Ralph in the Switch Tower; Or, Clearing the Track

by Frank V. Webster

  CHAPTER XXIX--GUESSING

  Young Slavin was marking some initials on the current date on a bigcalendar hanging up on the door of the coat closet of the depot switchtower.

  It was his third day of service. As old Jack Knight came up the trapladder, his grim face broke into an expression of sincere approbation.He took a keen look around the place.

  "Neat and tidy," he observed. "You'll do, Slavin. But what's thosehieroglyphics on that calendar for?"

  "Oh, just a memoranda," explained the new tower hand, with a consciousflush.

  "'P.I.N.' eh?" said Knight.

  The initials were blue-penciled in the date space of each of the threedays of Slavin's employment.

  "Yes, sir."

  "What's the answer? Something about a coupling pin?"

  "Naw. Those initials, Mr. Knight, represent the boiling down of therules for employees printed on the card of instructions."

  "That so?"

  "Yes, sir, Promptness, Industry, Neatness. I'm trying to fill thatbill."

  "You've done it so far," observed old Jack. "I hear you show up an hourbefore time."

  "Can't sleep, thinking of my grand luck!" chuckled Slavin.

  "You're certainly all the time fussing around, if that's industry," wenton Knight. "Those windows shine like headlights. You've oiled upeverything till the lack of creaking makes a fellow lonesome. As toneatness--well, if you haven't actually scrubbed the floor here!"

  "I thought it needed it," said Slavin.

  "Keep it up, son," encouraged old Jack. "You're making a finebeginning."

  Slavin went singing and whistling about his work the whole day long. Itdid Ralph's heart good, when he arrived, to see his protege happy,industrious, and headed in the right direction.

  Things were going on famously smooth and satisfactory at the switchtower. A friend of old Farrington's, and by no means of Ralph's, oneBardon, an inspector, had looked over the layout with a critical eye theday previous.

  "You'll find no flaws here, friend," old Jack had announced.

  Bardon had to admit that the switch tower regime was in perfect workingorder.

  Since the escape of Ike Slump and Mort Bemis and the new disappearanceof Van Sherwin, not a clew as to the course or whereabouts of themissing trio had reached either Ralph or his friends.

  There had been a big row up at the jail, and one of the under officershad been discharged under suspicion.

  It was evident that someone had smuggled tools and ropes into the jail,for these were found in the cell through the forced window of whichSlump and Bemis had escaped.

  These could hardly have passed proper inspection, if hidden in food orclothing brought to the prisoners by outsiders.

  "Of course old Farrington's man did the job," asserted Slavin.

  "Of course he did," assented Ralph. "It was the cheapest way of givinghis troublesome pensioners their liberty."

  Van's message to Ralph had a very encouraging tone to it. He evidentlyhad a clew to Mrs. Davis' place of confinement, and "he had the stolendocuments."

  As the days went by, however, Ralph began to grow anxious, and hismother shared his worry. Ralph had told her everything concerning therifled tin box. Mrs. Fairbanks was mainly troubled over the possibleimprisonment and mistreatment of Mrs. Davis.

  "The poor lady has suffered a great deal of trouble," she remarked. "Hermind was none too strong. It is wicked to torture her further, Ralph,can we do nothing to force Mr. Farrington to tell where she is?"

  "He would deny having ever heard of Mrs. Davis," asserted Ralphconvincedly. "Of course, if any mishap or failure comes to Van, and hedoesn't report soon, I will see a lawyer and try and compel Farringtonto some action. He is a shrewd, cruel man, though, mother. I am afraidour only hope is in Van, or the recapture of Slump and Bemis."

  "Have they tried to find them?"

  "Mr. Adair has been searching for them everywhere. He believes thatFarrington assisted in their escape, and gave them a large amount ofmoney to leave the country."

  Gasper Farrington was not having a very happy time of it. Ralph decidedthis that morning, as he noticed the magnate pass on the other side ofthe street.

  Farrington looked bent, old, and troubled. He had sustained a totalloss at the factory fire. His tricky methods were becoming known to thepublic. He was losing the respect of people. This he realized, andshowed it both in bearing and face.

  Ralph was thinking about all this about three o'clock in the afternoon,when the depot master's messenger came up the tower ladder. He had apocketful of mail.

  "Postal card for you, Fairbanks," he said.

  Ralph took the card and went to the window to inspect it. The postalwas blurred over and wrinkled, back and front. It looked as if it hadbeen posted after being wetted by snow or rain, or in some stage of itstransmission had fallen into a mess of wet dirt.

  Its address was clear enough. It bore a railway mail postmark. On itsreverse side the letters had run with the moisture.

  "From Van," said Ralph, setting himself the difficult task ofdeciphering the blurred lines. "I know his handwriting, and it issigned 'V.' It was written in a hurry, that looks certain. What has heto say?"

  Ralph conned the imperfect message over and over. After manyinterruptions, at the end of fully half an hour's careful study, thesewere the only coherent words he could formulate from the blurred scrawl:

  "----hurry--and important. Don't miss telling--Slump--Bemis--Wednesdayevening--safe--bank shipment--express--found out, and specialfreight--sure to be there--not later--near South Dover--don't delay aminute--will soon--back at Stanley Junction."

  "What is he trying to tell me?" murmured Ralph in a puzzled and anxiousway, after a third and fourth reading of the perplexing message.

  He finally gave up guessing what the missing links in the postal screedmight be.

  "One thing is certain," reflected Ralph. "Wednesday evening somethingis on the books. The only other definite clew is South Dover. Does hemean for me to meet him there? Does he mean that Slump and Bemis are inthat neighborhood? There is something about a bank shipment, express,and special freight. That means the railroad is somehow interested.'Don't miss,' he writes, 'don't delay.' I won't," resolved Ralphkeenly. "I wouldn't dare to, with such a word from Van. He has kept mumall along. Now that he does speak out, it certainly means somethingimportant."

  Ralph thought things over for another half-hour, and then made up hismind what he would do.

  He consulted the train schedules. Then he explained to Knight thenecessity for a brief absence from duty. Without seeing Slavin, who hadbeen sent for some report blanks to the depot, Ralph hurried home.

  He told his mother about the postal card, dressed for the trip down theroad, and caught the 4.30 train. Ralph was cordially invited to a seatin the cab by his loyal old friend, Engineer Griscom.

  It was nearly dusk when the train reached South Dover. The place wasonly a name. There was not a building within a mile of the tool shedsand water tank that marked the spot.

  The train slowed up for Ralph, who jumped off. He waved his hand toGriscom in adieu, and looked all about him.

  South Dover was a switching and make-up point for the accommodation ofDover freight transfers. It had a dozen sidings and spurs. Freightcoming into Dover on a north destination was switched here, and madeready to be taken up by through trains.

  A man on a track bicycle had just set some lights. He whirled awaytowards Dover as Ralph stood looking about him.

  No other human being was in sight. On a near siding stood half a dozenfreight cars. Over on another track, near the water tower, stood a deadfreight dummy.

  "I can't make out much here," reflected Ralph. "No one in sight, noindication why Van mentioned the place."

  He strolled over to the dead locomotive. Its tender was full of coal.Ralph opened the furnace door. Everything was ready to kindle up, andthe gauge showed a full water supply.

  "I see," mus
ed Ralph. "There is to be some switching, or a night run. Idon't know how soon, though. Well, I'll hang around a bit. Somethingmay develop."

  Ralph walked down the short line of freights, casually inspecting thecars. As he came to the last one he dodged back in a very livelyfashion.

  Climbing up the embankment to the left were four persons. They had justemerged, it seemed, from thick underbrush lining the tracks.

  Two of them were grown men--bearded, rough-looking fellows, resemblingtramps.

  The other two persons of the group had a prompt and distinct interest toRalph. He at once recognized Ike Slump and Mort Bemis.

  They were coming directly towards the freights. Ralph saw the danger ofdiscovery.

  The door of the car next to the last box freight was ajar.

  Ralph leaped up into the car just as Ike Slump reached the top of therailroad embankment.