"Something more than that, Glen," insisted Ralph. "You act half scared to death. Do you know Ike Slump?"
Ralph had to be satisfied with this. Glen turned from him as if to hide some emotion or embarrassment. He began tying up his bag so as to cover the slit made in it by Slump's knife and scooped up the scattered grain.
"Wait till I get this gathered up and I want to talk with you," he said.
A new figure came lounging leisurely down the track as the watchman proceeded to his shanty. Ralph recognized Dan Lacey, a ne'er-do-well who had tried about every department of railroad service inside of two years and had failed signally in every attempt.
He was a good-natured, indolent fellow, perfectly harmless and generally popular. He halted in front of Ralph with a speculative glance at Glen Palmer.
"Howdy, Fairbanks," he hailed. "Say, pet of yours yonder, I understand."
"He seems to be a fine young fellow I helped out a little."
"Always doing that. Know him pretty well?"
"Well," drawled Lacey taking in Glen with a continuous analyzing glance, "he's a cracker jack."
"Telegraphy. I've seen some pretty swell operators in my time, but that kid--say, believe me, Fairbanks, he's got the last one of them backed clear off the board."
"Explain yourself, Lacey," directed the young railroader.
"Nothing to explain--it's exactly as I say. That lad's a wonder."
"Just a little bit ago up at the old switch tower. You know they left one or two broken instruments there when they moved the general outfit. Wires down, but one or two good sharp keys still in place. I was snoozing on the bench outside. Suddenly--click! click! Then the regular call. Then the emergency--say, I thought I was back at Dover with old Joslyn Drake, the crack operator of the Midland Central. You know I put in a year at the key. Not much at it myself, but you bet your life I can tell fine work. Why, that lad ran the roll like a veteran. Then he began on speed. I crept closer. There he was, thinking no one saw him, rattling the key till it pounded like a piston on a sixty mile an hour run."
Ralph was a good deal astonished. Glen was a pretty young fellow to line up in the way that Dan Lacey described. Then a kind of vague disagreeable idea came into the mind of the young railroader. He recalled the old grandfather and his two villainous associates, for such they had proved themselves to be the evening previous.