But later the fact that Cherry Hopkins was to be sent away from Rockton to get her out of Ralph’s way was a matter that returned again and again to the young fellow’s mind. It seemed unfair, not alone to him, but to the girl herself. And he fancied Mrs. Hopkins would be much disturbed by her husband’s decision. Ralph was really sorry to be the cause of friction in the supervisor’s family. “Why, if he had spoken decently—asked me like a man! He knew I could hear all he said—meant I should—I would have promised not to speak to Cherry or approach her in any way. Of course I would! What does he think I am?” The thought of this troubled him for several days in spite of all the other matters of serious portent which weighed upon his spirits. For things on the division were going rapidly from bad to worse. With the shops practically closed, for as yet the Great Northern had not tried to bring in strike-breakers, the rolling stock of the division fast became crippled. There were breakdowns innumerable. Some of the freight engines were soon ready for the scrap heap. And it made a regular schedule, for freight at least, all but impossible. The influence of other officials—not that of Barton Hopkins—kept the older maintenance of way men faithful. Most of the section hands stayed on the job. In fact the bulk of the trouble lay in the shops and yards at Rockton. There Andy McCarrey’s influence was most felt. He had some political backing, too. And the dislike for Supervisor Hopkins was more pronounced at this terminal than at the other, or along the line. Meanwhile Ralph had continued as engineman of the Midnight Flyer and the eastbound express from Hammerfest. That his mother was far from reconciled to this change in his work, he well knew. But she was as loyal in her way to the best interests of the Great Northern as the young fellow himself. “If the general manager asked you to do it, Ralph, of course you could not refuse,” said Mrs. Fairbanks. “But I shall never be satisfied until you are back in the train dispatcher’s office. I hope for your advancement to more important positions than that of locomotive engineer.” “Plenty of time for that,” said her son cheerfully. “And I know the G. M. will not forget me. It is only for a short time, we shall hope. This strike will not last forever.” But he did not tell her of the many delays and actually perilous chances of his situation. He had been accosted on the street and threatened by some of the strikers. The men who had broken away from their unions as well as from the employing railroad were desperately determined to stop every wheel on the division. It was Andy McCarrey’s boast that he would have the Great Northern on its knees in a month. It seemed that he had a large strike fund at his command. And Ralph suspected that the fellow likewise had under his control a band of rascals who would go to any length to cripple the railroad.