“My!” was all that Ralph could gasp out. 208
A great hearty hand, that of the old railroad veteran, John Griscom, landed on Ralph’s shoulder with a resounding slap.
“Fairbanks!” he roared in the ear of the bewildered young engineer, “the top rung of the ladder at last!”
CHAPTER XXV
THE MOUNTAIN DIVISION
“Well, lad, you’ve passed muster and got to the head of the class!” proclaimed old John Griscom.
“Oh, no,” dissented Ralph Fairbanks; “I’m just started in to learn what real railroading means.”
“I’d call you a pretty apt student, then,” put in Tim Forgan, foreman of the Stanley Junction roundhouse.