“Mebbe he ain’t got no real reason. When old Joe gets down on a man, he don’t have to have a reason. All he wants is a good chance to do him, and he’ll do you, if you ain’t careful.”
“Well, I heard him say last night that there was a young upstart here who wouldn’t remain here another week.”
“That’s the way he fixes them he don’t like.”
“All right, Mr. Hall. Thank you again. I shall watch out.”
As Larry Logan had said, old Joe was one who always looked his own engine over for breaks, never trusting the wipers to discover them.
One day, however, Frank noticed that the center casting on No. 33 was broken in such a way that but one bolt held it at all, and that very slightly.
He supposed, of course, that the engineer had reported it, and he expected every minute to see the men come along with the jacks and jack her up to put in a new one.
Though there was a king pin down through both castings, it would be suicidal for a man to trust that alone. In rounding a curve the engine would be apt to sheer off and shoot off the track at a tangent.
Frank was surprised as the time approached for old 33 to leave the house and no attempt had been made to repair her. Then he hunted up Mr. Ganzell and reported what he had discovered.
“Come with me,” he said, and together they went round the house to the hook on which the machinists hung the engineer’s work reports after jobs were finished.
He looked the report over and found 33’s.
“It’s O. K.’d,” he said. “Not a word about the center casting. You must be mistaken, Mr. Merriwell.”
“I am sure I am not, sir,” declared Frank.
Away they went to inspect the engine. On the way they came face to face with Joe Hicks.
“Mr. Hicks,” said the foreman, “Merriwell reports that your truck center casting is broken.”
Old Joe’s face turned black, and he gave Frank an awful glare.
“It’s a lie!” he growled. “What’s that kid know about an engine! He makes me sick.”
“I beg your pardon, Mr. Hicks,” said Frank, quietly; “I really thought it better to report my discovery than to let you take the chance of being killed and wrecking the train by going out with her in such a condition.”
“Bah! You are trying to play smart, but you’ve made a fool of yourself.”
“All right. But, if it ain’t so, I want you to take this boy off my engine and give me a man that knows something. I’ve stood it just as long as I can!”