The Road Builders Part 16

"Oh, they were going to run it through to Bonavita on the Emerald River, but the B. & G. got all there was of that business first, and so the P. S. never got beyond Total Wreck. Mr. De Reamer never built it. The old Shipleigh crowd did that before Mr. De Reamer bought up this property." The faint glimmer had returned to Tiffany's eyes; he was searching Carhart's face. "You want these trains sent on through to your camp, don't you?" he asked abruptly.

"No, they are to go down over the P. S."

Tiffany's expression was growing almost painful. Carhart went on.

"There are sidings at Total Wreck, aren't there, Peet?" he asked.

"Oh, yes, quite a yard there; but it's badly run down."

"What other sidings are there along the line?"

"Long ones at Yellow House and Dusty Bend."

"How long?"

"Nearly two miles each."

"How long is the line?"

"Forty-five miles."

"Good Lord!" The exclamation was Tiffany's. He was staring at Carhart with an expression of such mingled astonishment, incredulity, and expansive delight, that Peet's curiosity broke its bounds. "For G.o.d's sake, Tiffany," he cried, "what is it? What's he going to do?"

But Tiffany did not hear. He was gazing at Paul Carhart, saying incoherent things to him, and bringing down a heavy hand on his shoulder. He was somewhat frightened--never before, even in his own emphatic life, had his routine notions received such a wrench--but his eyes were shining. "Lord! Lord!" he was saying, "but there'll be swearing in Sherman to-morrow."

"The time has come when I ought to know what"--this from the purple Peet.

"Don't ask him, Lou," cried Tiffany, "don't ask him. If we smash, it won't be your fault. Ain't that right, Paul?"

"Yes," replied Carhart, "it is just right. Don't ask any questions, Peet, and don't give me away. I don't want any swearing in Sherman to-morrow. I don't want a whisper of this to get out for a week--not for a month if we can keep it under."

Tiffany quieted down; grew thoughtful. "It will take a lot of men, Paul. How can you prevent a leak?"

"I'm going to take them all West with me afterward."

"I see. That's right--that's right! And the station agents and train crews and switchmen--yes, I see. You'll take 'em all."

"Every man," replied Carhart, quietly.

"If necessary, you'll take 'em under guard."

Carhart smiled a very little. "If necessary," he replied.

"You'll want some good men," mused Tiffany. "I'll tell you,--suppose you leave that part of it to me. It's now,--let's see,--seven-forty.

It won't be any use starting your first train until you've got the men to do the work. I'll need a little time, but if you'll give me an hour and half to two hours, say until nine-thirty, I'll have your outfit ready. I'll send some of my a.s.sistants along with you, and a bunch of our brakemen and switchmen. There'll be the commissariat to look out for too,--you see to all that, Lou, will you?"

Peet inclined his head. "For how many men?" he asked.

"Oh, five hundred, anyway, before we get through with it." Nothing could surprise the superintendent now. He merely nodded.

"And rifles," Tiffany added. "You'll want a case of 'em."

"No," said Carhart, "I shan't need any rifles for the P. S., but I want five hundred more at the end of the track, and, say ten thousand rounds of ball cartridges. Will you see to that, Peet?"

The superintendent grunted out, "Who's paying for all this?" and then as neither of the others took the trouble to reply, he subsided.

"All right, then," said Tiffany. "I'll have your crew here--enough for the first train, anyhow. You can trust to picking up fifty or a hundred laborers in the neighborhood of Paradise. See you later." And with this, the chief engineer took his big person away at a rapid walk.

Carhart turned to Peet and extended his hand. Dusk was falling. The headlights of the locomotives threw their yellow beams up the yard.

Switch lights were shining red and white, and lanterns, in the hands of shadowy figures, were bobbing here and there. There was a great racket about them of b.u.mping cars and squeaking brakes, and of shouting and the blowing off of locomotives. "I don't blame you for thinking that everything's going to the devil, Peet," said Carhart.

"But I don't believe they've let you in on the situation. If I'm running risks, it's because we've got to run risks."

Peet hesitated, then accepted the proffered hand. "I suppose it's all right," he replied. "Tiffany seems to agree with you, and he generally knows what he's about. But--" he paused. They were standing by a heap of merchandise. The heap was capped by a dozen crates of chickens which, awakened from their sleep, were fluttering about within their narrow coop and clucking angrily. He waved his hand. "Think of what this means to our business," he said.

Carhart listened for a moment, then looked back to Peet. "If I were sure it would come to nothing worse than a slight disarrangement of your business, I'd sleep easy to-night."

"It's as bad as that, is it?"

"Yes," Carhart replied, "it's as bad as that. If I lose, no matter how the fight in the board turns out, you know what it will mean--no more De Reamer and Chambers men on the S. & W. Every De Reamer fireman and brakeman will go. It'll be a long vacation for the bunch of you."

Peet was silent. And then, standing there where he had so often and so heedlessly stood before, his sordid, moderately capable mind was torn unexpectedly loose from its well-worn grooves and thrown out to drift on a tossing sea of emotion and of romantic adventure. The breathlessness of the scene was borne in on his consciousness on a wave that almost took away his breath. Carhart was the sort of man whom he could not understand at all. He knew this now, or something near enough to it, clear down to the bottom of his subconscious self.

And when he turned and looked at the thin man of the masterful hand, it was with a change of manner. "All right," he said, "go ahead. Just say what you want me to do."

At five minutes to ten that night a locomotive lay, the steam roaring in clouds through her safety valve, on the siding by the freight depot; and stretching off behind her was a long string of empties.

Carhart, Tiffany, and Peet, walking up alongside the train, could distinguish, through the dark, men sitting on brake wheels, or swinging their legs out of box-car doors or standing in groups in the gondola cars. Once, during a brief lull in the noise of the yard, they heard a gentle snore which was issuing from the dark recesses of one of the box-cars. The three men halted beside the locomotive.

"You'd better go, Paul," said Tiffany.

Carhart looked at Peet. "I'll rely on you to keep things coming," he said.

"Go ahead," replied the superintendent. "I'll have the three trains and all the men at Paradise before morning."

"And we'll look out for the commissariat too, Paul," added Tiffany.

"All right," said Carhart. "But there's another thing, Peet. I haven't cars enough yet. As soon as enough come in to make up another train, send it out to me."

"That'll be sometime to-morrow afternoon, likely," Peet replied soberly.

Carhart nodded, shook hands with the two men, and mounted to the engine.

"Go ahead," said Peet. "You've got a clear track."

The whistle blew. Somewhere back in the night a speck of light swung up in a quarter circle. The engineer opened his throttle.

"Bong Voyage to the Paradise Unlimited!" said Tiffany.

Carhart was not surprised, when the third train rolled into Paradise on that following morning, to see Tiffany descending from the caboose.

Between them they lost no time in completing the preparations for the journey down to Total Wreck. Of the two regular trains on the line, No. 3, southbound, was held at Paradise, and the lone pa.s.senger was carried down on Carhart's train; the northbound train, No. 4, was stopped at Dusty Bend.