough of it was there to cause the youngrailroader to believe that he had made a most important and startlingdiscovery.

  The screed was from one scamp in the city to another scamp on the road.Judging from the scrawl, a regular set of scamps had been hired to dosome work for high-up, respectable fellows. This work was the securingof certain secret information, the private property of the GreatNorthern, nothing more--for the present at least.

  It seemed, however, that "Jem," in the city, had advised "Rivers," onthe road, that now was the great opportunity to work personal graft onthe side--as he designated it. He advised Rivers to keep the regular jobgoing, as five dollars a day was pretty good picking. He, however, addedthat he must keep close tab on the paymaster deal. It meant a big bag ofgame. It might not be according to orders, but the other railroadfellows wouldn't lose any sleep if the Great Northern turned up with anempty pay car some fine morning.

  The hint was given also that the way to do things right was to get closeto the paymaster's system. Such suggestive words as "watching,""papers," appeared in the last lines of the riddled sheet of paper.

  "The precious set of rascals," commented Ralph indignantly. "Theassistant superintendent knew what he was talking about, it seems. It'sall as plain as day to me. Our rivals have employed an irresponsiblegang to spy on and cripple our service. Their hirelings are plotting tomake a great steal on their own account. Hi, there--mind yourself, willyou!"

  Ralph was suddenly nearly knocked off his feet. At the moment he waspassing along the side of a building used as a restaurant. It was agreat lounging place for young loafers, and second class and dischargedrailroad men.

  Its side door had opened forcibly and the big bouncing proprietor of theplace was wrathfully chasing a lithe young fellow from the place. Hisfoot barely grazed the latter, who pirouetted on the disturbed Ralph andwent sliding across the pavement to the gutter.

  "Get out, I tell you, get out!" roared the irate restaurant man. "Wedon't want the likes of you about here."

  "I'm out, ain't I?" pertly demanded the intruder.

  "And stay out."

  "Yah!"

  The man slammed the door, muttered something about stolen tableware andchanged eating checks. Ralph did not pause to challenge the oustedintruder further. One glance he had cast at the ugly, leering face ofthe lad. Then, his lips puckered to an inaudible whistle of surprise anddislike, he hurried his steps.

  "Ike Slump!" uttered the young railroader under his breath.

  It only needed the presence of the detestable owner of that name tomomentarily cause Ralph to feel that the situation was working down toone of absolute peril and intense seriousness. Ike Slump had been a nameto conjure by in the past--with the very worst juvenile element inStanley Junction.

  Way back in his first active railroad work, about the first repellantand obnoxious element Ralph had come up against was Ike Slump. WhenRalph was given a job in the roundhouse, he had found Ike Slump in theharness. From the very start the latter had made trouble for the newhand.

  Ike had tried to direct Ralph wrong, to slight work, to aid him inpulling the wool over the eyes of their superiors in doing poor work.Ralph had manfully refused to be a party to such deception.

  A pitched battle had ensued in which Slump was worsted. Later he wasdischarged, still later he was detected in stealing metal fittings fromthe roundhouse. After that Ike Slump joined a crowd of regular yardthieves. As Ralph went up the ladder of fortune, Ike went down. He wasarrested, escaped, made many attempts to "get even," as he called it,with the boy who had never done him a wrong, and the last Ralph hadheard of him he was serving a term in some jail for train wrecking.

  How he had got free was a present mystery to Ralph. That he had beenpardoned or his sentence remitted through some influence or other wasevident, for here was Slump, back in Stanley Junction, where Adair, theroad detective, would pick him up in a jiffy, if he was a fugitive fromjustice.

  Ralph had no wish to come in contact with the fellow. On the contrary,so distasteful was Slump and his many ways and his low companions toRalph, that he was desirous of strictly evading him. Ralph, however,could not help experiencing a new distrust at coming upon Slump at atime when presumptive villainy was in the air.

  "Hey!"

  Ralph did not pause at the challenge. He realized that Slump had seenand recognized him. He kept straight on, paying no attention to thehail, repeated, but at the corner of two streets, under a lamplight, hehalted, for Slump was at his side.

  "Well, what do you want?" demanded Ralph bluntly, and with no welcome inhis voice.

  "I--want to speak to you," stammered Slump, breathless from his run. "Isuppose it tickled you nearly to death to see me kicked out of therestaurant back yonder, hey?"

  "Why should it?" inquired Ralph.

  "That's all right, Fairbanks; natural, too, I suppose, for you neverliked me."

  "Did you ever give me a chance to try."

  "Eh? Well, let that pass. Don't be huffy now. See here."

  As Slump spoke, he extended his hands. They were coarse and grimy. Witha smirk he inquired:

  "See them?"

  "See what?" demanded Ralph.

  "Clean hands."

  "Are they--I didn't understand."

  "Yes, sir," declared the young rowdy volubly. "They've worked out thesentence on the stoke pile, and I owe the state nothing. I'm as free inStanley Junction as any goody-goody boy in the burg, and I want you toknow it."

  "All right, Ike," said Ralph, pleasantly enough, "hope you'll improvethe chance to make good, now you've got the opportunity."

  "You bet I will," retorted Slump, with a strangely jubilant chuckle.

  "That's good."

  "Don't go, I've got something else to say to you."

  "I'm pressed for time, Slump--"

  "Oh, you can spare me a minute. It may do you some good. Say, you'vemanaged to climb up some while I've been locked up, haven't you?"

  "I've had good steady work, yes."

  "I'd give an arm for just one run on that dandy Overland Express ofyours," observed Slump.

  "Why don't you work for it, then," questioned Ralph. "It's in any boywho will attend strictly to business."

  "Oh, I don't want the glory," explained Slump.

  "What, then?"

  "Just one chance to spurt her up till she rattled her old boiler intosmithereens and run the whole train into the ditch. That's how much Ilove the Great Northern!"

  Ralph was disgusted. He started down the walk, but Slump was persistent.The latter caught his arm. Ralph allowed himself to be brought to ahalt, but determined to break away very shortly.

  "Just a word, Fairbanks, before you go," said Slump. "You're going tocome across me once in a while, and I want a pleasant understanding,see? You won't see me getting into any more scrapes by holding the bagsfor others. I'm after the real velvet now, and I'm going to get it, see?I know a heap of what's going on, and something is. I'll give you onetip. I can get you a small fortune to resign your position on the GreatNorthern."

  The way Ike Slump pronounced these words, looking squarely into the eyesof Ralph, could not fail to impress the latter with the conviction thatthere was some sinister meaning in the proposition. Ralph, however,laughed lightly.

  "Thinking of starting a railroad of your own, Slump?" he asked.

  "No, I ain't," dissented Slump. "All the same--you see, do you?"

  Slump smartly put out one hand curved up like
a cup.

  "Yes, you told me before," nodded Ralph--"clean hands this time."

  "Now, this is a different deal."

  "Well?"

  "Hollow of my hand--see?"

  "I don't."

  "Maybe it holds a big railroad system, maybe it don't. Maybe I know aturn or two on the programme where the tap of a finger blows things up,maybe I don't. I only say this: I can fix you right with the rightparties--for a consideration. Think it over, see? When you see me againhave a little chat with me. It will pay you--see?"

  Ralph walked on more slowly after a long wondering stare at Ike Slump.He had never been afraid of the young knave either in a square fight orin a battle of wits. There was something ominous, however, in this newattitude of Slump. He had told just enough to show that somethingantagonistic to the Great Northern was stirring, and that he was mixedup with it.

  The home of the paymaster was located over near the railroad, quite awayfrom the business centre of the town. Ralph reached it after a briskwalk. He found the place dark and apparently untenanted. It looked as ifMr. Little and his family were away, probably at some neighbor's house.Then going around to the side of the house and glancing up at thewindows, Ralph discovered something that startled him.

  "Hello!" he exclaimed involuntarily, and every sense was on the alert inan instant.

  Two flashes inside the downstairs wing of the house, which Ralph knewMr. Little used as a library, had glinted across the panes of anuncurtained window. Somebody inside the room had scratched a match whichwent out, then another which stayed lighted.

  Its flickerings for a moment illuminated the apartment and revealed twomen standing near a desk at one side of the room.

  "Why," exclaimed the young railroader--"those mysterious men again!"