Page:Ralph on the Railroad.djvu/752

184 young fireman a note. "A fellow out in the woods gave me this for you."

Ralph took the missive, and, opening it, read its contents with mingled surprise and suspicion. The note ran:

"If R. F. wants to hear of something to his advantage, come to the old railroad bridge right away."

There was no signature to the scrawl, but Ralph quite naturally thought of Ike Slump and his crowd. That did not, however, deter him from going to keep the appointment. He cut a stout cudgel and proceeded to the old railroad bridge named in the note.

The young fireman glanced keenly about him, but for some time did not get a view of anybody in the vicinity. Finally from a clump of bushes up the incline a handkerchief waved. Ralph climbed the embankment to find himself facing Ike Slump.

The latter was ragged and starved-looking. To Ralph it appeared that the ex-roundhouse boy had been having a decidedly hard time of it recently.

"You needn't carry any stick around here," said Slump, sullenly. "You needn't be afraid of me."

"Not at all," answered Ralph, "although your