GORDON DESERTS HIS POST
After that they listened cautiously, but heard only the soft sizzling
of the engine which had a contented sound as though the Flying
Juggernaut was quite as rejoiced at the successful outcome of the
venture as they were! More coal was put on, the grate was raked and
Lanny contentedly announced that there was a sixty-pound head of steam
on. By this time the field was bathed in moonlight save where the
stands cast their black shadows, and the task remaining could not fail
for lack of light. Forward moved the Juggernaut and there began the
work of smoothing out the inequalities of Brent Field. Perhaps had
Lanny realized the size of the task he would never have ventured on it.
Back and forth, commencing at the infield end, rumbled and clanked the
roller, each time covering some four feet of sward and gravel. An hour
passed and they were still only as far as first and third base. Gordon
voiced doubts.
“At this rate, Lanny, we won’t reach the fence back there before
breakfast time. Can’t you make her go any faster?”
“No, I can’t,” replied the engineer shortly, “and if you don’t like the
way I’m doing this suppose you take a whack at it yourself.”
“No, thanks. I’d probably run her right through the stand over there.
I’m not criticising your handling of the thing, Lanny, but it’s getting
a bit chilly and I’m sleepy and――――”
“Go on home then. I guess I can do this all right alone.”
“Well, don’t be grouchy,” said Way. “After all, you’re the only one of
us who’s getting any fun out of it. Just walking back and forth like
this isn’t awfully exciting. Gee, I wish I had my sweater!”
“Tell you what,” said Morris. “I’ll beat it down town and get some hot
coffee!”
“Oh, noble youth!” applauded Gordon. “Get a gallon of it, Morris! And
some sandwiches――――”
“Or hot-dogs,” interpolated Way.
“With plenty of mustard!”
“Who’s got any money? I don’t think I’ve got more than fifteen or
twenty cents. Dig down, fellows.”
They “dug” and a minute later Morris was on his way with the
sufficient sum of eighty cents jingling in his pocket. Cheered by the
anticipation of hot coffee and food, the others were restored to good
humor. Lanny said he guessed the old concern would get along just as
fast if they all got on it. They tried it and could see no difference
in the rate of progress, and being near the boiler was a lot warmer
than walking along in the little breeze that had come up with the moon.
At Gordon’s suggestion, Lanny instructed him in running the machine
and, after a few trips back and forth, he took Lanny’s place at the
throttle while the latter was glad to get down and stretch his legs.
They completed the diamond and started on the outfield. Lanny declared
that the work was a huge success, that the ground where they had rolled
was as hard and level as a billiard table.
“Of course,” he added, “it would be a lot better if we could go over it
two or three times.”
“Maybe,” said Gordon hurriedly, “but we’re not going over it two or
three times, you simple idiot! Once is enough. My folks hate to have me
late for breakfast!”
“One good thing,” said Way, “is that to-morrow――no, to-day――is Sunday
and we have breakfast later.”
“So do we,” replied Gordon, “but I’m wondering if I can sneak in
without being caught. Wish I’d thought to unlock the porch window. I
supposed we’d be all done with this by twelve!”
“If we get it done by four we’ll be lucky, I guess,” said Lanny. “There
comes Morris.”
“I could only get a quart,” panted Morris as he came up. “The chap in
the lunch wagon was afraid he’d run short if he gave me any more. Here
are some paper cups; got those at the drug store. And here’s your grub;
eight ham and three hot-dog sandwiches.”
“Three?” ejaculated Gordon.
“Yes, I ate one on the way. Stop your old pushcart till we feed.”
“Better keep her going,” said Lanny. “We can eat _en voyage_.”
“Didn’t get any of that,” replied Morris flippantly. “They were all out
of it. Hold your cup, Way. Is it hot? I came back as fast as I could,
but――――”
“Don’t you worry,” sputtered Way. “It’s hot enough to scald you. Good,
too! M-mm!”
For several minutes conversation ceased and only the rumble and clank
of the roller broke the silence. Then, when the last crumb was gone and
the paper cups had been added to the flames, there were four contented
grunts. “That’s better,” said Lanny. “I’m good for all night now. Let
me have her, Gordon.”
“Wait a bit. I’m having too good a time. What time is it?”
“About quarter to one,” answered Way, studying the face of his watch in
the moonlight.
“That’s not so bad. How much more have we got, Lanny?”
“I’d say we’d done just about half,” was the reply. “Better stop her
and coal up a little.”
“No stops this trip,” answered Gordon. “Coal ahead. I’ll get over here.”
“What’s the matter with letting me work her a bit?” asked Morris, when
the door was shut again. “Seeing that I saved your lives――――”
“Morris, old pal,” replied Gordon, gravely, “this requires science and
experience. I’d let you take her in a minute, but if anything happened
to her I’d be held responsible. You can be fireman, though, and shovel
coal.”
“Next time you can get your own coffee,” grumbled Morris. “I had just
enough money, by the way, to pay the lunch wagon chap, but I had to
charge the drinking cups to you, Gordon.”
“That’s more than I could do at Castle’s,” laughed Gordon. “Whoa! Gee,
I didn’t know that track was so close!”
“Get out of there before you go through the fence,” said Lanny, pushing
him aside. “Do you suppose we’d ought to roll the track, too, fellows?”
A chorus of “No’s” answered him. “Wouldn’t do the least bit of good,”
added Way. “The track’s in rotten shape anyhow. I don’t see why we have
to have the old thing. It’s only in the way. If you have to go back for
a long fly it’s a safe bet you fall over the rim. What we ought to do
is sod it over and――――”
“Tell that to Guy Felker,” advised Gordon. “Have you done any work with
the team yet, Lanny?”
“I’ve had a couple of trials just to see what I could do. Guy is after
me to give him three afternoons a week. I suppose I’ll have to pretty
soon.”
“Oh, bother the Track Team,” said Way. “It won’t amount to anything and
you’ll lose baseball practice. Cut it out this year, Lanny.”
“Not much! If it came to a show-down I’d rather run the hundred and
two-twenty than play ball. And don’t you be mistaken about the team
being no good. We’re going to have a mighty good team this year and
we’re going to simply run away from Springdale. You wait and see.”
“What of it if we do?” grumbled Way. “Who cares?”
“Most everyone except you, you old pudding-head,” responded Gordon.
“Want me to take her awhile now, Lanny?”
“No, thank you kindly. Guy’s having a pretty hard time to get fellows
interested in the track, and that’s a fact, but he’s going to win
out all right. Don’t go around talking like that, Way, because it
isn’t fair. Just because you don’t care for track sports, you needn’t
discourage other fellows.”
“Oh, I haven’t said anything to discourage anyone. For that matter, if
Guy wants to get a team together I wish him luck. But I don’t think
there’s room for football and baseball and track, too. We ought to――to
concentrate.”
“Rot! Let’s beat Springdale at every old thing we can. Them’s my
sentiments,” announced Morris. “If we could do ’em up at tiddley-winks
I’d be in favor of starting a team!”
“And I suppose you’d play left wink on it,” laughed Way.
It was well after three o’clock before the Flying Juggernaut completed
her last trip across the field and the moon was well down toward the
west. Four very tired boys――and sleepy, too, now that the effects
of the coffee were working off――rolled across to the gate, unbarred
it, rolled through, closed it behind them, and set off again along
Common Street. Somehow they cared less about discovery now and didn’t
even take the trouble to lower their voices as they rumbled past the
darkened houses. Morris announced that they had made a mistake in
the name of the steam roller; that its right name was “Reverberating
Reginald.” The others were too sleepy to argue about it, however.
Gordon, who had taken Lanny’s place at the wheel, turned into the
cross street and headed Reginald toward his berth. They didn’t take
the precaution to send scouters ahead now, and perhaps it wasn’t worth
while since the street lay plainly before them for several blocks. And
perhaps what happened would have happened just the same. Lanny always
insisted that it wouldn’t, but never could prove his point. At all
events, what did happen was this:
Just as they had trundled over the crossing at Main Street a voice
reached them above the noise of the roller and a figure suddenly
stepped into the road a few yards ahead. One very startled glance at
the figure was sufficient. With a fine unanimity four forms detached
themselves from the sheltering gloom of the steam roller and fled
back along the road. Possibly the policeman was so surprised at the
sudden result of his challenge that pursuit did not occur to him, or,
possibly, the continued stately advance of the steam roller in his
direction disconcerted him. At all events the boys became mere flying
shapes in the distance before the officer took action. When he did he
stepped nimbly out of the path of the roller and remarked stentoriously
as it rumbled by:
“Hi, there! What’s this? Where you goin’ with that roller, hey?”
As there was no response he went after it, discovering to his surprise
that the reason he had received no reply was that there was no one
there to offer it! What occurred subsequently would have hugely
diverted a spectator had there been one, which there wasn’t. On and
on went the roller, moving further and further toward the sidewalk,
and on and on trotted the policeman, making ineffectual efforts to
board it. He had a very healthy respect for engines and wasn’t at all
certain that this one might not resent his company. At last, however,
desperation gave him courage and he stumbled onto the platform and
began to pull, push or twist every movable thing he could lay hands
on. The results were disconcerting. A cloud of white steam burst forth
from somewhere with an alarming rush and hiss, a shrill, excruciating
whistle shattered the night and a tiny stream of very hot water
sprayed down his sleeve! But the roller kept right on rolling,
majestically, remorselessly!
The policeman gave up in despair and rapped loudly with his club for
assistance. At that moment the roller, heedless of his appeal, reached
the intersection of Lafayette Street and, no longer restrained by the
curbing against which it had been grinding, angled purposefully across
and collided violently with a lamp-post. The lamp-post gave appreciably
under the unexpected assault and the light flared wildly and expired.
The steam roller, although its further progress was barred, kept on
revolving its big wheels and the policeman, picking himself up, rescued
his helmet from the coal-box and hurried from the scene.