"In harness again, eh? I reckon things will smooth down now." Ralph hoped so. He believed it, too, as a few days went by and in the keen zest and interest of his new work he partially forgot the active issues of the conspiracy, which seemed to have been checked or subdued. With the departure of Grizzly and Mason the suspicious and treacherous element seemed to be eliminated from the main office. The tricks of the enemy and their methods were now known to the dispatching force, and they were constantly on their guard. A new private code was adopted by Ralph, and a system of checking up through repeats that pretty well safeguarded them against crooked messages. Mrs. Fairbanks was congratulating herself that affairs had quieted down permanently and was enjoying the days that brought Ralph home for the evening each day, when a new ripple on the surface of affairs set things in vivid action again. Ralph had come home to dinner and was spending a few minutes in casual conversation with his mother after the meal, when the door bell rang sharply. Ralph answered the summons to find Glidden standing outside, his face pale and anxious, and so nervous over something that he could not stand still in the same position for a single minute. "Any trouble, Mr. Glidden?" inquired Ralph quickly. "Only of my own," responded the old operator. "See here, I want you to do something for me. It's a hurry business. Just tell your mother not to worry if you are away to-night." "Is there a probability that I will be?" inquired Ralph. "If you consent to do me the favor of my life, yes," declared Glidden quickly. "See here, I've fixed everything." The operator shoved a slip of paper towards Ralph. It was a brief permission for Ralph to go off for twenty-four hours. "I had to act quick," explained Glidden, "so I got that end of it fixed directly." "I hardly understand, Mr. Glidden." The old operator glanced at his watch and grabbed the arm of his companion. "Come on," he insisted. "There's no time to lose. We can talk as we walk along. I don't want to bother you with my family troubles, Fairbanks, but I need a reliable friend." "I am certainly at your service." "Thanks. It's your way, you can't help it," commented the erratic operator. "Here's the situation: I have a brother in business at Derby." "That's seventy-five miles down the line." "Exactly. It seems that he owns a new mill. I don't know exactly what he does, but it's in the metal manufacturing line. He has invented a process for making a substitute for Babbitt metal." "They use some of it at the shops, I remember," said Ralph. "A man named Dorsett, who was his partner, started in the same line after selling out and contracting not to do so. His process is no good, and he wants to get my brother to a point where he will treat with him." "I see," nodded Ralph, much interested.