QUICK WORK
The young train dispatcher had made a momentous discovery. He beckoned
Zeph to follow him on tiptoe so they should not disturb nor be seen by
Rivers. They somewhat surprised the marshal by crowding out of the room.
"There's the queer old fellow, Palmer, you asked about," said the
official, pointing to a form occupied at a table at the other end of the
room. "Don't you want to see him?"
"No, not just now," replied Ralph, drawing the man confidentially to one
side. "We have not come here out of curiousity, but on a question of
great importance. I represent the Great Northern Railroad, and you can
help us very greatly."
"Can I? Good. I'll do it, then," instantly answered the marshal. "I'm
not used to having such heavy cases as those two in there, and they
pester me."
"Tell us about the man who seems hurt and sick."
"Why, he was brought in a few nights since by our man who watches the
rivermen. They're a rough, bad lot. He found this man on a carouse in
one of their haunts. Showing all kinds of money. He watched them, and
jumped in just as they attacked the man and were about to rob him. We
found over twenty thousand dollars in bank notes on the man--think of
that! Only once since then has he entirely recovered from that cut on
his head, and refused to give his name or say a word, except that his
money came from a gold mine."
"Yes, a gold mine on wheels," observed Zeph pointedly.
"The man's mind is affected by the blow he got, and only a few minutes
at a time has he been rational. He offered me all his money if I'd let
him go. Funny thing, though; in one of his spells early this morning I
found him whispering to old Palmer."
"Did you?" pressed Zeph eagerly.
"The old man ain't right, you know, but he sticks to that click-clack
contrivance all the time. I watched the two, and the prisoner promised
Palmer all kinds of things if he'd get free and send a certain message
to a certain party, or somehow get the telegram sent. Well, since then
the old man has been terribly busy with his play telegraph device, and
excited, too. About an hour since he calls me to him, and says he will
certainly get me a thousand dollars if I will take a message to the
operator here. Only ten words, he says--one hundred dollars a word. I
told him I wouldn't do anything until the sheriff came back tomorrow. He
said only ten words. I asked him what ten words, and he shot out a lot
of gibberish I couldn't take in."
"A cypher telegram," murmured Zeph.
"Well, I left it that way."
"Let me lurk around a bit, will you?" inquired Ralph.
"Certainly," assented the marshal.
For the next ten minutes Ralph, hidden in a corner of the detention
room, posted himself and listened. When he came out his face was excited
and eager.
"Don't let those prisoners send out a word or see a single person until
I come back to you," he directed the marshal.
"All right. Found out something?"
"I think I have. I'll know for sure inside of six hours."
"And let me know, too. You see all this bothersome mystery is worrying
me."
"You first of all," declared Ralph, "and you won't lose by cooeperating
with us."
"I see you're smart boys," observed the inexperienced marshal, "and I
trust in your word to straighten out this tangle."
"What, Ralph?" broke in Zeph eagerly, as they left the place.
"I think I've got the clew."
"To what?"
"The whole pay car business--at least the start of one."
"Tell me about it."
"I simply listened to Glen's grandfather at his dummy ticker. Poor old
man! He fancies he is being sought for by great railroad systems all
over the world to take charge of their business. He ticked off all kinds
of telegrams to important people. Then I caught the thread of a message
he seemed to have particularly on his mind. It is just ten words, and of
course must be the one he wanted the marshal to send. There it is."
Ralph showed a card on the back of which he had penciled down the
following words:
"Rajah Sun and Moon Aeroplane Spectacles exemplar. Pardon Star Mudji."
Quick as a flash Zeph hauled out the written screed he had acquired
while in the company of the conspirators. It comprised the formula of
their cypher code.
"Advise Jem and Parsons," he translated at once. "Barn loft plunder. Get
me bail." "Who to, Ralph?" he inquired eagerly--"the telegram."
"Mrs. Hannah Clifton, Dunbar Station."
"A relative, I'll bet. You're right, we've got the clew! 'Barn loft
plunder.' Ralph, Dunbar Station, quick!"
"Yes," said the young dispatcher quietly, "that's our terminus, as quick
as we can make it."
Ralph's special pass furnished him by the road officer came in good.
It brought them a lift on an urgency locomotive and another on the
tender of the Daylight Express. At three o'clock that afternoon after
due inquiry the two friends approached a house in a lonely settlement at
the edge of Dunbar Station.
As they neared the house a woman knitting on its steps arose hurriedly,
ran into the house and shut every door and window about the place.
"Acts sort of scared, eh?" suggested Zeph, as they approached the front
of the house.
"Or suspicious," remarked Ralph.
"Stop right there. Who are you, and what do you want?"
The boys paused summarily, a bit taken off their balance. Very suddenly
the barrel of a long shotgun was thrust through the slats of one of the
wooden shutters, and the voice which challenged them showed no timidity
or nonsense.
"We want to see Mrs. Hannah Clifton," replied Ralph politely, revealing
himself.
"What for?" demanded the uncompromising invisible challenger.
"Why--er--that is--" began the rattled Zeph stammeringly.
"Shut up," whispered Ralph unceremoniously. "In behalf of Mr. Rivers,"
added Ralph ahead.
"He sent you, did he?"
"We just came from him."
"On business, I suppose?"
"Yes, madam."
"All right, then he gave you a word."
"Password!" whispered Zeph desperately.
"Sun and Moon," ventured Ralph recklessly.
"Wrong!" cried the woman as quick as lightning. "I see your game. You're
guessing. If you don't make yourselves scarce in two minutes, I'll
fire."
She did not wait the limit. The fowling piece scattered skithering bird
shot with a flare just as the intruders got out of range.
"She's too keen for us--get to the barn, Ralph," suggested Zeph
breathlessly.
"Yes, run," ordered Ralph.
They reached it, ran to cover and peered out. The woman, gun in hand,
dashed from the house in the direction of a nest of small huts in the
vicinity.
"She is going to rouse up some of her friends, I have not the least
doubt," observed Ralph. "Quick action, Zeph. That telegram said 'barn
loft!'"
"Whoo-oop!"
Already the impetuous Zeph had acted on the impulse of the moment. He
was up in the loft already. Mingled with his chucklings were the
rustlings of hay, a dragging sound. Down on Ralph's head came a bulky
object as he started up the cleated side of the barn.
"Bags--two of them! Money! Pay envelopes!" gasped the young road officer
in a transport of wild excitement. "Rivers hid them here. The woman
don't know. Hustle, get out. She may bring a mob after us. Oh, I'm
a--I'm a great detective at last!"
"You are, and always were," cheered Ralph with a happy smile. He felt
well satisfied. The very feeling of the stuffed bags, a mere glance at
their contents, told the young railroader that they were lugging to
safety a fortune probably amounting to over two hundred thousand
dollars.
They lost no time in cutting across the fields towards the town, each
bearing a share of the precious burden.
At the local bank Ralph amazed the proprietor by demanding that the bags
be locked up in his strongest vaults as the property of the Great
Northern railroad.
Then he hurried to the office of the company railroad operator at Dunbar
Station.
There was a brief explanation, a quick call for headquarters, the
urgency signal, 25, and Ralph could fancy loyal old John Glidden at
headquarters throwing open the entire lines for final orders in the
great pay car mystery case.
East, west, south the messages flew: to the general superintendent, to
Bob Adair, to the marshal, to the paymaster at Stanley Junction.
The unobtrusive station operator stared in bewilderment at the quick,
natty stranger, who seemed to have no trouble in keeping track of a
dozen different messages at once. It took Ralph fully an hour, with
details, repeats and clean up. He arose from the instrument with a
satisfied face.
"I've done my work, Zeph," he said, "and I'm going back to headquarters.
You are to wait here for instructions from Mr. Adair. They will come
sharp and brisk, don't be afraid. We have started the ball rolling, the
rest will be easy."