He looked farther up the steep wall and saw a cap! Something about that cap astonished him even more than the other fluttering articles of wearing apparel. Distant as it was, Ralph thought he recognized that cap. It was of a mustard color, an odd color, and he remembered that the night he had had his last adventure with Zeph Dallas in Rockton Zeph had worn just that sort of cap!
Then he got the signal to go ahead, and could do nothing at the moment to investigate these matters. He pulled up the hill toward Shadow Valley Station.
CHAPTER XXI
ABOUT CHERRY
The first thing Ralph did on his arrival at Rockton after that momentous round trip to and from Hammerfest, was to look up Bob Adair. He knew where to find the chief detective now; or, at least, who to ask about him without disturbing Supervisor Hopkins.
He reached the detective at last. Of course Mr. Adair had heard all about the dynamiting of the trestle pillar at Devil’s Den. He had sent a man to make a special report on the terrible affair. But he had not heard from Dallas and he was worried.
“The boy’s in trouble. That is what is the matter. What you tell me, Ralph, bears out my suspicion.”
“I bet he set up that scarecrow and fired it to stop the Flyer,” the engineer of that fast train observed.
“Granted. He must have been watching in that vicinity. But the trestle wreckers were too smart for him. The charge was exploded and the trestle wrecked. He had not time to go to the nearest telegraph station, so he set the fire instead. But what became of him then?”
“I fear something bad has happened to him,” was the answer.
“Great Scott! something is always happening to Zeph,” observed Mr. Adair.