SHERIFF GREASE DROPS DAVE
Tom’s prediction came swiftly true in a score of ways.
The gloom department of the W.C. & A. immediately busied itself
with the public.
The “gloom department” is a comparatively new institution in some
kinds of high finance circles. Its mission is to throw gloom
over the undertakings of a rival concern. At the same time, through
such matter as it can manage to have printed in some sorts of
newspapers the gloom department seeks to turn the public against
its business rivals.
That same day news was flashed all over the country that a party
of railway engineers, led by a mad deputy sheriff had wantonly
fired on a party of travelers who had had the misfortune to get upon
the building railway’s right of way.
In many parts of Colorado a genuine indignation was aroused against
the S.B. & L. President Newnham sought to correct the wrong impression,
but even his carefully thought out statements were misconstrued.
The W.C. & A., though owned mainly abroad, had some clever American
politicians of the worst sort in its service. Many of these men
were influential to some extent in Colorado.
The sheriff of the county was approached and inflamed by some of
these politicians, with the result that the sheriff hastened to the
field camp, where he publicly dismissed Dave Fulsbee from his force
of deputies. The sheriff solemnly closed his fiery speech by
demanding Dave’s official badge.
“That’s funny, but don’t mind, Dave,” laughed Tom, as he witnessed
the handing over of the badge. “You won’t be out of work.”
“Won’t be out of work, eh?” demanded Sheriff Grease hotly. “Just
let him wait and see. There isn’t a man in the county who wants
Dave Fulsbee about now.”
“Then what a disappointed crowd they’re going to be,” remarked
Tom pleasantly, “for Mr. Newnham is going to make Dave chief of
detectives for the company, at a salary of something like six
thousand a year.
“He is, oh?” gulped down Sheriff Grease. “I’ll bet he won’t. I’ll
protest against that, right from the start.”
“Dave will be our chief of detectives, if you protest all night
and some more in the morning,” returned Tom Reade. “And Dave,
I reckon, is going to need a force of at least forty men under
him. Dave will be rather important in the county, won’t he, sheriff,
if he has forty men under him who feel a good deal like voting the
way that Dave believes? A forty-man boss is quite a little figure
in politics, isn’t he, sheriff?”
Grease turned nearly purple in the face, choking and sputtering
in his wrath.
“Come along, Dave, and see if that job as chief detective is open
today,” urged Tom, drawing one arm through Fulsbee’s. “If you’re
interested in knowing the news, sheriff, you might wait.”
“I’ll-----” ground out Grease, gritting his teeth and clenching
one fist. Tom waited patiently for the county officer to finish.
Then, as he didn’t go further, Reade rejoined, half mockingly:
“Exactly, sheriff. That’s just what I thought you’d do.”
Then Tom dragged Dave down to the headquarters tent, where they
found the president of the road.
“Mr. Newnham,” began Tom gravely, “the sheriff has just come to
camp and has discharged Fulsbee from his force of deputies, just
because Fulsbee acted as a real law officer and stopped the raid
on the road. I have told Mr. Fulsbee, before Sheriff Grease, that
you are going to make him chief of detectives for the road at a
salary of about six thousand a year.”
Mr. Newnham displayed his astonishment very openly, though he
did not speak at first.
“That’s all right,” replied President Newnham. “Mr. Fulsbee,
do you accept the offer of six thousand as chief detective for
the road,”
“Does a man accept an invitation to eat when he’s hungry?” replied
Dave rather huskily.
“Then it’s settled,” put in Tom, anxious to clinch the matter,
for he had a very shrewd idea that he would need Dave badly ere
long. “Now, Mr. Newnham, until we get everything running smoothly,
Mr. Fulsbee ought to have a force of about forty men. They will
cost seventy-five dollars a month, per man, with an allowance
for horses, forage, etc. Hadn’t Mr. Fulsbee better get his force
together as soon as possible? For I am certain, sir, that the
next move by the opposition will be to tear up and blow up our
tracks at some unguarded points. At the same time, sir, I feel
certain that we can get far more protection from Chief of Detectives
Fulsbee’s men than from a man like Sheriff Grease.”
“Reade?” returned President Newnham, “it is plain to be seen that
you lose no time in making your plans or in arranging to put them
into execution. I imagine you’re right, for you’ve been right in
everything so far. So arrange with Mr. Fulsbee for whatever you
think may be needed.”
“Thank you, sir,” murmured Tom. Then he signaled Fulsbee to get
out of the tent, and followed that new official.
“Never hang around, Dave, after you’ve got what you want,” chuckled
Tom. “Hello, Mr. Sheriff! This is just a line to tell you that
Fulsbee has a steady job with the company, and that he’ll need
the services of at least forty men, all of whom must be voters
in this county. The pay will be seventy-five a month and keep, with
extra allowance for horses.”
Sheriff Grease didn’t look much more pleasant than he felt.
“Are you homeward bound---when you go?” continued Reade.
The sheriff nodded.
“Then you might spread the word that men are needed, and tell
the best men to apply to Dave Fulsbee, at this camp,” suggested
Tom. “Be strong on the point that all applicants have to be voters
in this county.”
“I will,” nodded the sheriff, choking down his wrath by a great
effort. “Dave won’t have any trouble in getting good men when
I spread the word. You’re a mighty good fellow, Dave. I always
said it,” added the sheriff. “I’m sorry I had to be rough with
you, but---but-----”
“Of course we understand here that orders from a political boss
have to be obeyed,” Tom added good-naturedly. “We won’t over-blame
you, Mr. Grease.”
The sheriff rode away, Tom’s smiling eyes following him.
“That touch about your having forty voters at your beck and call
must have stuck in the honorable sheriff’s crop, Dave,” chuckled
the cub chief engineer.
“I reckon it does,” drawled Dave. “A man like Grease can’t understand
that a man of my kind wouldn’t ask any fellow working for him
what ticket he voted for on election day. You certainly hit the
sheriff hard, Mr. Reade. In the first place, six thousand a year
is a lot more money than the sheriff gets himself. Forty voters
are fully as many as he can control, for which reason Grease,
in his mind’s eye, sees me winning his office away from him any day
that I want to do so.”
Ere three days had passed Sheriff Grease had lost fully half of
his own force, and some of his controlled voters as well, for many
of his deputies flocked to serve under Dave Fulsbee. The rest of
the needed detectives also came in, and Dave was soon busy posting
his men to patrol the S.B. & L. and protect the workers against any
more raids by armed men.
After a fortnight student Reynolds recovered sufficiently to be sent
to Denver, there to complete his work of recovering from his wound.
President Newnham also saw to it that Reynolds was well repaid for
his services.
The camp moved on. Soon Lineville was sighted from the advanced
camp of the engineers. As Lineville was to be the western terminus
of the new railroad the work of the field party was very nearly
finished.
President Newnham, who was all anxiety to see the first train run
over the road, remained with the field engineers.
“I couldn’t sleep at night, if I were anywhere else than here,”
explained the president, “though I feel assured now that the W.C.
& A. will make no more efforts, in the way of violence; to prevent
us from finishing the building of the road.”
“Then you’re more trustful than I am,” smiled Tom Reade. “What’s
worrying me most of all is that I can’t quite fathom in what way
the W.C. & A’s gloom department will plan to stop us. That they
have some plan---and a rascally one---I’m as certain, sir, as I am
that I’m now speaking with you.”
“Has Fulsbee any suspicions?” inquired Mr. Newnham.
“Loads of ’em,” declared Tom promptly.
“What does he think the W.C. & A. will try to do?”
“Dave’s suspicions, Mr. Newnham, aren’t any more definite than mine.
He feels certain, however, that we’re going to have a hard fight
before we get the road through.”
“Then I hope the opposition won’t be able to prevent us from finishing,”
murmured Mr. Newnham.
“Oh, the enemy won’t be able to hinder us,” replied Tom confidently.
“You have a Fulsbee and a Reade on the job, sir. Don’t worry.
I’m not doing any real worrying, and I promise you that I’m not
going to be beaten.”
“It will be a genuine wonder if Reade is beaten,” reflected Mr.
Newnham, watching the cub’s athletic figure as Tom walked through
the centre of the camp. “I never knew a man of any age who was
more resourceful or sure to win than this same cub, Tom Reade,
whose very name was unknown to me a few weeks ago. Yet I shiver!
I can’t help it. Men just as resourceful as Tom Reade are sometimes
beaten to a finish!”