"I was sort of interested in this old car," announced Ralph.

"Why so?" demanded Kane.

"Well, we are looking for a car that floated down the creek here about five years ago."

"For the railroad?" asked the farmer.

"In a way, yes, in a way, no."

"Does the railroad want to take it away from me?"

"Certainly not. They would like to know, though, if it's a car of the Southern Air Line and numbered 9176."

"You've got it, lad. This was just that car. What's the amazing interest in it all of a sudden? Look here," and he took them around to the other side of the car. "Last night two boys came here; my son saw them hanging around here. Then they disappeared. This morning I found the car that way."

Ralph and Zeph stared in astonishment. A four-foot s.p.a.ce of the boards on the outside of the car had been torn away. At one point there was a jagged break in the inside sheathing. In a flash the same idea occurred to both of them.

"Too late!" groaned poor Zeph. "Some one has been here and the diamonds are gone."

Ralph was stupefied. He remembered the rustling in the bushes when they were discussing their plans the day previous. He believed that their conversation had been overheard by some one.

Ralph asked the man to send for his son, which he did, and Ralph interrogated him closely. The result was a sure conviction that Ike Slump and Mort Bemis had secured the diamonds hidden in the box car about five years previous.

CHAPTER XXVI

THE MAD ENGINEER

"Well, good-bye, Zeph."

"Good-bye, Ralph. Another of my wild dreams of wealth gone."

"Don't fret about it, Zeph."

"How can I help it?"

Ralph had decided to return home. He was now fully recuperated, and his vacation period would expire in a few days.

It was the evening of the day when they had discovered the missing box car only to find that others had discovered it before them. Ralph had arranged to flag a freight at the terminus of the Short Line Route and was down at the tracks awaiting its coming.

The freight arrived, Ralph clambered to the cab, waved his hand in adieu to Zeph, and was warmly welcomed by his friends on the engine.

They had proceeded only a short distance when a boy came running down an embankment. So rapid and reckless was his progress that Ralph feared he would land under the locomotive. The lad, however, grasped the step of the cab, and was dragged dangerously near to the wheels.

Ralph seized him just in time and pulled him up into the cab.

"Well!" commented the engineer, "it's a good thing we were going slow.

Here, land out as you landed in, kid."

"Please don't," cried the boy, gazing back with tear-filled eyes and trembling all over. "Please let me ride with you."

"Against the rules."

"See, there they are!" almost shrieked the boy, pointing to two men who came rushing down the embankment. "Oh, don't let them get me."

"Give him a show till I learn his story," said Ralph to the engineer, so the latter put on steam and the two men were outdistanced.

"Oh, thank you, thank you!" panted the boy, clinging close to Ralph.

"Come up on the water tank," said Ralph, "and I'll have a talk with you."

The lad, whom the young fireman had befriended, was a forlorn-looking being. He wore no shoes, was hatless, and had on a coat many sizes too large for him.

"Now then, what's the trouble?" inquired Ralph, when they were both seated on the water tank.

"Those men were pursuing me," said the lad.

"What for?"

"I was running away from them. They are my uncles, and they have been very wicked and cruel to me. They want to send me to a reform school to get rid of me, and locked me up. I ran away this morning, but they got trace of me again."

"What is your name?"

"Earl Danvers. My father died and left them my guardians. They are after the property, I guess."

"What do you propose to do?"

"Oh, anything to get away from them."

Ralph talked for quite a while with the boy and learned his entire history. Then he said:

"This is a case for a lawyer. Would you like to come to Stanley Junction with me and have a lawyer look into the matter for you?"

"No. I only want to escape from those bad men."

"That will follow. You come with me. I will interest myself in your case and see that you are protected."

"How kind you are--you are the only friend I ever knew," cried the boy, bursting into tears of grat.i.tude.

Ralph took Earl Danvers home with him when they reached Stanley Junction. His kind-hearted mother was at once interested in the forlorn refugee. They managed to fit him out with some comfortable clothing, and Ralph told him to take a rest of a few days, when he would have him see their lawyer and tell him his story.

Two days later the young fireman reported at the roundhouse for duty, and the ensuing morning started on a new term of service as fireman of the Limited Mail.

The first trip out Griscom was engineer. Ralph noticed that he looked pale and worried. The run to the city was made in a way quite unusual with the brisk and lively veteran railroader. Ralph waited until they were on their way home from the roundhouse that evening. Then he said:

"Mr. Griscom, you have not been your usual self to-day."