Part 29 (1/2)

”Not at all, not at all,” declared the judge. ”Come, don't be modest.

I am a rich man.”

”And I a rich mother in having so n.o.ble a son,” spoke Mrs. Fairbanks, with deep emotion. ”You must not think of a reward, sir. He will not take it.”

After a while the judge left the house, but he did so with an insistent and significant declaration that ”he would not forget”

Ralph.

The young fireman was surprised to see him returning a few minutes later, in the company of two of his own friends, Mr. Trevor, the nephew of the president of the Great Northern, and Van Sherwin.

”Well, this is a queer meeting,” cried Van with enthusiasm, as they entered the house. ”Here we met Judge Graham, who is a great friend of Mr. Trevor, and the very man we wished to see.”

This statement was soon explained. It appeared that Mr. Trevor had fully recovered his health, and had come to Stanley Junction with Van to make preparations to issue and sell the bonds of the Short Cut Railroad. The judge was one of the friends he had intended to interview about buying some bonds.

For an hour young Trevor recited to Judge Graham the prospects of the little railway line and their plans regarding the same. Ralph was fascinated at his glowing descriptions of its great future.

Ralph's visitors went away, but in a short time Van returned to the cottage.

”I say, Ralph,” he remarked, ”Judge Graham is going to invest in those bonds.”

”That's good,” said Ralph.

”And I heard him tell Mr. Trevor to put down an extra block of them in the name of Ralph Fairbanks.”

CHAPTER XXIII

THE PICNIC TRAIN

Zeph Dallas had returned to work. His connection with the strikers had been fully explained to the railroad people by Ralph, and the farmer boy was readily taken back into the service of the company. Zeph boarded with Mrs. Fairbanks, and Limpy Joe did, too, when he was in Stanley Junction.

The enterprising Joe was winning his way famously. His advertising scheme was a grand success, and the nuts he gathered brought in a good many dollars. One day he came to town to announce that he was going to move his traps, thanking Mrs. Fairbanks for her great kindness to him in the past.

”Are you going to leave the Junction permanently, Joe?” asked Ralph.

”I think so,” answered the cripple. ”You see, I have been up to the headquarters of the Short Line Railroad. They can use my horse and wagon. They offer me a good salary to cook for them, and the concession of running a restaurant when their line is completed.”

”A good opportunity, that, Joe,” said Ralph, ”although the main prospect you mention is far in the future, isn't it?”

”Not at all,” declared Joe. ”I guess you haven't kept track of proceedings in The Barrens. Their telegraph line is clear through, both ways from headquarters now. The bonds are nearly all sold, and they expect to begin to lay the rails in earnest next week.”

”I noticed a good deal of activity at our end of the line,” said Ralph. ”I think the scheme is going to be a success. I almost wish I was going to work with you fellows.”

It was now drawing on towards late fall. For several weeks the young fireman had not been disturbed by his enemies. Work had gone on smoothly. He was learning more and more every day, and his savings amounted to quite a pretentious sum.

The only outside issue that troubled Ralph was the fact that they had not yet recovered the twenty thousand dollars due his mother from old Gasper Farrington. That individual had disappeared. Ralph kept a sharp lookout, for upon finding the magnate and bringing him to terms depended the last chance of getting the money.

There was the last picnic of the season one day, and Ralph had been a.s.signed to duty to look after things generally. He was surprised when Forgan took him off the run of the Limited Mail.

”It will be a sort of vacation holiday for you, lad,” said the roundhouse foreman. ”We want somebody reliable to look after the train, with so many women and children aboard. You will be boss over the engineer, fireman and the whole train crew for the day.”