CHAPTER VI--MRS. FAIRBANKS' VISITOR
It seemed to Ralph that his eyes closed tight shut for half a minute,and then came open as wide as ever.
He did not believe he lost consciousness for more than thirty seconds.That, however, was time enough for his mysterious assailant to makehimself scarce.
Ralph got to his feet, quite shaken. His hand went to the side of hishead involuntarily. His left cheek was scraped and full of splinters,though not bleeding. A big lump was rising in front of one ear.
On the ground lay the club that had dealt Ralph the blow. He moved itwith his foot to find it heavy, as if made of hard wood.
"Why, the fellow might have killed me had he struck a little harder,"said Ralph seriously. "Who was he? It must be that he knows me, for hespoke my name."
There was a hydrant in the center of a platform space near by. Ralphwent over to this and turned on the water and sopped his handkerchief,applying it to the lump on his head.
"Was it Mort Bemis?" his mind ran on. "No, I am sure it was not. Bemisis stubby and broad, this fellow was tall and slim. Looked like ahalf-starved rat. Who could it be?"
In a minute or two Ralph went back to the car that had proven for him akind of Pandora's box.
He lifted himself through the open doorway and flashed some matches.
The car was bare. It smelted of tobacco smoke, and there was a litterof cigarette stubs in one corner. The other closed door wasback-sheathed with smooth boards. Under these Ralph discovered somefresh whittlings, or splinters. He inspected door and floor moreclosely.
"Ah, I see," he observed: "the stowaway has been killing time by cuttinghis name on the pillar of fame."
The door surface bore a record of various jackknife experts. Idlehands, belonging to all kinds of ride-stealers, had from time to timecut their initials on the smooth boards.
There were some pencilings, too--all kinds of doggerel slang andinitials. Thus: "Turnpike Tim on his fift' trip sout'." "Mugsey, theTerror," and the warning line: "Bad road for tramps, twice for flippingtrains."
The last stowaway, as evidenced by two letters cut into the board, hadsought to rival his predecessors. The newly indented initials werenearly eight inches long, and formed an I and an S.
"'I.S.,'" read Ralph. "The solution is easy. It was Ike Slump. Thoseare his initials, and, come to recall my fierce assailant, he fits Ike'ssize exactly. That mean attack, too, would be characteristic of Slump.He was afraid of me. He needs to be. There is a standing reward oftwenty-five dollars from the railroad for his arrest. I don't want thereward, but I don't propose to have him come back to his old haunts andassociates to bother me."
Ralph walked home slowly. The blow he had received caused him somepain. The addition of the malignant Ike Slump to the list of his activeenemies troubled him. Ralph knew what it was to fight a mean,underhanded foe. The roster so far included not only Slump, but Bemisand Gasper Farrington.
"It's my duty to notify the railroad company that Slump is again onhand," declared Ralph. "That will dispose of him. As to Bemis, I shallseek him out and give him a warning. If he troubles me any further Iwill have him arrested for his malicious mischief of to-day. It would bea pretty serious charge--endangering the railroad property. GasperFarrington will not do anything openly to harm me. He dare not. But hewill work against me in the dark, if he sees the chance to do it. Well,I shall watch his movements mighty closely."
Ralph spurred up as he came within the lights of home. The lamp burningbrightly in the front room of the neat little cottage was always acheering beacon to him, for he knew it had been placed by loving hands.
Mrs. Fairbanks, the tender, thoughtful mother, made that home a peacefulparadise for her only son. She greeted Ralph at the door with a welcomethat made him forget instantly all of the cares and troubles of the dayin entering the sheltering of a rare haven of rest and contentment.
Ralph took a good wash at the kitchen sink, put on a clean collar andtie and a light housecoat. Then he sat down to a table steaming withappetizing food.
"Why, Ralph," instantly spoke Mrs. Fairbanks, "you have been hurt!"
Ralph carelessly moved his hand over the lump on his head.
"Nothing serious, mother," he declared with a reassuring smile. "Afellow generally gets some initiation bumps on his first day in a newjob on the railroad."
Mrs. Fairbanks was scarcely satisfied with this off-hand explanation,but Ralph at once shifted the conversation into other channels. He madeup his mind he would not worry his mother with the story of hisencounter with Ike Slump, at least for the present.
"By the way," he said, as he stowed away a hearty meal, "did you have avisitor to-day, mother?"
"Why, yes," answered Mrs. Fairbanks. "A lady--Mrs. Davis."
"I am glad she came," said Ralph. "She took the ten dollars I wrote youabout?"
"Rather reluctantly. She is a strange woman," went on Mrs. Fairbanksthoughtfully; "I could not quite make her out. She acted quite flightyat times, but I believe she is honest, and very earnest in her gratitudeand good intentions towards you."
"Why, yes," answered Ralph, with a suggestive smile. "She promised me ablessing. Have you any idea of what she was driving at?" he questioned,scanning his mother's face closely, for he observed that it bore avague, disturbed expression.
"I think I have, Ralph. It appears that she knew--or at least knewabout--your father, some years ago."
"She told me that."
"And she knows Gasper Farrington. She asked me a queer question,Ralph."
"What was it, mother?"
"If father did not once own twenty thousand dollars in railroad bonds,and if we had ever got them."
Ralph stopped eating for a moment.
"She said that, did she?" he murmured. "Mother, wouldn't it be strangeif she knew something about those bonds?"
"She does."
"How do you know?"
"Because she admitted it. Mrs. Davis was very much agitated. Sheseemed on the point constantly of telling me something, and then shewould mutter to herself and apparently change her mind. When she wentaway she looked at me very strangely and said: 'Mrs. Fairbanks, when Iget the money from my sister to pay your son back the ten dollars he hasso kindly loaned me, I am going to tell him a little story about thosetwenty thousand dollars bonds that may interest him.'"
The bonds formed the topic of conversation for mother and son for nearlyan hour after that. They could only surmise and anticipate, but bothwere very much stirred up.
"I tell you, mother," said Ralph emphatically, "that woman knowssomething of importance to us about those bonds. You and I and othershave never doubted that Gasper Farrington stole them from father. Ihave never given up the idea that some day I would reach the truth, andforce Farrington to disgorge, just as we made him release the fraudulentmortgage. I really believe things are going to turn so as get us ourfull rights."
"We will hope so, Ralph," said the widow, with a dubious sigh. "And nowtell me all about your first day in the switch tower."
Ralph went to bed about eleven o'clock. He had a good sleep until eightin the morning, devoted an hour or two to tidying up the yard andassisting his mother in various ways, and at noon started for workagain.
Old Jack Knight was on duty, and spelled Ralph at the levers until aboutfour o'clock. No unusual incident disturbed the usual routine until anhour later.
In starting to give a switch engine the siding, Ralph found the leverwould not budge. The locomotive engineer discovered the unset switch intime to stop. Ralph megaphoned to hold stationary till he investigated,and ran down the ladder.
He found the lever cables chained to a wall bracket. Of course here wassome more spite work. He removed the obstruction, hurried upstairs,switched the delayed engine, and kept an eye out for the watchman whocovered that part of the yards.
When he finally appeared in view, Ralph hailed him and asked him to comeinside the tower.
"
Mr. Brady," he explained, "I wish you would keep a close eye on thelower story here for a day or two."
"Why, what's wrong?" inquired the watchman.
"Well, someone is up to dirty work," replied Ralph. "They tried to puttwo levers out of commission yesterday, and just now I found anotherlever chained up."
The watchman looked startled, and whistled under his breath.
"That's pretty serious," he remarked.
"It is," responded Ralph. "I wish you would keep a watch on strangers."
"And discharged employees?" interrogated the watchman, with a shrewdnod. "I think I know what's up, and who is up to it."
Ralph felt certain that Mort Bemis was back of the last attempt tocripple his usefulness. He did not, however, believe that Bemis himselfhad chained the lever, for he had kept a pretty close watch of the yardsall afternoon, and had seen nothing of the discharged leverman. Ralphtheorized that Bemis had put some associate up to the trick. It was aneasy matter for any passer-by to step into the lower story of the switchtower without being seen from above. Ralph made up his mind he wouldseek out Bemis. When he was relieved after dark he did not go home. Hehad made some inquiries of Knight as to the present whereabouts andhaunts of Mort Bemis, and Ralph thought he knew where to look for thefellow.