“Gravel pit dummy just came in.”
“Can’t you rig her up and give me clear tracks for an hour, till I make investigations?”
“Crew gone home.”
“No extras on hand?”
The foreman consulted his schedule and shook his head negatively.
Ralph thought of his home and mother, but a certain appealing glance from the claim agent and a natural disposition to be useful and accommodating influenced him to a kindly impulse.
“See here, Mr. Fry, I’ll be glad to help you out, if I can,” he said.
“You certainly can, Fairbanks, and I won’t forget the favor,” declared the claim agent warmly. “You see, I’m booked for a week’s vacation and a visit to my old invalid father down at Danley, beginning tomorrow. If I can untie all the red tape from this wreck affair, I’m free to get out, and my substitute can take up any fresh tangles that come up tomorrow.”
“Can you fire?” inquired Ralph.
“I can make a try at it.”