THE LOST DIAMONDS
"Great news, eh?" said Ralph.
"You will say so when you hear what I have got to tell you," declared
Zeph Dallas. "Say, I am going straight to headquarters. Come with me.
The news will keep till we get there."
"All right," assented Ralph. "There is enough going on around here to
keep a fellow interested."
"The new railroad?" spoke Zeph brightly. "I should say so. Isn't it
just famous? I tell you, some hustling work has been done here in the
past few weeks."
Ralph was amazed and delighted at the progress made by the Short Line
Railway. As said, a new locomotive was on the rails at the terminus,
and a little depot had been built. Workmen were busy as far down the
line as he could see. In fact, everything indicated that the road
would soon be in full operation.
"The tracks are laid both ways from headquarters, except for a little
distance on the Springfield side," said Zeph. "We expect passenger
and freight cars for the road to-day, and on Monday we open the
line."
"And in what capacity will you appear on that grand occasion, Zeph?"
inquired the young fireman pleasantly.
"Conductor!" exploded the farmer boy, drawing himself up proudly. "See
here;" he drew back his coat and revealed the biggest and most
elaborate "Conductor" badge manufactured. "We expect that Earl Danvers
will become our brakeman."
"Who?" cried Ralph with a start.
"Earl Danvers."
"Is he here?"
"He is at headquarters," said Zeph. "Don't bother asking me about him
now. You will soon see him, and he will tell you his own story. Then,
too, Mr. Gibson wishes to see you particularly. Here's our hand-car,
jump aboard. We'll spin along at a fine rate, I tell you, for the
roadbed is splendid."
Ralph found it so. It was a most interesting journey to headquarters.
There was only one track, and on this the men had spent their energies
to great advantage, and commendable results followed.
He was warmly welcomed by his friends, particularly so by Earl
Danvers. Just as soon as mutual greetings were over Ralph took Earl to
a pile of ties a little distance away.
"Now then, young man," he said, "seeing we are alone, suppose you give
an account of yourself."
Earl Danvers was thin and pale. He looked as if he had gone through
some recent severe hardships, but he smiled serenely as he said:
"It's easy to tell my story, now I am out of my troubles, but I tell
you, Ralph, I have had a hard time of it."
"With Slump and Bemis?"
"Yes. The afternoon I left Stanley Junction, they were the fellows who
forced me to go away with them. They broke into your house, and I
found them ransacking it. They pitched on to me, and tied me up. Then
they recognized me."
"What, had you known them before?" exclaimed Ralph, in some surprise.
"I found out that I had. You remember the first day that you saw me?"
"Yes," nodded Ralph.
"Well, I had run away from my uncles that morning. I had made up a
package hurriedly, containing shoes, coat and cap, and got away
through a window in the attic. I went about five miles, when I ran
right into two fellows in the woods. They were Slump and Bemis. They
got mad at my stumbling over them, took away my parcel and began to
belabor me. I had to run to keep from being terribly beaten. Then I
sneaked around, hoping to recover my parcel. They had gone in
swimming. My parcel had disappeared. I had to have a coat. I grabbed
one and ran away with it. They yelled after me, but I outdistanced
them. Then later I ran across my uncles looking for me. The rest you
know."
"And what about the coat?"
"Well," related Earl, "when those fellows broke into your house, they
inquired about that coat. I at once saw that they had a great interest
in it. I told them I didn't know where it was. They insisted that I
did. They ransacked the house from top to bottom. They took me away
from town to a miserable hut where they were staying. Until yesterday
I was a prisoner there, tied up, half-starved, and every day Slump
would come and demand to know if I was going to tell him what had
become of that coat. From the first I knew that coat was what they
were after when they burglarized your house, and wrote what words I
could on the wall of your sitting room."
"Yes," said Ralph, "we found your message there. Did you learn what
their especial interest was in the coat?"
"Yes, I overheard some of their conversation a few days ago," replied
Earl. "That coat contained some diamonds they found in an old box
car."
"What!" cried Ralph. "Is it possible?"
"It seems so. I escaped yesterday. You had told me about this place,
and so I came here. Zeph Dallas was my friend at once, when I told him
my story. Here he is now."
Zeph approached with a beaming face.
"Fairbanks," he said, "I suppose Danvers has told you how he came
here, and his troubles with Slump and Bemis."
"Yes," nodded Ralph.
"Well, I went to Dover yesterday and saw the old rag man. He ransacked
his stock and we found the coat."
"You did?" spoke Ralph, expectantly.
"Yes, and in an inside pocket were the diamonds. Here they are."
Zeph handed Ralph a moldy chamois skin bag. With interest the young
fireman inspected the contents.
"This is a rich find, Zeph," he said. "You must report to the car
finder at once."
"I am going to the city to-day to see him," explained the former
farmer boy.
Zeph left headquarters about noon. The next morning he reappeared. He
was fairly gorgeous attired in the uniform of a conductor.
"One thousand dollars I get as a special reward for the recovery of
the diamonds," he said, "and more when the car finder has seen their
original owner. I am to divide with you, Fairbanks."
"Not at all," dissented Ralph.
"Oh, yes, I shall," insisted Zeph. "And, by the way, I have some news
of importance for you."
"Indeed?" said Ralph.
"Yes. You know where Trafton is?"
"On the Midland Central."
"Exactly. Well, this morning on the platform there, I saw a man in
whom you are considerably interested."
"Who was that?" inquired the young fireman.
"Bartlett, the fellow who was a partner of Gasper Farrington in that
wire-tapping scheme."