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

by Mrs. Molesworth

  CHAPTER XXI

  A DASTARDLY PLOT

  Ralph was greatly interested in the affairs of the Gliddens. The olddispatcher was a good fellow all around; he had proven himself a loyalfriend to the young railroader, and Ralph could not resist thecompliment implied in entrusting him with an important mission.

  "Sure the leave of absence is all right?" he suggested.

  "Saw the superintendent himself."

  "Very well, I'm glad to go for you," said Ralph, and he stowed the onethousand dollars in a safe inside pocket. "How are you going to raisethe other three thousand dollars, though?"

  "I have a sister living at Wilston, who I know has as much as I had inbank. I'm going to take the express for there, jump to Myron, where abrother-in-law runs a small country bank, and I'm not afraid of results.My sister owns a two thousand dollar mortgage that I have an interestin, too. I'll take that on to the bank to put up as security, if it'sneeded."

  "You're a pretty good brother, Mr. Glidden," said Ralph earnestly.

  The old operator mumbled in his throat and turned away to hide theemotion that lay under his gruff manner.

  By the time they reached the depot Glidden had given Ralph finaldetailed instructions. He did not know how his messenger might findaffairs at Derby, but he seemed to take a good deal of comfort inbelieving that if they were at all complicated, Ralph's dexterity andintelligence would simplify the problem.

  "Tell the lawyer I will be certain to reach Derby on the first morningtrain with the money," declared Glidden. "Stay with him all night andwatch things. Keep your eye on the other crowd and guard the factory."

  "I shall try to do all you suggest," promised Ralph.

  He telephoned to his mother at home. It was a three hours' ride toDerby. Ralph reached his destination about five o'clock in theafternoon. He went to the office of the lawyer, located above a store,but found its door locked. Then he inquired in the place below as to hisresidence and received the necessary directions.

  As Ralph left the store he noticed a crowd of four men lounging in frontof a drinking place across the street. From their manner he judged thatthey had watched him go up to the office of the lawyer. Why they wereinterested Ralph did not know, but he kept a keen eye out, rememberingthat he carried a thousand dollars in an inner pocket of his coat.

  "Two of those men are following me," Ralph said to himself withconviction, a minute later.

  This he believed to be true, judging from their actions. They kept pacewith him on the opposite side of the street. Ralph gave no sign that hesuspected their surveillance. Suddenly as the two men were crossing thestreet, a lank, wretched looking fellow came towards them from thedoorway of a saloon. It was apparent that he knew them and made someappeal to them. One of them brushed him carelessly aside. As the otherpassed him the mendicant caught his sleeve to detain him. The manturned, jerked away, shot out his fist, and striking the other brutallyin the face sent him prostrate to the pavement and walked coolly on.

  "Poor fellow!" commented Ralph, as the man picked himself up, wiping theblood from his injured face with an old ragged handkerchief.

  "That's the way you treat an old friend after getting all you can out ofhim, is it?" shrieked the injured man, waving his fists wildly after hisassailant. "I'll fix you for this. I'll get even with you."

  The incident passed out of Ralph's mind as he sought for and found thehome of the lawyer. As he entered its gate he glanced back down thestreet. The two men who had followed him stood at the next corner. Soonthey turned and retraced the way they had come. Apparently they weresatisfied in the proceedings, their mission having been to locateRalph's destination.

  Ralph found the wife of the lawyer at home. It took only a few minutesfor a bright businesslike boy and a woman who interested herself in herhusband's professional duties to understand one another. Ralph explainedthe object of his call.

  "I am very glad to welcome you," said the lady. "And I am glad of thegood news you bring. My husband and I are deeply interested in Mr.Glidden's business affairs. My husband had an urgent professional callto the next town, but he will be back at eight o'clock this evening. Hewas preparing to arrange for some kind of a bond tomorrow morning, butit looked dubious. The money will settle everything."

  Ralph noticed a small safe in the room where he sat, and turned thethousand dollars over to the lawyer's wife for safe keeping.

  "That is better so," said the lady. "Dorsett, the man who is making allthis trouble, has employed three or four rough loafers in his service,and they have been watching every move my husband has made."

  "I think two of them followed me here," explained Ralph.

  "I hope you will watch out for yourself," warned the lawyer's wifeanxiously. "Perhaps you had better remain here until my husbandreturns."

  "Oh, I am not a bit afraid," said Ralph. "I want to look around town andperhaps go as far as the factory. Is it in operation?"

  "No, it has been shut down since Mr. Glidden's illness, but it is incharge of a faithful, honest old fellow, his foreman, a man namedBartlett."

  Ralph left the lawyer's house and started in the direction of thefactory as just indicated to him. It appeared to be located on theriver, about half a mile from the center of the town.

  In order to reach it he had to go back a few blocks towards the village.He saw no trace of the men who had followed him. As he passed an alleyopening, however, he slowed up to watch the maneuvers of a man whointerested him.

  This was the man who had been knocked over in the street by the two menwho had followed Ralph. He was standing near a barrel which seemed to beused as a receptacle for the kitchen refuse of a house near by. He hadreached into it and picked out a piece of stale bread and lifted it tohis lips.

  "Don't eat that," said Ralph impulsively, slipping quickly to the sideof the man.

  The latter flushed up, put the scrap of food behind him and lookedrather annoyed and angry. He did not have a good face, and it looked theworse because of his recent beating. Still, the man's forlornwretchedness appealed to the whole-hearted young railroader in aforcible way.

  "What will I eat?" growled the man, scowling hard.

  "You seem to be hungry--go and get a good meal somewhere."

  Ralph extended half a dollar. The man stared at it, then at Ralph.

  "Crackey!" he said breathlessly--"do you mean it?"

  "You had better go somewhere and wash the blood off your face first,"continued Ralph. "Here," and he took out the little surgical case thatall locomotive men carry with them. "Put a piece of that stickingplaster on that cut across your cheekbone. It was a pretty bad blow thatfellow gave you."

  "Did you see him strike me?" inquired the man.

  "Yes, and it appeared to be a brutal and uncalled for assault."

  "Say, that's just what it was," declared the man, getting excited. "Itrained with that crowd and did their dirty work, and because I got adrop too much and blowed about the things we were going to do up to thefactory, they dropped me."

  "What factory?" pressed Ralph.

  "Glidden's."

  "I was just going up there," said Ralph. "It's somewhere in thisdirection, isn't it?"

  "You'll see the smokestack when you turn the next corner. Say," demandedthe fellow with a stare of interest at Ralph, "what you going there for?Looking for a job?"

  "No," replied Ralph, "I wanted to see it, that's all. I am a friend ofthe man who owns it."

  "Oh, that's it?" observed the man thoughtfully. "Well, he won't own ittomorrow."

  "Why not?"

  "Dorsett is going to get him, that's why."

  "You mean seize on the factory, don't you?" inquired Ralph.

  The man stared at Ralph fixedly. He was silent for nearly two minutes.He seemed to be turning something over in his mind. He gazed at the coinRalph had given him. Then he glanced over his shoulder to see if anylurker was watching them.

  "See here," he asked in a low tone, "you're on Glidden's side, ofcourse?"

  "Yes, stro
ngly."

  "You've been good to me. Saved me from starving. I'll do something foryou. Between twelve and one o'clock tomorrow morning, Dorsett and hismen are going to pull that factory up yonder to pieces."