The Rail Rider

Summary

For a decade, the beleaguered employees of the D. and O. short line have languished under the unseen, iron fist of "B," ostensibly the formidable President Barker, whose distant New York executive suite dictates a draconian regimen. This phantom disciplinarian, whose identity remains shrouded in corporate mystique, administers swift and severe penalties – fines, suspensions, career demotions – for even the slightest perceived infraction, fostering an atmosphere of simmering resentment that now verges on open rebellion. The breaking point arrives with the derailment of passenger train 48, piloted by the steadfast Jim Lewis, a mishap caused by a treacherous soft spot in the track. The resultant system-wide paralysis brings "B"'s predictable decree: Lewis is to endure a two-week pay forfeiture and a humiliating six-month reassignment to a yard engine. This latest injustice ignites a powder keg, culminating in a spontaneous uprising that compels the men to dispatch Lewis as their unlikely emissary to confront the enigmatic Barker. Lewis’s pilgrimage to the corporate Olympus yields an astonishing revelation: the dreaded Barker is not the hulking tyrant imagined, but a benevolent, elderly gentleman presiding over a charming domestic sphere. His daughter, Mildred, a figure of captivating grace, immediately strikes a chord with the bewildered Lewis. An unexpected dinner invitation follows, further blurring the lines between expectation and reality. The morning after delivers yet another twist: "B" is, in fact, Brown, the manager, who has absconded with the railroad's negotiable assets. Armed with Barker’s endorsement, Lewis embarks on a new mission: to track down the true culprit, a quest fueled not only by loyalty to his comrades but by a budding affection for Mildred. His subsequent detective work, culminating in a dramatic pursuit and physical confrontation aided by an astute bellboy, sees Lewis triumphantly recover the stolen funds. His return to New York is met with the D. and O. magnates on the brink of conceding defeat, their railroad seemingly doomed. Lewis, however, arrives as a providential figure, his inherent mettle recognized by Barker, who immediately drafts him into the executive ranks. A tender, yet promising, "au revoir" with Mildred seals a future brimming with possibility, signifying a profound victory for Lewis and a far greater boon for the D. and O. men than their initial desperate plea could ever have envisioned.

Synopsis

For 10 years the men of the D. and O., a short line, have been at the mercy of "B," supposedly Barker, president of the railroad. The line itself is run from the executive offices in New York, far distant, and none of the men have ever laid eyes of "B," yet the smallest transgression, accidental or otherwise, of the railroad's rigid and economical discipline results in a telegraphed order from "B," decreeing the fine, suspension or other punishment for the offender. Latterly, it has amounted to almost persecution and the men are on the verge of a strike. The climax comes when 48, the passenger train driven by Jim Lewis, goes off the rails on a soft spot and ties up the whole system for a day. When 48 finally limps into Wellsdale, the eastern terminus, "B's" decision is waiting for Lewis, two weeks' pay as a fine and six months' probation on a yard engine. The punishment starts a riot. The men agree to send Lewis to see Barker. Lewis calls on Barker. Barker receives Lewis, and instead of the hulky, brutal man he expected to find, Barker is an elderly, kind old gentleman, with a charming family. Mildred, his daughter, impresses Lewis. At last, Lewis, much bewildered, accepts an invitation to dinner with the family. In the morning Lewis learns that "B" is Brown, the manager. With a card from Barker he seeks an interview, but learns the manager has decamped, taking all the negotiable funds of the road. Lewis, thinking of the girl he met the night before, asks for and gets the job of running down "B." After considerable detective work he locates a man he has reason to believe is his quarry. With the aid of a bellboy, he gets a tip on the departure of the suspect and as the fleeing man enters a machine Lewis grabs him. There is a fight, which ends in Lewis's victory. Jim Lewis returns in triumph to New York with the stolen goods licked in a brand-new bag, and reaches Barker's house in the early evening, just as a group of D. and O. magnates are deciding that the road is gone and done for. Jim is the sort of stuff the road needs in its executive offices, and barker states that he is to come in to New York to be trained. Jim parts with Mildred on his way out, but to their mutual satisfaction it is only "au revoir." The future is rosy for Jim Lewis, and the boys of the road have gained more than they hoped when they sent him to see "B."