THE YOUNG ENGINEER OF THE LAKE the engine-house; but it was empty, and added THE SHORE RAILROAD. BY OLIVER OPTIC. CHAPTER XXIII. OFF THE TRACK. nothing to my meagre stock of ideas on the vexed subject. The dummy was gone, and that was all I knew about it. The Institute buildings were only a short distance from the engine-house, and I next went there in search of information. The students were engaged, in large numbers, in HE appearance of the dummy, going at their sports. Indeed, there were so many of full speed, filled me with anxiety. I was them present that the suspicion I had entersure that something was wrong, for I knew tained that some of the boys had gone on a that Major Toppleton was not stirring at that lark in the dummy seemed to be disarmed. hour in the morning, and that he could not | Still, a dozen or twenty of them would not be Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1868, by LEE & SHEPARD, in the Clerk's Office of the missed in the crowd, and it was possible that this number were in mischief, though I thought, if it were so, they had chosen a singular time of day for it. The students were rung up in the morning at six o'clock; but, by a merciful provision of the governors of the Institute, the first hour was devoted to play, so that those who were behind time cheated themselves out of just so much sport. I was informed that only a few neglected to get up when the bell rang; and I commend this humane and cunning arrangement to other institutions troubled by the matutinal tardiness of students. The morning is favorable to bold schemes and active movements; and the more I thought of the matter, the more anxious I became to know whose places would be vacant at the breakfast table, at seven o'clock, when the bell rang for the morning meal. I inquired for Faxon, and soon found him making a "home run" in a game of base ball. Before I had time to address him the breakfast bell rang; and, with a most surprising unanimity, all games were instantly suspended a fact which ought to convince humanitarian | educators that breakfast, dinner, and supper should immediately follow play, if boys are to be taught habits of promptness. The students rushed towards "Grub Hall," as the diningroom was called; but, though Faxon had a good appetite, I succeeded, with some difficulty, in intercepting his headlong flight. "What's the row, Wolf?" demanded he, glancing at the open door through which the boys were filing to the breakfast table, and possibly fearing that the delay would involve an inferior piece of beefsteak. "Are any of the fellows missing?" I asked. "Not that I know of; but we can tell at the table," replied he. "What's up?" "The dummy is gone," I answered, mysteriously. "Gone! Gone where?" "I don't know. I saw her streaking it down the road as if it had been shot off." "Don't say a word about it; but hold on here till I get my grub, and see who is missing," said he, rushing into the building. I did not understand what Faxon purposed to do; but I was willing to comply with the arrangement, in compassion for his stomach, if for no other reason. I had feared that my associate on the engine was concerned in the conspiracy to abstract the dummy, for I did not think any one else would be able to manage it. I was glad to find he had not engaged in the lark, and I wondered all the more who had the audacity to play with the machine. I walked over to a point on the Institute grounds which commanded a view of the Lake Shore for some distance; but I could see nothing of the dummy. Presently, Faxon, who had satisfied the cravings of his hunger in a remarkably short time, came out of the building. "Briscoe and half a dozen other fellows are missing," said he. "Briscoe!" I exclaimed; for he was the fellow who had invaded my quarters the night before, and declared he could handle the engine. "He's a first-rate fellow, in the main, and I hope he isn't getting into any scrape," added Faxon, anxiously. "I'm afraid he is. He is the fellow who has run away with the dummy.” "Don't say a word. I have permission to be out an hour, and we will see where they are. What can we do?" "We can take one of the platform cars, and go after them." "Come along; but don't say anything." We went to the engine-house, and lifted one of the platform cars on the track. The Lake Shore Railroad, as I had found by running the dummy, had a slight descent from Middleport to Spangleport. We pushed the car, running behind it, till we had worked it up to a high rate of speed, and then leaped upon the platform. The impetus thus given to it kept it going for a mile, when the motive power was applied again, as before. In this manner we ran three miles, without making very hard work of it, and came in sight of the dummy. "There she is!" exclaimed Faxon. "The fellows did not go a great way in her." For my own part, I was rather glad the enterprise of the runaways had been nipped in the bud, for I had a professional contempt for those who attempt to run an engine when they know nothing about one. I only hoped the dummy and the boys were not injured. As we approached nearer to the scene of the disaster, we saw the conspirators hard at work trying to get the dummy on the track. "What are you about, you spoonies!" shouted Faxon, as we stopped the car, close to the unfortunate dummy. "We are trying to get the thing on the "All I have to say is, that you are lucky to come out of it with a whole skin," I added, track," replied Briscoe, as coolly as though he had done nothing wrong. "How came she out here?" demanded solemnly. "But hurry back as fast as you can, or you will be in hot water." Faxon. 66 "O, well, we were having a little fun with her." "You were missed at breakfast, and you will catch fits for this." "I'm in hot water now, and I may as well be scalded with a quart as a pint. I am willing to stay and help you put her on the track." "Don't do it, Briscoe," interposed Faxon. "I suppose we shall; but we can't help "You are one of the directors, and if the it now." "What did you meddle with her for, you spoonies, when you didn't know anything about her?" continued Faxon, indignantly. "I know all about her, as well as you do, Faxon. You needn't put on airs because you helped run the thing," retorted Briscoe. "I should think you did know all about her; and that's the reason why you ran her off the track. You don't know so much as you think you do." "That may be, but I know more than you think I do." "What did you run her off for?" "I suppose it is considered rather necessary to have rails for this thing to run on," replied Briscoe. "If you will look ahead of her, you will see that the track is torn up for a quarter of a mile, and the rails carried off." "Is that so?" added Faxon, walking out ahead of the dummy. 66 That's so, as you may see for yourself," said Briscoe, following us along the track. "Who did it? That's the next question," asked Faxon, vexed, as we all were, at the discovery. "I don't know; we didn't," answered Briscoe. "If the track hadn't been pulled up, we should have returned at breakfast time. What's to be done?" "You must get back as quick as you can," replied the benevolent Faxon. "I won't blow on you. Take that car, and make time for the Institute." major finds out you meddled with the dummy, he will have you turned out of office. Rush back to the Institute, and don't let on." The runaways were willing to adopt this advice. There were half a dozen of them, and as they could make easy work of pushing the car back, they soon disappeared behind the trees. "You won't let on- - will you, Wolf?" said Faxon, in a coaxing tone, as soon as we were alone. "I won't volunteer to tell any stories out of school; but I shall not tell any lies about it." "Don't be squeamish. Briscoe is a good fellow, and one of the directors. The major would break him if he heard of this thing." "Between you and me, I think he ought to be broken. Suppose they had burst the boiler, and been wiped out themselves?" "That's all very pretty; but they didn't burst the boiler, and were not wiped out." "I'm at work for Major Toppleton. If he asks me any questions, I shall tell him the truth." "O, come now!" "But I don't think he is likely to ask me any questions. There will be a breeze when he finds out the track has been torn up, and there will be fog enough with it to cover up those fellows." "Be a good fellow, Wolf, and don't say a word." "I will not if I can help it. I don't think anybody will know anything about this scrape. "You're a good fellow, Faxon," added Bris- Those who saw the dummy come out will supcoe, with a smile. pose I was on her. But here's a pretty kettle of fish!" I added, glancing at the dummy, and then at the road minus the rails." "Can we put the thing on the track again?“ "I think we can we can try it, at least. We want some of those rails for levers." "Where are they?" asked the puzzled Faxon. "Did some one steal them for old iron?" "No; they are not far off," I replied, leading the way down to the Lake Shore. "We walked along the beach, till I discovered footsteps in the sand. "Here is where they landed," I added, pointing to the prints, and also to some deep lines gored in the sand by a couple of boats, which | through the rules in order to do mischief to had been hauled up on the beach. "Who landed? I don't understand it." "I do; an enemy has done this. The Wimpletonians have been over here during the night, and torn up your track.” "If they did, it will be a sorry day for them," said Faxon, grating his teeth and shaking his head. "These footprints were made by dandy boots, and all the party were boys. It's as plain as the nose on Colonel Wimpleton's face;" and the great man of Centreport was troubled with a long proboscis. "They'll catch it for this." We walked along till we came to Grass Brook, and there we found the rails thrown into the deep water at the mouth of it. The end of one of them lay within my reach, and I pulled it out. Using this as a lever, we pried up the wheels of the dummy, and after an hour of severe exertion, we succeeded in putting the car upon the track. IT. CHAPTER XXIV. THE GRAND PICNIC. T is not necessary for me to quote any of the big words which Major Toppleton used when I told him the Wimpletonians had been over and torn up a quarter of a mile of the track of the Lake Shore Railroad. I did not deem it best, as he asked no questions, to augment his wrath by telling him the dummy had been off the track. He was more impatient, if possible, to have the road completed than the boys were. He procured the services of a score of mechanics and laborers, and we hastened with them to the dismantled portion of the road. The rails were fished up from the deep water, and before twelve o'clock the track was in as good order as ever. - their If the students of the Wimpleton Institute looked over the lake, and enjoyed the mischief they had done, as of course they did, satisfaction was of short duration. Before they were turned out to play in the afternoon, the dummy was running her regular trips to Spangleport. I have no doubt the rascals who did the mischief felt cheap and crestfallen when they saw the car going on its way as though nothing had happened; and I had no more doubt that they would consider their work ill done, and attempt to do it over again. They were not allowed to go out nights; but I am afraid the authorities of the Institute did not punish them very severely when they broke the establishment on the other side. It was only following the example of the magnate of Centreport and many of their elders; and “like master, like man." When the torn-up track was relaid, the twenty men were conveyed beyond Spangleport to build the road. Frogs and switches had been procured, the turning apparatus was finished, and I had the pleasure of running both ways in ship-shape style. By laying a few rods of track, and putting down a couple of switches near the engine-house, we were enabled to turn at the Middleport end. We always switched off to run into the enginehouse, and we had to back in, from a point above the house. On the new track we ran out to a point below, and came upon the main line headed towards Spangleport. I take the more pride in describing these movements, because they were of my own invention, though I have since learned that similar plans had been used before. Towards night on the second day of my railroad experience, Major Toppleton was a passenger in the engine-room. He was in high spirits to think the mischief done by the Wimpletonians had been so speedily repaired; but he was afraid the daring act would be repeated, as I was quite satisfied it would. I knew my late comrades on the Centreport side well enough to understand that they would never let the Lake Shore Railroad enjoy peace and prosperity until they were provided with an equivalent. I was confident that Colonel Wimpleton was racking his brains even then for a scheme which would produce an equal excitement among the students of his Institute. "You know those villains over there better than I do, Wolf," said the major confidentially to me; and I was amazed to hear him own that I knew anything better than he did. "Don't you think they will attempt to tear up the track again?" 66 'Yes, sir, I do think so," I replied. "The rascals! It mortifies me to have them get ahead of me in this manner. If I could only catch them, I would cure them of night wandering very quick. It is of no use for me to complain to the colonel, or to the principal of the Wimpleton Institute. They would enjoy my chagrin." "It is easy enough to prevent them from doing any more mischief,” I added. "How?" he asked, eagerly. "By setting a watch." "Yes; and while we are watching in one place they will tear up the rails in another." "There are two ways to do it. Your towboat can ply up and down the shore, or we can run the dummy all night." me; and great men's smiles are sunshine to the heart. "I don't think they will cry if you don't let "Do you think you can stand it to run the them do any more." dummy all night, Wolf?” laughed he. "My father and I could for a few nights." The tow-boat had gone up the lake with a fleet of canal boats, and the other plan was the only alternative. I saw my father at six o'clock. He was ready to serve on the watch, but he was not willing to leave my mother alone with my sisters at home all night, fearful that some of the chivalrous Wimpletonians might undertake to annoy her. But Faxon volunteered to serve with me, and was pleased with the idea. We lighted up the reflecting lamp over the door of the engine, and though it was dark, we put her "through by daylight," in a figurative sense. We talked till we were sleepy, and then by turns each of us took a nap, lying upon the cushions of the passenger compartment. It was a good bed, and we enjoyed the novelty of the situation. Faxon by this time understood the machinery very well, and I was not afraid to trust him. We did not run on regular hours, and lay still more than half the time, after Faxon had run the car as much as he desired. We kept an eye on the lake for boats, of which the Wimpletonians had a whole squadron. Only once during the night was there anything like an alarm. We saw half a dozen boats come down through the Narrows about eleven o'clock, but we soon lost sight of them under the shadow of the opposite shore. We saw nothing more of them, and I concluded that the dummy, with her bright light on the shore, had prevented another attack upon the railroad. After this all was quiet, and there was nothing to get up an excitement upon. The next day I was rather sleepy at times, and so was Faxon. At eight o'clock the major appeared, and I told him we had probably prevented another raid upon the road, for we had seen a fleet of boats pass through the Narrows. "All right, Wolf; I am glad we balked the scoundrels," answered the major; and almost anything seemed to be a victory to the great man of Middleport. "Don't you? Why, they begged me to let them do the work with their own hands, and I have gratified them thus far." I soon convinced him that the boys were not anxious to do any more digging, or to lay any more rails; that hard work was "played out" with them. The magnate was delighted to hear it; and there was no grumbling because the students were not called upon to use the shovels and the hammers. I ran the dummy out with the men, after that, every morning at seven o'clock, and the road progressed rapidly towards Grass Springs. At noon we heard astounding news from Centreport. All the boats belonging to the Wimpleton Institute not less than a dozen of them- had mysteriously disappeared. No one knew what had happened to them, and no one had heard anything in the night to indicate what had become of them. Major Toppleton inquired very particularly about the fleet of boats Faxon and I had seen; but our information did not elucidate the mystery. I observed that my fellow-engineer winked at me very significantly, as though he knew more than he chose to tell. "What did you wink for, Faxon?" I asked, when we started on our trip, and were alone. "You are as blind as the major," laughed he. "What do you mean?" "About forty of the Toppletonians found a way to get out of the Institute last night. You won't say a word about this - will you?" "You had better not tell me, Faxon." "But I will tell you, for I don't think the major or the principal will say anything if the whole thing is blown. You know where the quarries are, above Centreport, on that side." "Of course I do." "The Wimpleton boats, loaded with rocks, and the plugs taken out, lie at the bottom of the lake, in twenty feet of water, off the quarries. We are even with those fellows now for tearing up our track." "That's too bad!" I exclaimed. "Too bad! It wasn't too bad to tear up our was it?" replied he, indignantly. "Two wrongs don't make a right,” I replied, sagely. "I suppose they will try again some other track time," I added. "We will see that they don't succeed. Now we must push along the road as fast as we can. I don't like to disappoint the boys, but I can't wait for them to build the rest of it." I could not help smiling. "But one evil sometimes corrects another |“ similia similibus curantur,' as our little-pill doctor used to say. The loss of their boats. will prevent the Wimps from coming over here "What is it, Wolf?" he asked, smiling with | again in the night to cut up our road." |