“Foul play.”
“I guessed it. The double call enlightened me, and you’ve got headquarters and down lines wild. Out with it, I say!”
Ralph talked about as fast as he had ever done. There was need for urgency, he felt that. The old operator knew his business.
“I’ll mend up this mess,” he said promptly. “That smashup--get to the superintendent. Do something anyway. Be a live wire!”
Ralph ran down from the relay room. He could trust Glidden to get at work and straighten out the tangle left behind by the fugitive conspirators.
The north branch was cut out and the operator ordered off duty. Ralph trusted to it that Glidden would try some circuitous work to get word around to the other end of the branch.
“Anyhow, the Limited is safe,” ruminated Ralph, as he reached the ground.
His first thought was to get to headquarters. He looked for some stray freight or switch locomotive to help him on his way. He made out a live one on a side track. Ralph ran over to it.
“Hello, Roberts!” he hailed, recognizing the fireman, and a jolly-faced, indolent looking young fellow smiled a welcome. “Going to the Junction?”
“Exactly the other way.”