Produced by Roger Frank and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net [Illustration: For a beginner that's the best schedule I ever saw.] RALPH, THE TRAIN DISPATCHER OR THE MYSTERY OF THE PAY CAR BY ALLEN CHAPMAN AUTHOR OF "RALPH OF THE ROUNDHOUSE," "RALPH IN THE SWITCH TOWER," "RALPH ON THE ENGINE," ETC. ILLUSTRATED NEW YORK GROSSET & DUNLAP PUBLISHERS Made in the United States of America THE RAILROAD SERIES By Allen Chapman Cloth. 12mo. Illustrated RALPH OF THE ROUNDHOUSE Or, Bound to Become a Railroad Man RALPH IN THE SWITCH TOWER Or, Clearing the Track RALPH ON THE ENGINE Or, The Young Fireman of the Limited Mail RALPH ON THE OVERLAND EXPRESS Or, The Trials and Triumphs of a Young Engineer RALPH, THE TRAIN DISPATCHER Or, The Mystery of the Pay Car GROSSET & DUNLAP, Publishers, New York Copyright, 1911 by GROSSET & DUNLAP Ralph, the Train Dispatcher CONTENTS CHAPTER I--THE OVERLAND EXPRESS CHAPTER II--THE WRECK CHAPTER III--TROUBLE BREWING CHAPTER IV--THE WIRE TAPPERS CHAPTER V--IKE SLUMP CHAPTER VI--IN THE TUNNEL CHAPTER VII--DANGER SIGNALS CHAPTER VIII--THE OLD SWITCH SHANTY CHAPTER IX--A SUSPICIOUS DISCOVERY CHAPTER X--THE TRAIN DISPATCHER CHAPTER XI--MAKING A SCHEDULE CHAPTER XII--AT THE RELAY STATION CHAPTER XIII--"HOLD THE LIMITED MAIL!" CHAPTER XIV--OLD 93 CHAPTER XV--CHASING A RUNAWAY CHAPTER XVI--THE WRECK CHAPTER XVII--A STRANGE MESSAGE CHAPTER XVIII--THE SLUMP "SECRET" CHAPTER XIX--ON THE LOOKOUT CHAPTER XX--A TRUSTY FRIEND CHAPTER XXI--A DASTARDLY PLOT CHAPTER XXII--HOLDING THE FORT CHAPTER XXIII--ONE MINUTE AFTER TWELVE CHAPTER XXIV--THE BATTLE OF WITS CHAPTER XXV--A WILD NIGHT CHAPTER XXVI--AN AMAZING ANNOUNCEMENT CHAPTER XXVII--THE STOLEN PAY CAR CHAPTER XXVIII--THE "TEST" SPECIAL CHAPTER XXIX--"CRACK THE WHIP!" CHAPTER XXX--THE PAY CAR ROBBER CHAPTER XXXI--QUICK WORK CHAPTER XXXII--CONCLUSION CHAPTER I THE OVERLAND EXPRESS "Those men will bear watching--they are up to some mischief, Fairbanks." "I thought so myself, Mr. Fogg. I have been watching them for some time." "I thought you would notice them--you generally do notice things." The speaker with these words bestowed a glance of genuine pride and approbation upon his companion, Ralph Fairbanks. They were a great pair, these two, a friendly, loyal pair, the grizzled old veteran fireman, Lemuel Fogg, and the clear-eyed, steady-handed young fellow who had risen from roundhouse wiper to switchtower service, then to fireman, then to engineer, and who now pulled the lever on the crack racer of the Great Northern Railroad, the Overland express.