Ralph on the Engine: or, The Young Fireman of the Limited Mail

In the second volume of this series, entitled “Ralph in the Switch Tower,” another vivid phase of his ability and merit has been depicted. He rendered signal service in saving a special from disaster and prevented a treasure train from being looted by thieves.

Among the thieves was his old-time enemy, Ike Slump, and a crony of his named Mort Bemis. They had been hired by Farrington to harass Ralph in every way possible. Ralph had searched for the motive to the old man’s animosity.

He learned that Farrington had appropriated his father’s railroad stock on an illegal technicality, and that the mortgage on their homestead had once been paid by Mr. Fairbanks.

Once knowing this, Ralph undertook the task of proving it. It required some clever work to unmask the villainous miser, but Ralph succeeded, and Farrington, to escape facing disgrace, left the town, ostensibly for Europe.

In unmasking the old man Ralph was assisted by one Van Sherwin, a poor boy whom he had befriended. Van and a former partner of Gasper Farrington, named Farwell Gibson, had secured a charter to build a short line railroad near Dover, in which project Ralph was very much interested.

As has been said, Ralph had now been a fireman for two months, but heretofore employed in yard service only.

“It’s the chance of my life,” he cried cheerily, as he piled in the coal, “and what a famous partner is dear, bluff, honest old John Griscom!”

“Won’t have me for a partner long, lad,” replied the veteran engineer with a slight sigh, as he moved the lever.

“Why not, Mr. Griscom?” inquired Ralph.

“Eyes giving out. Had to drop the Daylight Express. I’m going down the ladder, you are going up the ladder. Stick to your principles, lad, for they are good ones, as I well know, and you’ll surely reach the top.”

“I hope so.” said Ralph.

The locomotive gave a sharp signal whistle, and the slow freight started on its night run for Dover.

CHAPTER II

THE LANDSLIDE

“Trouble ahead!”

“What’s that, Fairbanks?”

“And danger. Quick! slow down, or we’re in for a wreck.”

Ralph Fairbanks spoke with suddenness. As he did so he leaped past the engineer in a flash, clearing the open window space at the side.

Two minutes previous the old engineer had asked him to go out on the locomotive to adjust some fault in the air gauge. Ralph had just attended to this when he made a startling discovery.

In an instant he was in action and landed on the floor of the cab. He sprang to his own side of the engine, and leaning far out peered keenly ahead.

They were now in a deep cut which ended a steep climb, and the engine had full steam on and was making fairly good speed.

“My bad eyes – ” began Griscom, and then he quivered in every nerve, for a tremendous shock nearly sent him off his seat.

“Just in time,” cried Ralph, and then he held his breath.

Slowing down, the train had come to a crashing halt. The locomotive reared upon its forward wheels and then settled back on a slant, creaking at every joint. Ralph had swung the air lever or there would have been a catastrophe.

“What was it?” gasped Griscom, clearing his old eyes and peering ahead, but Ralph was gone. Seizing a lantern, he had jumped to the ground and was at the front of the locomotive now. The engineer shut off all steam after sounding the danger signal, a series of several sharp whistles, and quickly joined his assistant.

In front of the locomotive, obstructing the rails completely, was a great mass of dirt, gravel and rocks.

“A landslide,” spoke Griscom, glancing up one steep side of the cut.

“If we had struck that big rock full force,” observed Ralph, “it would have been a bad wreck.”

“You saved us just in time,” cried the old engineer. “I’ve often wondered if some day there wouldn’t be just such a drop as this of some of these overhanging cliffs. Company ought to see to it. It’s been a fierce rain all the evening, perhaps that loosened the mass.”

“Hardly,” said Ralph thoughtfully, and then, inspecting a glazed piece of paper with some printing on it he had just picked up, he looked queerly at his companion.

“Give them the trouble signal in the caboose, please, Mr. Griscom,” said the young fireman. “I think I had better get back there at once. Have you a revolver?”

“Always carry one,” responded Griscom.

“Keep it handy, then.”

“Eh!” cried the engineer with a stare. “What you getting at, lad?”

“That is no landslide,” replied Ralph, pointing at the obstruction.

“What is it then?”

“Train wreckers – or worse,” declared Ralph promptly. “There is no time to lose, Mr. Griscom,” he continued in rapid tones.

“Of course, if not an accident, there was a purpose in it,” muttered Griscom, reaching into his tool box for a weapon, “but what makes you think it wasn’t an accident?”

Ralph did not reply, for he was gone. Springing across the coal heaped up in the tender, he climbed to the top of the first freight car and started on a swift run the length of the train.

The young fireman was considerably excited. He would not have been a spirited, wide-awake boy had he been otherwise. The paper he had found among the debris of the obstruction on the rails had an ominous sentence across it, namely, “Handle With Care, Dynamite.”

This, taken in connection with what had at first startled him, made Ralph feel pretty sure that he had not missed his guess in attributing the landslide to some agency outside of nature.

While adjusting the air gauge Ralph had noticed a flare ahead, then a lantern light up the side of the embankment, and then, in the blaze of a wild flash of lightning, he had witnessed the descent of a great tearing, tossing mass, landing in the railroad cut.

“It can mean only a hold-up,” theorized Ralph. “Yes, I am quite right.”

He slowed down in his wild dash over the car tops, and proceeded with caution. Down at the end of the train he saw lights that he knew did not belong to the train hands.

Ralph neared the caboose and then dropped flat to the top of the car he was on. Peering past its edge, he made out a wagon, half-a-dozen men, and the train hands backed to the side of the cut and held captive there by two of the strangers, who menaced them with revolvers.

Then two others of the marauding gang took crowbars from the wagon, and one, carrying a lantern, proceeded along the side of the cars inspecting the freight cards.

“They must know of some valuable goods on the train,” reflected Ralph.

It was an ideal spot for a train robbery, between two stations, and no train was due for several hours.

Ralph was in a quandary as to his best course of procedure. For a moment he considered going for Griscom and arming himself with a bar of rod.

“It would be six to two and we would get the worst of it,” he decided. “There is only one thing to do – get back to Brocton. It’s less than a mile. Can I make it before these fellows get away with their plunder? Good! a patent coupler.”