Page:Ralph on the Railroad.djvu/1043

Rh, though, that either you or I ever heard of."

"Is that so?" inquired Ralph.

"Listen, and see. She started on extra orders from Brampton, the yards up on the north division. Was chartered for a run via the Junction to Fordham spur."

"Indeed?" murmured Ralph thoughtfully.

"It was a plain twenty-four hours' charter, same as a picnic or an excursion special, but there was only one passenger, conductor, or whatever you might call him—a kid."

"Yes," nodded Ralph, "Zeph Dallas."

"You could have knocked me down with a feather when I found that out," went on the man from the dispatcher's office, "although I didn't find it out until later. Yes, the train had been rented and paid for by our old extra wiper here, that dreamer, kicker and would-be detective, Dallas. A pretty penny it must have cost. Where did he get the money? Skylarking around the country like a millionaire, and what did he pick out that antiquated curiosity of a relic car for? Well, it was the 'Dallas Special,' sure enough, and it made its run just the same as if he was a railroad president inspecting the lines."

"I'm interested," explained Ralph.

"I'm jiggergasted," added the dispatcher; "I got the line on their route by wire to Brampton. I