Ralph of the Roundhouse; Or, Bound to Become a Railroad Man

by Frank V. Webster

  CHAPTER XXXI--A REMARKABLE CONFESSION

  "You helped Gasper Farrington rob my father!" exclaimed Ralph.

  "Yes," answered Gibson unhesitatingly.

  Ralph wondered how he could make the admission thus boldly andunblushingly. Gibson, however, acted like a man who had taken adesperate stand with an important end to attain, and for the time beingat least had set aside all questions of sentiment and conscience.

  "It will be brief," said Gibson, after a pause. "When the GreatNorthern was on its first boom and everybody gone wild to invest in itsbonds, I caught the fever too. My wife had died and I had no children,and converting my land into cash I came up to Stanley Junction withthirty thousand dollars in my pocket. I was always stuck onrailroading. I fancied myself a director, riding in the president's carand distributing free passes to my friends. In a black moment in mylife I ran afoul of Gasper Farrington. He took me under his wing andencouraged my visionary ideas. At that time your father had twentythousand dollars in Great Northern bonds. They were not all paid for,but nearly so. They were, in fact, held by a bank as trustee in what isknown as escrow--that is, subject to his call on payment of the smallsum still due on them. Your father had great confidence in Farrington.So had I. I put my capital in his hands."

  Gibson became so wrought up in his recital that he could not sit still.He got up and paced the floor.

  "If we had kept to a straight investment, your father and I," proceededGibson, "we would have been all right. But Farrington dazzled us withhis stock-jobbing schemes. He actually did let us into a deal where bydabbling in what is called margins we increased our pile considerably.In about a month, however, he had us where he wanted us. That is, hehad our affairs so mixed up and complicated that neither of us knew justwhere we stood, and didn't dare to make a move without his advice. Forsome time we had all been dabbling in Midland Central securities. Oneday, after he had got me to buy a big block of that stock, the marketbroke. I was a pauper."

  "Had Mr. Farrington lost too?" inquired Ralph.

  "He pretended that he had, but later I found that he was the very personwho was manipulating the stocks on the sly, and trimming us. We had abitter quarrel. Then he said all was fair in war and business. I wasdesperate, lad, about my money, and when he set up a plan to get hold ofyour father's bonds, I went into it. I am sorry now. I was crazy thosedays, I guess, money-mad!"

  The man's candor vouched for his sincerity, but Ralph looked sad anddisturbed.

  "Anyway, he got your father in a tight corner, and I helped him do it.It was a complicated deal. I can't say that Farrington stole thosebonds outright, but in a roundabout way they finally came into hispossession. If the transaction was ever ripped up, I don't believe itwould stand in law. But I don't know that positively. Your father losthis bonds, and I got nothing out of the transaction. But there issomething else that I want to get at. A little later, never doubtingFarrington's honesty, your father gave him a mortgage on his homestead.It was done to protect your mother--that is, feeling himself gettinginvolved, your father wished to be sure that she had at least a shelterover her head. There was no consideration whatever in the deal. It wasmerely put temporarily in the shape of a mortgage until affairs hadcleared somewhat, when it was to be deeded to a third party, and thendirect to your mother."

  "Then Mr. Farrington never had a right to collect that interest money,"said Ralph.

  "He wasn't entitled to a cent of it. Farrington then got me intoanother deal. I had borrowed one thousand dollars from my brother. Hegot me to take security for it, as he called it. In some way he had gothold of the old Short Line charter here. At that time it was treated asa joke, and considered worthless. I didn't know it. He got my thousanddollars, claimed to lose it in a deal, and I was flat broke."

  "And later?" suggested Ralph, recalling in an instant what he had heardfrom Big Denny about Gibson.

  "Well, I got hard pressed. I saw a chance to get even with him. Wewere in a deal together. I canceled it to get a few hundred dollars,and signed our joint names as a firm. Later I learned that I had aright only to sign my own name. I went to his house. He threatened tohave me arrested for forgery the next day, showed me the forged paper,as he called it, and a warrant he had sworn out. We had a fearful row.I beat him up good and proper, smashed some windows, and, disgusted withlife and mankind, fled to this wilderness."

  It was a vivid recital, running like some romance. Gibson took breath,and concluded:

  "A man can't sit forever eating out his heart in loneliness. I knewthat Farrington would not hesitate to send me to jail. I located here.One day, yonder faithful fellow, Van Sherwin, came along. He was anorphan outcast, I took him in. His company gave a new spur toexistence. I got casting up accounts. I rarely ventured to the towns,but I sent him to a relative, who loaned me a few hundred dollars. Iinvestigated the Short Line business, even paid a lawyer to look it up.I found I had something tangible, and that for a certain date, then twomonths ahead, provided I did some work each day except Sundaythenceforward on the right of way, I could hold the franchiseindefinitely, unimpaired. Since then, Van and I have been at thegrading work, as you see."

  "And why did you write to my father? inquired Ralph.

  "My hard, bad nature has changed since Van came here to cheer me withhis loyal companionship," said Gibson. "I always felt I had wrongedyour father. I wrote to him, thinking him still alive, to come and seeme. Instead, you come as his representative. Very well, this is what Iwant to say: I am willing to make the statements in writing that I havegiven to you verbally. That, you may say, is of no practical benefit toyou. But here is something that is: My sworn statement that themortgage was in reality a trust will cancel everything. That meanssomething for you, doesn't it?"

  "It means a great deal--yes, indeed," assented Ralph.

  "Very well," said Gibson. "You go and use the information I have givenyou, the threat to expose Farrington, to get him to destroy that forgednote he holds against me, so that I can come out into the daylight afree man to put my railroad project on foot, and I will give to you asworn statement that in any court of law will compel him to surrender toyour mother, free and clear, your home. And I won't say right now whatI will be glad to do for the widow and son of John Fairbanks, when theShort Line is an assured fact and a success."