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garcons ati
YHAPPY DAYS‘?
12
ther delay, and then started around the
mountain on the ten mile
hope we don’t have no nore trouble,”
said Brad; “but I ain’t so sure of it.
pasted raif or an open switch Would set-
tle our hash for good and all.”
“You’ re a cheerful fellow. to have on an
~ engine,” sail red. “I think I'd like to
have you talk like this all. ti way. What
¢o you want to talk about open switches
nell, there’s that one on the little
e track just
ends is i nothing. ‘That'd be a fine place to
go
-“Shut up, you old croaker,” said Fred,
uneasy in spite of himself, and in spite
of Bs, reasoning that everything was all
right.
On’ he rushed at good speed, when, a
mile or so beyond: where the boulder had
been placed on the track, he suddenly
saw, glancing sharply ahead, that the very
switch Brad had spoken of was open.
ao - CHAPTER VIII.
THE DANGER AVERTED—-NEWS OF THE
OUTLAWS—AN IMPORTANT MESSAGE-—
TRAPPED—WATKINS THREATENS.
red’s practised eye told him that from
the position of the lever, the switch was
out of place, and that instead of running
the mountain on the main Jine, he would
run upon the little construction spur, and
go thundering over the bank in a short
time
f ie was still at some little distauce from
the switch, but there was no time to lose
at the rate at which he was going, and
4e instantly jammed in the throttle, re-
versed, and called for brakes.
e men knew the danger call, and
“promptly obesed, ‘Sut pe as as Fred had
ted and they had responded, it was im-
Secibie to aevok the speed of the swiftly
‘moving train until it had passed the
switch and run fully a hundred yards
upon the construction line.
4 There was little room to spare when
they finally came to a pause, and Fred
- gave a sigh of relief as he opened the
~ throttle and backed away.
“By g muttered Brad, “we
: wouldn’t have had to go much further be-
fore we'd ’ve had nothin’ but air to run
ony and that ain’t no account as a road-
bed for a big engine like the general.”
| “I'd like t ‘0 know how that awiteh hap-
> pened to be ‘misplaced,” said
‘ passed back upon the main li ine. “There's
either been the grossest kind of careless-
ess here, or something worse.”
t “Who do sou aSuppese would leave it
open? asked
“I don’t know. “It was lucky that T
was more than extra careful, or I would
not have seen it until I was on the spur,
and then I could not have stopped in time.
I wish you'd think of pleasanter things
than open switches, Brad. make me
creep aalt over, and I’m not generally
ner
‘Well, it kept you on the laokout, didn’t
it? I didn’t know the switch was open,
but we’d had so many things happen to us
that I thought that ought to be the next. ”
“Well, then, stop thinking,” said Fred,
with a laugh, which was natural enough,
now that the danger was over and the
reaction had
The switch. Took had. not been broken,
and Fred could not therefore determine
“whether the lever had been misplaced by
accident or by design, and he was greatly
puzzled by the circumstance.
he lever was replaced, and then the
switch was locked, Fred having keys
which would fit it, as did many of the
engineers on the road, for convenience.
"I'd like to know how that switch hap-
pened to be open,” said Fred again, as he
glided upon the main line and then hur-
ined his journey; so many times de-
was no further delay till they
reachert Whittlefon, and Fred hdd an op-
portunity to make up a little of the time
he bad lost, though not very much, as the
run was on! eig' shteen miles.
At Witte he made less of a stop
than usual, so as to make up more of his
lost time.
It was at Whittleton where he had
. ‘turned Jim Tyler and the others over to
: the authorities,
s he was getting ready to leave, the
_bagg wage master came to the cab and sai
“That short, red-headed ‘feller what you
fetched here for dumping the rock on the
“track back at Mountain Bend, broke jail
ot ast night. Tiim and another feller.”
es
'. “You bet. They got out ‘slick, and they
4 hain’t no -one ketched "em yet. They’ve
> been lookin’ for vem, but reckon the
: fellers’ll get away, ‘cause they had a putty
“4 good start, ‘They must ha’ been gone twoly
or three hours ‘afore they was discovered.
* ay haye heen they who opened
‘the switch,” said Fred,-“though I don’t
~ 3see how they got a key. They'd do just
~ Watkins
such a thing as that, to get, Square on me
for, getting ther loc! iocked u
“Flow was it the others did not get
away, too?” asked Brad.
“They was in another part of the jail,
and couldn’t be got at very well, and I
reckon Tyler didn’ t care very much about
takin’ ’em anyhow.”
“Well, they don’t want to have me run
across them,” said Fred, “for I’d drop
"em on sight “if they try any, foolishness on
me, and anyhow, fuk and ’em oyer to the
police if I catch hem.”
Between Whittleton and Walkabout, a
good run of twenty-eight miles, Fred was
able to make up more of the time he had
lost, but after that he was obliged to give
way to the lightning express going south,
and wait for a train at the junction just
out from Millerville. So t
nearly twenty minutes late, atter all.
“Its new to me to late,” he said,
“and I hope it won't’ happen going back.
I never saw suc! 2 day. at t's been one
thing and another right a
“Didn’ tell you we'd get trouble, just
because the: ‘general’——
“Oh, do keep quiet, Brad. You're a
regular r gid grandmother with your super-
stition
df ed was about to run his engine
into the yard, after disposing of his pas-
sengers, a boy came yp and, handing him
a sealed letter, said
“That’s from young Mr. Putnam. He
wants to. see you.
Fred tore open’ the envelope, and took
out a note written on a half sheet of the
official paper of the railroad company,
and read as follows
“Dear Frep—Come over to my house
at once. I want to see you on very impor-
tant business. Cir
‘I wonder what Clint wants to see me
about?” ke said. “I suppose I'll have to
You run the ‘general into the yard,
Brad, and be ready to start by the time
I get back, in case I don’t get here till
one. Those delays coming here shorten
up my time just that much.”
He then got his coat and hat out of the
locker under his seat, gud Started off at
a brisk walk to go to Clin
“He'd have come Pineel ” said the boy,
“only he’s awful busy. You can take a
short-cut, you know, through Railroad
Alley onto West Street, and from there
you can get a ’bus going right, ,Up on
ihe hill where Mr, Putnam lives.”
es; so I can,” said Fred; “and it'll
save me time,” and hurrying a few paces
farther, he turned into an alley leading
a sharp angle to the main business
street of the t
Iie had gone D not more than fifty feet
when he heard a sharp whistle, and al-
most immediately there was a quick tread
behind him, and he felt himself seized.
Turning “quickly, in the effort to shake
off his assailant, he was seized from the
other side, and then in 4 moment a thick
cloth was thrown over his head, his arms
were pinioned te his sides by some one,
then he was lifted and hurried up a
short flight of steps, through a long hall,
and at t into a room where he was
placed in é chair, and the cloth taken
from his
He at once recognized Watkins and
Trler, there being two others whom he
did not k
“Hal We ve got you this time, sure,”
laughed Watkins. “That was the easiest
kind of a trap, but you walked into it
ss nice as could. be. Search him, boys.
Ve don’t want to have any trouble with
him
Tred’ 's coat was stripped off in a trice,
and while Tyler examined it, the others
searched rapidly in Fred's other pockets.
eres, Jy Pistol and some money, and
Jot of k
* “An here's some letters,” said Tyler,
“and, hello! reckon I’ve seen this before.”
“What is ie asked ed Watkin
“The postal car
“Let he have it,” interrupted the lead-
er. snatching the card from Tyler's hand.
a! sure enough, t that’s it. Where'd
‘ou _get this, Mr. .
5 "Te was giyen to me. A boy found it
on the street,” said Fred, whom the men
had now seated in the chair again, one of
them holding him, while tre other fast-
ened him to it with a
“Carrying it around “for: 2 ‘curiosity, was
, “Yes; until I could show aA to some one
who would be interested i
“Oh, you were, ¢ x ” you won't
show it to nobody,” and v skins put the
card in his po ocket
“Don’t you sup! Prose Tcan femember
t on that car sai re e
ree ‘Go to Miller! 8 and wait
ater what the weather
don't, imagine I would forget that, do
flushed angrily, muttered
something under his breath, and then,
striding up to Fred, said with a sc
And you don’t imagine that I'm | going
to give you a chance to repeat that, do! Watkins. Tred got away from Watkins
you? It don’t matter if you remember
every scratch on the card. Your memory
isn "t soing to do you a bit of good.’
not the only one who knows
what is on, the card,” said Fred. “low
do you know that Miller and General
Putian 8 aud Mainwaring don’t knew all
about it
“It won’t do you a bit of good if they
do,” snarled Watkins. “I made up my
mind I'd get back at you for spoiling my
plans, and I’ve got another reason
es.
“I don’t know how you got away the
other night, when I left you on the track,
but I’ll make sure of you this time, for
I'l wait and see you dead before
leave.”
“What is your other reason for wishing
to be revenged on. me?’ asked Fred.
“Never you mind. There ate others
who will know, and I'll tell’em, and Jaugh
at ’em. You won't get away from me
alive, anyhow, and I'm not going to kill
you ina hurry either.”
“No; you'd better take your time about
it,” said Fred, coolly, resolved not to be
frightened by "the ruffian.” put, it off as
long as you can. I won't m
“You know what I mean,” ” growled
Watkins. “You’ re going to be a long time
ying. You're going to suffer all'sorts of
agony, and I'll be there to laugh at you
and hear you beg for mercy. That's what
mean, and you know it well enough.”
“Do you suppose they won "t looks for me
when I am missed?” asked Fre “Do
you imagine that they'll send ‘out the
ast mail without raising a hullabaloo
about my disappearance? Are you fool
enough to think that. you’re going to have
ZS
a
police are on your track this very minute.
'They’re bound to hunt you down, no mat-
ter where you hide yourself.”
Watkins gave Fred a black look, being
evidently moved by his words, and then
answeret
“Mayhe they will, put it’ll be too late to
do you any good, a: T get even on you
and yours, I don't c
CHAPTER IX,
ANXIETY OVER FRED'S ABSENCE—CLIN-
TON TAKES UP THE SEARCH — A
STRANGE MEETING.
At ten minutes to one o'clock Fred's
train stood waiting at the station, with
steam up on “The General,” and every-
thing ready "to start on tim
Br: rad w was in the cab, looking anxiously
up and down for signs of Tred, and now
and then glancing at his watch impa-
rT suppose he'll be here before the time
he muttered. “I{[e wouldn’t keep
iti I wish he'd come,
though It makes me nervous not to
have, him here. ello, there they are
now.”
He saw Clinton Putnam coming along
the platform, and Presumed that Tred
was with him, and. tarne to do some-
thing about the
“VTello, Brad, “where's Fred?” he pres-
ently heard some one say, and turning, he
saw Clinton standing just below hi
“Where's Tred?” he repeated, in, igrent
astonishment. “Why. don’t you know?”
No, of course not.”
cdlayen’t you seen him?”
“Bet he's gone to your house ; he went
half an hour ag
“Gone to my house?” asked Clint.
“Certainly. You sent for him, didn’t
you
. i No indeed.
to see him, though.”
“You didn’t send for him?” asked Brad,
in open-eyed astonishment. “Why, I saw
the letter myself, and he read it out aloud.
Then he started off in-a hurry, and told
me to look out for the ‘general’ till he got
a came down just now
cB
S28
a.
“But I never sent him any letter, Brad.
I came right down from the house, so as
to see him before he went out. Which
way did he go? I didn’t pass him on the
way, I don’t think. It’s very queer. By
George! I'll bet it’s « Soheme of those
villains to get hold of b
“Of w ” asked Brad excitedly.
“OF Yhose fellows who got out of the’
Whittleton jail last night. They are sus-
pected of having come here, and the police] s
are looking for them. came down to
We | heard about it on the
Vv ! I believe you re right,
letter was only a fa
“What did Pred do “with ite”
“Pook it away with him.” o
“Who delivered it?” .
“A yo! un kid, about fourteen ; nice
king boy, too. You wouldn’t never ex-
pect that het 'd be up to a job like that.”
“It's all a plot against Bred,” said
Clint, “excitedly. “And I'll bet that same
gang he held up is in it, Tyler and maybe
way up.
and that
onl ‘ by the skin of his teeth the other
nigh
“The time he put him on the track?
Yes, he told me about it.”
“Watkins seems determined to kill him,
and I'll bet he’s got a band in this. Me
knew very well-that I’red would go any-
where if I sent for hinf, and the scoun-
drels have, just Jed him into a trap.”
“Where's Fred, hasn’t he got bs ek yet?
We haven’t got any time to lose.
t was the conductor who spoke, having
come up unperceived by Brad and young
Putnam,
“We don’t know where he is,”
Brad, and then he explained matters,
“Somebody will have to’ fake the mail
out, if Fred don’t show up,” said the
conductor. “TIello, Ned,” to a brakeman,
“geta gait on you, ‘and see if you, ean pick
ed's missin,
and the brakeman came
up fad had to be told of the situation
aga
said
‘Ail right. I saw Bill Moses this morn-
ing. Ile’s pretty good, but not as good
as Fred.”
“Well, go find him, and hurry.
ought to be starting now. Do you sup-
pose you fou take her down to Hunting-
Take the fast mail?
the ‘general.’ Ile’d durned quick
that somebody else had hoki of him if I
tried to run him, and would cut up nasty.
Iie knows mighty well that nobody but
i d can handle him.”
“It’s one o'clock,” said Clint, “and Fred
is not here. Something is the matter or
he’d never be late. Tm going to report
the matter to the police.”
“Better wait a ife while to see if he
does fur up, Clin
“No, we're
Not
losing time now. If
miss him and he does come, you can send
some one up to the station with the
word. I'm o
“Good luck to you!” shouted Brad, as
Clint hurried away. “TI
a y be in trouble,
just, as Clint says, and I’d ought to be
sittin’ him out of it. e's had more’n
time enough to go to Clint’s house and
back, so I’m inclined to think he -never
went there at all, but was waylaid by
some i hem roffians. ‘ve a mind to go
after h
Sonn can't go, 1
stick to your engine.
take her out, you'll have to give him
points, and you know ‘em better than
anybody on the roa
t was after the time for the fast mail
to leave, and the Dassengers began to won-
der delay, some of them coming
to the conductor and asking him about it.
Then others came up, and before long it
was known that something had happened
to Bred, and all sorts of stories were set
3rad. You've got to
If Bill Moses does
a
‘The brakeman sent to find an engineer
returned in twenty minutes with a man
who had formerly run an engine on the
road, but had been laid off on account of
his bad habits.
As he was stepping into the cab, Gen-
eral Putnam, Clinton’s father, who had
heard about Fred's disappearance, came
hurrying forward and said ‘eagerly:
“Tf you run the fast mail safely, Moses,
it will have a good deal to do with your
reinstatement. I don’t expect you'l "1 run
it as well as Fred Freeman, but do your
best, and if we see that velinnees can be
placed in you once more, I shouldn’t be
surprised if we found an engine for you.”
“Thank you, General,” said Moses.
m ‘glad of the chance, and I'll do my
and then he hurriedly removed his
coat and hat and put on a jumper and cap
whidh Brad gave him.
rd!” shouted the conductor,
and. the eee ‘mail left Millersville half a
hour late, cheered by the waiting crowds.
the meantime Clint had gone to the
Central Police Station, and had reported
that Fred was missing, stating his sus-
picions in regard to those having a hand
in it, .
A general alarm was sent ott, and men
were detailed to go through the disrepu-
table parts of the town and look for
suspicious characters, | especially for "those
who had had any pa n the attempt to
wreck Fred's train, ‘and a question any
strangers who might be id.
then returned to “the station and
ma Inauities as to the way V'red
gone when he set out to keep the sup-
posed appointment with his friend.
ne of the station hands met Clint, as
he. was making his inauiries, and sai
“1 fred an o along ithe
street toward Railroad Alley, but [ ain’t
sure whether they turned into it or not.
The next time I happened to look, 1 didn’t
see them, but they might have got in frant
of somebody.
“Railroad, “Alley is not a very sweet
smelling place,” said Clint, “but I never