Ralph of the Roundhouse; Or, Bound to Become a Railroad Man Read online

  CHAPTER II--WAKING UP

  Ralph recognized that strident voice at once. It belonged to GasperFarrington, one of the wealthiest men of Stanley Junction, and one ofthe meanest.

  Whenever Ralph had met the man, and he met him often, one fact had beenvividly impressed upon his mind. Gasper Farrington had a naturalantipathy for all boys in general, and for Ralph Fairbanks inparticular.

  The Criterion Baseball Club was a feature with juvenile StanleyJunction, yet they had many a privilege abrogated through the influenceof Farrington. He had made complaints on the most trivial pretexts,winning universal disrespect and hatred from the younger population.

  More than once he had put himself out to annoy Ralph. In one instancethe latter had stood for the rights of the club in a lawyer-like manner.He had beaten Farrington and the town board combined on technical legalgrounds as to the occupancy of a central ball field, and Ralph'sfeelings towards the crabbed old capitalist had then settled down todislike, mingled with a certain silent independence that nettledFarrington considerably.

  He had publicly dubbed Ralph "the ringleader of those baseballhoodlums," a stricture passed up by the club with indifference.

  Ralph never set his eyes on Farrington but he was reminded of hisfather. John Fairbanks had come to Stanley Junction before the GreatNorthern was even thought of. He had thought of it first. A practicalrailroad man, he had gone through all the grades of promotion of anEastern railway system, and had become a division superintendent.

  He had some money when he came to Stanley Junction. He foresaw that thetown would one day become a tactical center in railroad construction,submitted a plan to some capitalists, and was given supervisory workalong the line.

  His minor capital investment in the enterprise was obscured by mightierinterests later on, but before he died it was generally supposed that heheld quite an amount of the bonds of the railroad, mutually with GasperFarrington.

  It was a surprise to his widow, and to friends generally of theFairbanks family, when, after Mr. Fairbanks' death, a few hundreddollars in the bank and the homestead, with a twelve-hundred dollarmortgage on it in favor of Gasper Farrington, were found to comprise thetotal estate.

  Mrs. Fairbanks discovered letters, memoranda and receipts showing thather deceased husband and Farrington had been mutually engaged in severalbusiness enterprises, but they were vague and fragmentary, and, afterascertaining from her the extent of her documentary evidence, Farringtonbluntly declared he had been a loser by her husband.

  He professed a friendship for the dead railroader, however, and in apatronizing way offered to help the widow out of her difficulties bytaking the homestead off her hands for the amount of the mortgage, "andmaking no trouble."

  Mrs. Fairbanks had promptly informed him that she had no intention ofselling out, and for two years, until the present time, had been able tomeet the quarterly interest on the mortgage when due.

  Gasper Farrington was now on one of his periodical visits on business tothe cottage, but as, right at the home threshold, and in the presence ofthe gentle, loving-hearted widow, he gave utterance to the scathingremark still burning in the listener's ears, a boy of true spirit,Ralph's soul seemed suddenly to expand as though it would burst withindignation and excitement.

  Many times Ralph had asked his mother concerning their actual businessrelations with Gasper Farrington, but she had put him off with theevasive remark that he was "too young to understand."

  But now he seemed to understand. The spiteful tone of the crabbed oldcapitalist implied that he indulged in the present malicious outburstbecause in some way he had the widow in his power.

  Ralph took an instantaneous step forward, but paused. He could trusthis mother to retain her dignity on all occasions, and he recalled herfrequent directions to him to never act on an angry impulse.

  Now he could see into the room. His mother stood by her sewing basket,a slight flush of indignation on her face.

  Farrington squirmed against the doorway, fumbling his cane, and puffingand purple with violent internal commotion.

  "Then what's the matter with that idle, good-for-nothing, son of yoursgoing to work and paying the honest debts of the family!" he stormilyrepeated.

  The widow looked up. Her lips fluttered, but she said calmly: "Mr.Farrington, Ralph is neither idle nor good-for-nothing."

  "Huh! aint! What's he good for?"

  The widow's face became momentarily glorified, the true mother loveshone in the depths of her pure, clear eyes.

  "He is the best son a mother ever had." She spoke with a tremor thatmade Ralph thrill, and must have made Farrington squirm.

  "He is affectionate, obedient, considerate. And that is why I havenever burdened his young shoulders with my troubles."

  "It's high time, then!" snarled Farrington--"a big, overgrown bumpkin!Guess he'll shoulder some responsibility soon, or some one else will, oryou'll all be without a shelter."

  Ralph felt a sinking at the heart at the vague threat. He was relieved,however, as anxiously glancing at his mother's face he observed that shewas not a whit disturbed or frightened.

  "Mr. Farrington," she said, "Ralph has nothing to do with our businessaffairs, but I wish to say this: I am satisfied that my dead husbandleft means we have never been able to trace. It lies between yourconscience and yourself to say how much more you know about this than Ido. I have accepted the situation, however, and with the few dollars inready money he left me, and my sewing, I have managed to so far giveRalph a fair education. He has well deserved the sacrifice. He hasbeen foremost in every athletic sport, a leader and of good influencewith his mates, and was the best scholar at the school, last term."

  "Oho! prize pupil in the three R's!" sneered Farrington--"Counts high,that honor does!"

  "It is a step upwards, humble though it be," retorted Mrs. Fairbanksproudly. "If he does as well in his academic career----"

  "In his what?" fairly bellowed Farrington. "Is the woman crazy? Youdon't mean to tell me, madam, that you have any such wild idea in yourhead as sending him to college?"

  "I certainly have."

  "Then you'll never make it--you'll waste your dollars, and bring him upa pampered ingrate, and he's a sneak if he allows his old mother to digand slave her fingers off for his worthless pleasure!"

  A faint flush crossed the widow's face. Ralph burst the bounds. Hesprang forward, and confronted the astonished magnate so abruptly thatin the confusion of the moment, Farrington dropped his cane.

  "Mr. Farrington," said Ralph, striving hard to keep control of himself,"my mother is not old, but I am--older than I was an hour ago, I cantell you! old enough to understand what I never knew before, and----"

  "Hello!" sniffed Farrington, "what's this your business?"

  "I just overheard you say it was essentially my business," answeredRalph. "I begin to think so myself. At all events, I'm going to take ahand in my mother's affairs hereafter. If I have hitherto been blind tothe real facts, it was because I had the best mother in the world, andnever realized the big sacrifice she was making for me."

  "Bah!"

  "Mr. Farrington," continued Ralph, seeming to grow two inches tallerunder the influence of some new, elevating idea suddenly findinglodgment in his mind, "as a person fully awakened to his own generalworthlessness and idle, good-for-nothing character, and in duty bound topay the honest debts of the family--to quote your own words--what isyour business here?"

  "My business!" gasped Farrington, "you, you--none of your business! Mrs.Fairbanks," he shouted, waving his cane and almost exploding with rage,"I've said my say, and I shan't stay here to be insulted by a pert chitof a boy. You'd better think it over! I'll give you five hundreddollars to surrender the house and get out of Stanley Junction. Declinethat, and fail to pay me the interest due to-day, and I'll close down onyou--I'll sell you out!"

  "Can he do it?" whispered Ralph, in an anxious tone.

  "No, Ralph," said his mother. "Mr. Farrington, I believe
I have thirtydays in which to pay the interest?"

  "It's due to-day."

  "I believe I have thirty days," went on the widow quietly. "It is thefirst time I have been delinquent. I have even now within twentydollars of the amount. Before the thirty days are over you shall haveyour money."

  "I'll serve you legal notice before night!" growled Farrington--"I don'twait on promises, I don't!"

  There were hot words hovering on Ralph's lips. It would do him good, hefelt, to give the heartless old capitalist a piece of his mind. Aglance from his mother checked him.

  She was the gracious, courteous lady in every respect as she ushered herunpleasant visitor from the house.

  Her heart was full in more ways than one as she returned to the littlesitting room. A predominating emotion filled her thoughts. Sheunderstood Ralph's mind thoroughly, and realized that circumstances had,as he had himself declared, "awakened him."

  She had intuitively traced in his manner and words a change fromcareless, boyish impetuosity to settled, manly resolution, and wasthankful in her heart of hearts.

  "Ralph!" she called softly.

  But Ralph was gone.