"You are all flatterers," said Mrs. Fairbanks warningly, but with a pleased smile. "I'll take another piece of cake, ma'am, providing you'll promise me the little exercise of helping you wash the dishes afterwards," spoke Fred. He interested the widow with his animated, interested talk as he bustled around the kitchen, wearing a big apron while drying the dishes. Then when this task was completed, he and Ralph went out to the little summer house and comfortably seated themselves. "Now then," remarked the young railroader with a pleasant smile, "now for your confession, Fred." "No, sir," objected his comrade vociferously, "I've done nothing that's wrong to confess. It will be an explanation." "All right," agreed Ralph, "open the throttle and start the train." At that moment there was an interruption. A chubby, undersized boy came swiftly through the gateway. He was advancing up the steps of the house when Ralph halted him. "Hi, there, Davis!" he challenged. "What's wanted?" "Oh, you there, Fairbanks!" responded Ned Davis, the red-headed call boy for the roundhouse of the Great Northern, familiarly known as "Torchy." "Extra orders for you and Fogg--you're to take out a special to-night." CHAPTER XVII IN WIDENER'S GAP There was always a spice of novelty and excitement for the young engineer in running a special. Besides that, extra orders meant pay and a half, sometimes double pay, with twenty-four hours' rest after it, if the special run came after midnight. Ralph arose from his seat in the summer-house, telling Ned Davis that Fogg and himself would report at the roundhouse at once. "You'll have to excuse me, Porter," he said to his guest. "We'll have to postpone our talk until to-morrow." "Duty call, I see," returned Fred. "Well, there's no urgency, now that I've found out you don't consider me some hideous impostor of the old story book kind. I'll go as far with you as a hotel, and tell you what I have to say after this trip." "You'll camp right here at the Fairbanks cottage until I return," peremptorily declared Ralph. "My mother would be lonesome if there wasn't a boy somewhere about the house. Zeph is gone and my other friends, and you will be good company." "I'm only too willing, if it's entirely agreeable," said Fred, and so it was settled. Fogg grumbled a good deal when Ralph told him of the extra call. He declared that he had just succeeded in teaching the baby to say "All aboard!" looked at the sky and predicted the biggest storm of the season, and was cross generally until he climbed aboard No. 999. Then Ralph heard him talking to the well-groomed steel steed as if it was some pet racer, and he anxious and glad to put it through its paces. "What's the run, Fairbanks?" asked the fireman, as Ralph returned from the roundhouse office. "Nothing very interesting. Special sleeper, some convention crowd for Bridgeport, came in on the north branch. We've got to pick our way on our own schedule."