Ralph in the Switch Tower; Or, Clearing the Track

by Frank V. Webster

  CHAPTER XIII--SQUARING THINGS

  Ralph was tremendously pleased at the praise of the superintendent ofthe Great Northern. He started for home, his work through with for theday, feeling that life was very much worth living.

  He lost no time on this especial occasion in reaching the home cottage.He wanted to share his pleasure with his devoted mother.

  Ralph found the front door locked. He had a key to it however, lethimself in, and was wondering at this unusual absence of his mother at aregular meal hour, when he caught sight of a folded note on the littletable in the hall.

  "I am at Mrs. Davis'," his mother's note ran. "She is not very well,and wishes me to stay with her for a few hours. Please call for me ather house at about nine o'clock."

  Entering the little dining room, Ralph found the table all set. Heproceeded to the kitchen, and discovered under covers on a slow fire hismeal ready to be served.

  "Always kind and thoughtful," he reflected gratefully, as he sat down tohis solitary repast. "Nine o'clock, eh? That gives me time to attendto some pressing duties. Perhaps Mrs. Davis may have something to sayabout those bonds."

  Ralph's mother had done her duty in seeing to it that he was not put outby her absence. He now proceeded to do his by clearing up the table andwashing the dishes. He had everything in order before he left thehouse.

  He sauntered downtown, changed a twenty-dollar bill that was among thosethe circus manager had given him, and started down a humble side street.

  In about ten minutes Ralph reached the Stiggs home. It was a smallone-story structure, but comfortable-looking and well-kept.

  In the garden was a small summerhouse. A spark of light directed Ralphthither. It appeared that Stiggs was banished from the house whileusing his favorite weed. This was his "smokery."

  Before Ralph could announce his presence, someone spoke from an openwindow of the house.

  "John Jacob Stiggs--smoke! smoke! smoke!" proclaimed a high-pitchedvoice-. "I should think you'd be ashamed--at it all the time. If youare so valuable to your railroad cronies why don't you bring home achicken, or a watermelon, or a bag of potatoes once in a while, insteadof your perpetual 'plug cut,' and 'cut loaf,' and 'killmequick'? Oh,dear! dear! you are such a trial."

  "That's so--never thought of that," responded Stiggs from his snuggery,in his usual quiet way. "But, my dear, something is coming. Somemoney--you know I told you."

  "Nonsense!" retorted Mrs. Stiggs violently. "They stuff you full of allkinds of stories. Last week you said they were going to make you mastermechanic."

  "I declined it! I declined it!" answered Stiggs in quick trepidation."The responsibility of the position--think of it, my dear!"

  "Well, I suppose you're my cross," sighed his helpmate patiently. "Only,don't get a woman's hopes all alive with your story of five dollarscoming, and a new shawl for me."

  "Ten, my dear," interrupted Stiggs. "I've quite forgotten the amount,but I am sure it was more than five. You see, I helped catch atiger----"

  "John Jacob Stiggs!" cried his wife severely, "you'd better keep thosewild notions out of your head. Tigers! Who ever saw a tiger in StanleyJunction?" she sniffed disdainfully.

  "Why, I did, Mrs. Stiggs," broke in Ralph, stepping to the window with apleasant smile, and lifting his cap politely. "It escaped from thecircus now in town. Your husband helped me get it into the hands of theshow people, they paid us fifty dollars' reward for our services, andhalf of it belongs to Mr. Stiggs. There is his share, madam."

  "Laws-a-mercy!" cried the astounded woman, as the crisp green bills wereplaced on the window ledge. "You don't mean----"

  "Twenty-five dollars," nodded Ralph.

  "His? mine? ours?"

  "Yes, Mrs. Stiggs. You can have a famous new shawl now, can't you,madam?"

  "Oh, come in. Oh, dear! dear! it don't seem real."

  Ralph stepped around to the door and entered the little sitting room.Mrs. Stiggs could not keep still for excitement. She was laughing andcrying by turns.

  Old Stiggs followed after Ralph in a kind of dumb amazement, and stoodstaring at the banknotes in his wife's hand. She chanced to observehim. For the first time in his life, it seemed, her husband hadventured inside the house smoking his despised tobacco.

  "John--Jacob--Stiggs!" she screamed.

  "Oh--my!" gasped the horrified culprit.

  The lighted pipe dropped from his mouth, and he bolted out of doors asif shot from a cannon.

  Mrs. Stiggs was profuse in her thanks. She got more coherent, andpoured out her little troubles to Ralph, who was a sympathetic listener.He gave her some advice, and his heart warmed as he finally left thehouse, happy in the consciousness that he had bestowed some pleasure andbenefit where he felt sure they were fully deserved.

  "Anybody but mother would call me a chump for what I've got to do next,"he mused, as he proceeded briskly in the direction of lower RailroadStreet, "but I've got the impulse, and it looks clear to me that I'mdoing the right thing all around."

  Ralph proceeded past the long line of poor buildings just back of thedepot tracks. He looked into the restaurant where he had found MortBemis and Young Slavin some evenings previous.

  They were not in evidence now, however, at this or other places heinspected. Ralph made inquiries of some "extras," who had a good dealof spare time, and were likely to know the denizens of Railroad Row.

  No one could tell him of the whereabouts of the persons he sought, untilhe met a young urchin whom he questioned.

  "Slavin?" pronounced the precious street arab. "Champeen? He's atMurphy's shed."

  A man named Murphy ran a cheap ice cream place further down the street,Ralph remembered. The shed he also recalled as a loafing place forjuvenile road hands around the noon and evening hours.

  It was a great open structure where expressmen stored their wagons forshelter. Ralph reached its proximity in a few minutes. He glancedaround the open end of the place.

  Three or four boys were squatted on the ground. Two of them had a coatand a vest, on which they were clumsily sewing. Near by, wrapped in anold horse-blanket, seated on a box, his eyes fixed gloomily on theground, was the object of Ralph's visit--Young Slavin.

  Ralph went forward at once. Two of the group sprang to their feet,startled. Young Slavin, looking spiritless and cowed, craned his bullneck in silent wonder and uncertainty.

  "Mr. Slavin," spoke Ralph promptly, "I have been trying to find you."

  "What for?" mumbled Slavin in a muffled tone. "I'm ripped up the back.Out of training--see you later."

  "Oh, I haven't come to fight," Ralph assured him. "It is this way: Isaw you meet with an unfortunate accident this afternoon."

  "If you mean you made rags of the only suit of clothes I've got, it'scorrect," admitted Slavin dejectedly.

  "Well, I warned you, but you would rush on your fate," said Ralph."Pretty badly used up, are they?"

  "Are they?" snorted Slavin bitterly. "They were ripped from stem tostern. And what's worse--look at them now!"

  Ralph could scarcely keep from laughing outright. One of the amateurtailors had essayed to mend Slavin's trousers.

  He had taken up a seam four inches wide. In pursuing the seam, he hadsewed it into bunches, knobs, and fissures. One leg was shorter thanthe other, and stood out at an angle from the knee down.

  "No, that won't do at all," said Ralph gravely. "I felt sorry for you,Slavin. As I warned you, that tiger was in the switch tower. I got areward for telling the circus people where it was, and I think it isonly fair that they pay for the damage the animal did. They advertise agood eight-dollar suit down at the Grand Leader. Go and get one. Thatsquares it, doesn't it?"

  Ralph extended a ten-dollar bill to Slavin. The eyes of his engrossedcompanions snapped at the sight of so much money. As for Slavinhimself, he stared at the bill and then at Ralph in stupid wonder.

  "Take it," urged Ralph.

  "Mine?" gulped Slavin slowly.

&n
bsp; "Of course it's yours."

  "You give it?"

  "Why not? I collected damages from the circus people--that's yourshare."

  Slavin's fingers trembled as he took the proffered banknote. Hewriggled restively, looked up, and then looked down.

  "Say," he spoke hoarsely at last, "your name is Fairbanks."

  "Yes," nodded Ralph.

  "A good name, and you're a good sort. I jumped on you wrong the othernight, and I want to say it right here. I thought Mort Bemis was myfriend. This afternoon he took up with a fellow named Slump, broke openmy trunk, stole two of my silver medals, and sloped. That's what I gotfor being his friend. Now you come and do me a good turn. I'm not yourkind, and we can't ever mix probably, but if ever you want anyonehammered, I'll be there. See? I'm--I'm obliged to you, Fairbanks.You've taught me something. There's something better in the world thanmuscle--and you've got it."

  When Ralph left the old shed, he was pretty certain that he had made anew friend. He had, too, won the respect of the little coterie who hadseen the terrible "champeen" eat humble pie before a fellow half hissize.

  Ralph went to a millinery store next. The Saturday evening before hehad accompanied his mother on her shopping tour. She had admired a hatin a show-window, but had said she could not spare the money for it justthen.

  Ralph proudly walked home with the self-same hat in a band-box.

  "I have made quite a hole in that fifty dollars," he mused, as he leftthe band-box at the home cottage, and started for Mrs. Davis' house. "Iwonder if I would be as extravagant on a bigger scale, if we should befortunate enough to get back those twenty thousand dollars' worth ofrailroad bonds?"