SAMMY SCENTS A MYSTERY
For several minutes after the local train had got under way, the boys
were inclined to be less noisy and boisterous than usual. They kept
thinking over the parting from their parents.
All their previous trips had been short, seldom taking them more than
a few hours' journey from home. But this trip marked an epoch in
their lives. They were to travel not dozens of miles but thousands.
They would be three days and more on the train, and when they finally
reached their journey's end they would be as far away from Fairview as
though they were in Europe. It almost took their breath away when they
thought of it.
But before the train had gone ten miles they were in their usual
spirits and all stirred up by the prospect of what lay before them.
"Just think of it," sighed Sammy, happily, "three whole days of
railroad riding!"
"And nothing to do but to eat and sleep and look at things out of the
window," added Bob.
"And the best of it is that most of the time we'll be on a splendid big
train and not on such a rattlety-bang as this," put in George, looking
around with some disdain at the shabby little car.
"They say there's everything on those flyers," said Frank in an awed
voice. "Libraries and shower baths and barber shops and typewriters and
a whole lot of things besides."
"And then the eats!" gloated Sammy, hugging himself gleefully. "Just
like a big hotel with everything you can think of to eat and as much
dessert and pie and ice cream as you want."
"And nobody to tell you that you've had enough and mustn't pass up your
plate for more," added Bob. "Oh, cricky, we won't do a thing to those
dinners!"
"You make me hungry just talking about them," put in Frank. "By the
way, fellows, where are those sandwiches that our folks put up in case
we got hungry before dinner time?"
"Here they are," replied Bob, producing a paper box from the rack where
he had placed it. "We might as well get rid of it now, so that we'll
have a better appetite when the time comes for the big eats."
"Well, you deal them out, Bob, since you've got them there," directed
George. "You'll find some little papers of salt and pepper to season
them with and there's a can of mustard down in the corner of the box."
"All right," responded Bob. "Leave it to me. I'll have them ready in a
jiffy."
He busied himself at getting the sandwiches ready while the rest looked
out of the window. If they had been less interested in the scenery they
might have thought that Bob was bestowing an unusual amount of care on
such a simple bit of work.
"Here you are, fellows," he sang out finally.
They turned toward him eagerly and he handed out a chicken sandwich to
each.
Sammy grabbed his like a dog snatching at a bone and took a big bite
out of it.
The next instant he was choking and sputtering while his eyes bulged
from his head.
"What is it, Sammy?" cried George in alarm, while the others looked on
with open mouths and sandwiches untasted.
"It must have gone down the wrong way!" exclaimed Frank.
Sammy shook his head vigorously at this although he could not speak.
"I'll thump him on the back," said George. "And you, Frank, run down
the aisle and get a glass of water."
Frank ran to the water tank and was back in a moment. Sammy tried
a swallow or two and was soon able to speak, though his eyes were
streaming from coughing.
"Now tell us just what the matter was," said Bob with the greatest
earnestness.
For reply Sammy glared at him.
"You're a nice one to ask that," he almost shouted.
Bob looked back at him in innocent surprise.
"What do you mean by that?" he demanded. "How is it my fault, Sammy,
if you are so greedy that you bolt your food whole and almost choke
yourself? You know that the teacher says you ought to take thirty-two
chews with every mouthful."
"Cut that out!" exclaimed Sammy, wrathfully. "Take a look at your
sandwiches, fellows, and you'll know why I choked."
Frank and George took off the upper slice of bread from their
sandwiches and stared.
The layer of chicken was fairly black with pepper and yellow with
mustard. No one could say that Bob had been stingy with his seasoning.
For a moment no one said a word while all three stared at Bob with
accusation in their eyes.
Bob stared back, but though he called on all his nerve to help him, he
at last wavered and lowered his eyes.
"That's queer," he murmured.
"Mighty queer," retorted Frank.
"I must have got too much seasoning on," said Bob, brightly.
"What a good guesser," said George, sarcastically.
"Perhaps I was a little absent-minded," went on Bob. "I get that way
sometimes."
"Yes, I've noticed that," said Sammy, severely. "I suppose you were
absent-minded the other day when you stung us with the putty balls."
"Let's see if he was absent-minded enough to dose his own sandwich that
way," observed Frank, making a grab at the sandwich which Bob had on
his lap.
Bob tried to head him off but Frank was too quick for him. He opened
the sandwich and showed it to the others. There was only the faintest
sprinkling of pepper and the merest little dab of mustard.
"That shows!" cried Frank, triumphantly.
"Caught with the goods," added George.
"The dear little absent-minded boy!" said Sammy.
Bob twisted uneasily.
"It's funny how those things happen sometimes," he ventured. "But say,
fellows," he added briskly, "don't let's mind a little mistake like
that. There are plenty of other sandwiches and you can fix them this
time to suit yourself."
"Listen to him!" shouted Sammy.
"Of all the nerve!" muttered George.
"He really thinks he's going to get away with it!" cried Frank.
"Well, he's got another think coming," said George. "What will we do to
him, fellows?"
"He ought to be hung by the neck until he's dead," declared Sammy,
whose eyes were still watering and throat smarting.
"Killing's too good for him," put in Frank.
"I'll tell you what we'll do," declared George. "We'll give him a dose
of his own medicine. Each of you grab one of his arms and I'll get the
pepper and the mustard."
In a flash they had pounced upon Bob and held him powerless. Then
George took a part of Bob's sandwich and fairly plastered it with
mustard and added a liberal share of pepper.
Despite Bob's struggles, his mouth was forced open and the food thrust
in. George held his hand over his mouth, and though the stuff was like
so much fire Bob had to gulp it down or choke. He chose to do the
first, and then when his chums released him he made a wild dash for the
water cooler, where he drank half a dozen glasses of water before he
came slowly and sheepishly back to his seat.
The other boys were grinning from ear to ear, and Bob, after moping a
minute or two, was forced to laugh, too. He was sportsmanlike enough to
know that he deserved what he had got and to take it in good part. He
knew that those who danced must pay the fiddler.
They all attacked the remaining sandwiches and had cleared up every
crumb before they reached the junction where they were to transfer to
the flyer.
They were in ample time. In fact, they had to wait ten minutes before
the long through train came thundering into the little depot. To the
boys the splendid train seemed almost endless, with its smoking car and
day cars and big Pullman coaches.
The special Pullman car for which their tickets called was named the
_Niagara_ and was placed half-way down the train. By the time they had
found it and climbed aboard the bell was clanging, and a moment later
the monster train started slowly out of the station, but gathered speed
with every yard until it was tearing along at a rate of nearly sixty
miles an hour.
The speed was a revelation to the boys, who had rarely traveled at a
rate exceeding thirty miles an hour, and their faces were glued in
fascination to the windows.
"Talk about traveling!" exclaimed Frank, gleefully.
"It isn't riding, it's flying," declared Sammy.
"I'd hate to be in front of it," observed Bob.
"Well, there'd be one comfort if it struck you," said Frank. "You'd
never know what hit you."
"Back of the locomotive is plenty good enough for me," said George with
a grin.
"Just suppose the thing should run off the track," suggested Frank with
a half shiver.
"We won't suppose anything of the kind," said Bob. "We've got lots of
pleasanter things than that to think about."
They made a pilgrimage through the great train, investigating every
nook and corner with ever increasing interest and delight. To their
young eager minds it was a revelation. The chief thing they regretted
was that they could not climb over the tender and get into the cab with
the fireman and engineer.
They would have liked, too, to investigate the mysteries of the baggage
car which always figured so largely in what they had read of train
hold-ups in the West.
"I suppose that baggageman has millions of dollars worth of gold in his
safe," remarked Frank.
"Well, hardly that much," replied George, whose mind on that point was
better informed; "but there isn't any doubt that he's got a good many
thousands."
"Maybe there are men on the train now who are planning to rob him,"
suggested Sammy.
"It isn't likely," answered George. "For every train that's held up,
there are a thousand that get through without any trouble."
"That doesn't prove that this isn't the one train that won't get
through," persisted Sammy.
"Just listen to him," gibed Bob. "Any one would think that Sammy was
_hoping_ that the train would be held up."
"Nothing of the kind," persisted Sammy. "But if any train were going
to be robbed, anyway, you wouldn't mind being along and seeing the
hold-up, would you?"
"But how about yourself?" put in Frank. "Sometimes they're not
satisfied with just robbing the safe, but they go through the train
and take all the jewelry and money that the passengers have. Maybe you
wouldn't be so glad then that you happened to be on the train."
Sammy had to admit that this would be a different thing and that it
would not be quite so interesting. But he still craved mystery and
excitement, and was inclined to think that he would be cheated if
things ran along in the usual way.
He was in this mood when they returned to their own car and dropped
into their seats.
The train had made one stop at a large city and several passengers had
come into the _Niagara_. Two men had taken the seat just in front of
that in which Sammy sat.
The boys were the least bit tired after all the stir and movement
of the day, and were snuggled up in their seats without doing much
talking. But Sammy's imagination was running riot with what might
happen if fate chanced to be good to him, and he sat bolt upright and
very wide awake.
He amused himself by studying the men in front of him. He could get
only an occasional side view of their faces, and from what he saw
they looked pleasant enough. But then, Sammy reflected, you never can
tell. He had seen a picture of a murderer in a New York paper not long
before, and the man looked so frank and smiling that one would not
think he could harm a mouse. Sometimes a good face was a bad man's
stock in trade.
Suddenly Sammy heard a remark from one of the men that made him prick
up his ears.
"Yes," he said, "he tried to make it, but Billy was too quick for him.
He killed him right then and there."
"Good work," said the other approvingly.
"You ought to have seen him kick," continued the first man. "I had to
laugh when I saw his face."
Sammy was horror stricken!