SHERIFF GREASE DROPS DAVE
Tom"s prediction came swiftly true in a score of ways.
The gloom department of the W.C. & A. immediately busied itself with the public.
The "gloom department" is a comparatively new inst.i.tution in some kinds of high finance circles. Its mission is to throw gloom over the undertakings of a rival concern. At the same time, through such matter as it can manage to have printed in some sorts of newspapers the gloom department seeks to turn the public against its business rivals.
That same day news was flashed all over the country that a party of railway engineers, led by a mad deputy sheriff had wantonly fired on a party of travelers who had had the misfortune to get upon the building railway"s right of way.
In many parts of Colorado a genuine indignation was aroused against the S.B. & L. President Newnham sought to correct the wrong impression, but even his carefully thought out statements were misconstrued.
The W.C. & A., though owned mainly abroad, had some clever American politicians of the worst sort in its service. Many of these men were influential to some extent in Colorado.
The sheriff of the county was approached and inflamed by some of these politicians, with the result that the sheriff hastened to the field camp, where he publicly dismissed Dave Fulsbee from his force of deputies. The sheriff solemnly closed his fiery speech by demanding Dave"s official badge.
"That"s funny, but don"t mind, Dave," laughed Tom, as he witnessed the handing over of the badge. "You won"t be out of work."
"Won"t be out of work, eh?" demanded Sheriff Grease hotly. "Just let him wait and see. There isn"t a man in the county who wants Dave Fulsbee about now."
"Then what a disappointed crowd they"re going to be," remarked Tom pleasantly, "for Mr. Newnham is going to make Dave chief of detectives for the company, at a salary of something like six thousand a year.
"He is, oh?" gulped down Sheriff Grease. "I"ll bet he won"t. I"ll protest against that, right from the start."
"Dave will be our chief of detectives, if you protest all night and some more in the morning," returned Tom Reade. "And Dave, I reckon, is going to need a force of at least forty men under him. Dave will be rather important in the county, won"t he, sheriff, if he has forty men under him who feel a good deal like voting the way that Dave believes? A forty-man boss is quite a little figure in politics, isn"t he, sheriff?"
Grease turned nearly purple in the face, choking and sputtering in his wrath.
"Come along, Dave, and see if that job as chief detective is open today," urged Tom, drawing one arm through Fulsbee"s. "If you"re interested in knowing the news, sheriff, you might wait."
"I"ll-----" ground out Grease, gritting his teeth and clenching one fist. Tom waited patiently for the county officer to finish.
Then, as he didn"t go further, Reade rejoined, half mockingly:
"Exactly, sheriff. That"s just what I thought you"d do."
Then Tom dragged Dave down to the headquarters tent, where they found the president of the road.
"Mr. Newnham," began Tom gravely, "the sheriff has just come to camp and has discharged Fulsbee from his force of deputies, just because Fulsbee acted as a real law officer and stopped the raid on the road. I have told Mr. Fulsbee, before Sheriff Grease, that you are going to make him chief of detectives for the road at a salary of about six thousand a year."
Mr. Newnham displayed his astonishment very openly, though he did not speak at first.
"That"s all right," replied President Newnham. "Mr. Fulsbee, do you accept the offer of six thousand as chief detective for the road,"
"Does a man accept an invitation to eat when he"s hungry?" replied Dave rather huskily.
"Then it"s settled," put in Tom, anxious to clinch the matter, for he had a very shrewd idea that he would need Dave badly ere long. "Now, Mr. Newnham, until we get everything running smoothly, Mr. Fulsbee ought to have a force of about forty men. They will cost seventy-five dollars a month, per man, with an allowance for horses, forage, etc. Hadn"t Mr. Fulsbee better get his force together as soon as possible? For I am certain, sir, that the next move by the opposition will be to tear up and blow up our tracks at some unguarded points. At the same time, sir, I feel certain that we can get far more protection from Chief of Detectives Fulsbee"s men than from a man like Sheriff Grease."
"Reade?" returned President Newnham, "it is plain to be seen that you lose no time in making your plans or in arranging to put them into execution. I imagine you"re right, for you"ve been right in everything so far. So arrange with Mr. Fulsbee for whatever you think may be needed."
"Thank you, sir," murmured Tom. Then he signaled Fulsbee to get out of the tent, and followed that new official.
"Never hang around, Dave, after you"ve got what you want," chuckled Tom. "h.e.l.lo, Mr. Sheriff! This is just a line to tell you that Fulsbee has a steady job with the company, and that he"ll need the services of at least forty men, all of whom must be voters in this county. The pay will be seventy-five a month and keep, with extra allowance for horses."
Sheriff Grease didn"t look much more pleasant than he felt.
"Are you homeward bound---when you go?" continued Reade.
The sheriff nodded.
"Then you might spread the word that men are needed, and tell the best men to apply to Dave Fulsbee, at this camp," suggested Tom. "Be strong on the point that all applicants have to be voters in this county."
"I will," nodded the sheriff, choking down his wrath by a great effort. "Dave won"t have any trouble in getting good men when I spread the word. You"re a mighty good fellow, Dave. I always said it," added the sheriff. "I"m sorry I had to be rough with you, but---but-----"
"Of course we understand here that orders from a political boss have to be obeyed," Tom added good-naturedly. "We won"t over-blame you, Mr. Grease."
The sheriff rode away, Tom"s smiling eyes following him.
"That touch about your having forty voters at your beck and call must have stuck in the honorable sheriff"s crop, Dave," chuckled the cub chief engineer.
"I reckon it does," drawled Dave. "A man like Grease can"t understand that a man of my kind wouldn"t ask any fellow working for him what ticket he voted for on election day. You certainly hit the sheriff hard, Mr. Reade. In the first place, six thousand a year is a lot more money than the sheriff gets himself. Forty voters are fully as many as he can control, for which reason Grease, in his mind"s eye, sees me winning his office away from him any day that I want to do so."
Ere three days had pa.s.sed Sheriff Grease had lost fully half of his own force, and some of his controlled voters as well, for many of his deputies flocked to serve under Dave Fulsbee. The rest of the needed detectives also came in, and Dave was soon busy posting his men to patrol the S.B. & L. and protect the workers against any more raids by armed men.
After a fortnight student Reynolds recovered sufficiently to be sent to Denver, there to complete his work of recovering from his wound.
President Newnham also saw to it that Reynolds was well repaid for his services.
The camp moved on. Soon Lineville was sighted from the advanced camp of the engineers. As Lineville was to be the western terminus of the new railroad the work of the field party was very nearly finished.
President Newnham, who was all anxiety to see the first train run over the road, remained with the field engineers.
"I couldn"t sleep at night, if I were anywhere else than here,"
explained the president, "though I feel a.s.sured now that the W.C.
& A. will make no more efforts, in the way of violence; to prevent us from finishing the building of the road."
"Then you"re more trustful than I am," smiled Tom Reade. "What"s worrying me most of all is that I can"t quite fathom in what way the W.C. & A"s gloom department will plan to stop us. That they have some plan---and a rascally one---I"m as certain, sir, as I am that I"m now speaking with you."
"Has Fulsbee any suspicions?" inquired Mr. Newnham.
"Loads of "em," declared Tom promptly.
"What does he think the W.C. & A. will try to do?"
"Dave"s suspicions, Mr. Newnham, aren"t any more definite than mine.
He feels certain, however, that we"re going to have a hard fight before we get the road through."
"Then I hope the opposition won"t be able to prevent us from finishing,"
murmured Mr. Newnham.
"Oh, the enemy won"t be able to hinder us," replied Tom confidently.