The Young Railroaders Part 23

Sharply the foreman kicked at it, and called, "h.e.l.lo, in there! Your little game is up, my friend! Come out!"

There was no response, and he drew his revolver. "Open up quick, or I'll shoot!"

"Oh, all right! All right!" cried a m.u.f.fled voice hurriedly.

The next moment the Midway Junction "ghost" stepped grimly from his box, and stood before them.

"But look here, youngster," ticked the chief despatcher, who some minutes later followed Alex Ward on the wire in congratulating Jack on the solution of the mystery, "don't you talk too much about this business, or first thing you know they'll be taking you from the telegraph force, and adding you to the detective department. We want you ourselves."

"No fear," laughed Jack. "I might try a matter like this once in a while, but I want to work up as an operator, not a detective."

"You'll work up OK," declared the chief.

XII

IN A BAD FIX, AND OUT

"Good evening, young man!"

With a start Jack turned toward the quietly opened door of the telegraph-room to discover a short, dark, heavily-bearded man, over whose eyes was pulled a soft gray hat.

"I suppose you don't have many visitors at the station at this time of night?" said the stranger, entering.

"No; but you are quite welcome. Have a chair," responded Jack courteously.

To the young operator's surprise, the stranger drew the chair immediately before him, and seating himself, leaned forward secretively. "My name is Watts," he began, in a low voice, "and I've come on business. For you are the lad who worked out that 'ghost' mystery here, and caused the capture of the freight robber, aren't you?"

"Yes," confirmed Jack, in further wonder.

"I thought so. I thought as much. I know a clever lad when I see one. And that was one of the cleverest bits of detective work I ever heard of,"

declared Mr. Watts, with a winning smile. "If the railroad detectives had done their work as well, the whole freight-stealing gang would have been landed. As it was none of the rest were caught, were they?"

[Ill.u.s.tration: THE STRANGER DREW THE CHAIR IMMEDIATELY BEFORE HIM, AND SEATING HIMSELF, LEANED FORWARD SECRETIVELY.]

Instead of being pleased, the man's flattery and ingratiating manner had ruffled Jack, and briefly he answered, "No, sir."

"No. I knew that already. I was one of them myself."

At this startling statement Jack stared. "I beg your pardon, sir?" he exclaimed.

"I was a member of that gang myself," repeated Jack's strange caller, again smiling broadly. "Don't you think I look the part?" So saying, he pushed his hat back from his face.

Jack had no doubt of it. The small dark eyes were repellent with low cunning and greed. Instinctively he half turned to cast a glance toward the door. At once the smile disappeared, and the self-confessed law-breaker threw open his coat and significantly tapped the b.u.t.t of a revolver. "No. You just sit still and listen," he ordered sharply; but immediately again smiling, added, "though there needn't be anything of this kind between two who are going to be good friends.

"Listen. What I called for was this: We want another man in the gang in place of Joe Corry--that is the man you caught.

"And we decided to invite you."

Jack fairly caught his breath. "Why, you must be joking, or--"

"Or crazy, eh? Not quite. I was never more serious in my life. Listen!"

The speaker leaned forward earnestly. "After your spoiling our little 'ghost' game here the railroad people would never look for us starting in again at the same place. Never in the world--would they? And likewise, after your causing the capture of Corry, they would never in the world suspect you of working with us. Do you see the point?

"And all you would have to do would be to keep your ears closed, and not hear any noises out in the freight-room at night."

"And for doing that," concluded the law-breaker, "we will give you a regular salary of $25 a month. We'll send it by mail, or bank it for you at any bank you name, and no one will know where it comes from.

"What do you say?"

Jack drew back indignantly. "Most certainly not," he began. Then suddenly he hesitated.

As the freight-robber had said, the authorities had been unable to obtain a single clue to the whereabouts or ident.i.ty of the remainder of the freight-stealing gang. Should he accept the man's offer, came the thought, undoubtedly, sooner or later, he would be able to bring about the capture of every one of them.

Immediately following, however, there recurred to Jack one of his mother's warnings--"that even the appearance of evil is dangerous, always, as well as wrong."

But this would be quite different, Jack argued to himself--to cause the capture of criminals. And what possible danger could there be in it? No one would believe for an instant that I would go into such a thing seriously, he told himself.

"All right, Mr. Watts," he said aloud. "I'll do it."

"Good! It's a go!" The freight-stealer spoke with satisfaction, and rising, grasped Jack's hand. "I told you I knew a clever boy when I saw one--and that means a wise one.

"Well, that's all there is to it, excepting the money matter. Where will we send that? Here?"

Jack responded with an effort. "Yes, you may as well send it to me here."

"All right. Look for it at the end of the month," said Watts, proceeding to the door.

"Remember, you are dumb. That's all. Good night."

Jack's sense of honor was not long in convincing him that he had made a mistake in entering into such a bargain, even with a law-breaker. A dozen times during the days that followed he would have given anything to have been able to wipe out the agreement.

Unhappily this dissatisfaction with himself was to prove but a minor result of the misstep.

Shortly after he had relieved the day operator at the station a week later he was surprised by the appearance of one of the road detectives, and with him a stranger.

"Good evening, Orr," said the detective in a peculiar tone. "Let me make you acquainted with Sheriff Bates."

Jack started, and glanced from one to the other. "Is there anything wrong?" he asked.

"Very slightly. Your little game is up, that's all. Your older partner has given the thing away, and we have just found the watch in your room at the boarding-house," announced the detective.

"Given the thing away? The watch? Why, what do you mean?" exclaimed Jack in alarm.

"Oh, come! Watts has squealed, and we found the watch hidden, just as he said, in the mattress of your bed up at the house."