“Don’t let that bother you,” answered Ralph. “I shall not hold it against you, Mr. Hopkins, if you manage to take your ideas before a special meeting of the board. Nobody save John Glidden is going to give me my orders. You may as well understand that right now. Good-day!”
He swung out of the room, closing the door with an emphatic bang. He felt a decided warmth of satisfaction because of this throwing of his glove at Mr. Hopkins’ feet. Yet he thought, too:
“Well, that does settle me with Miss Cherry. I am persona non grata there for the rest of the chapter. Humph! What cheek—what cold, brass, gall—that man has!”
CHAPTER IX
IT HAPPENS AGAIN
As soon as he got back to the train dispatchers’ department Ralph put in a call for main headquarters and Mr. John Glidden. After a time the switchboard operator called him and Ralph went into the booth.
“How do the schedules go, Ralph?” asked Mr. Glidden, after briefly greeting his young friend. “I hear you are having trouble.”
“Trouble enough. That Midnight Flyer is the worst thing on our hands just now, however.”
“Number Two-o-two?”
“Yes, sir. Two hundred and two. Believe me! It’s like crowding a fat man through a Pullman ventilator.”
“Well, what else is the trouble?”