The Young Engineers in Nevada; Or, Seeking Fortune on the Turn of a Pick

ot the

Reade, glancing up

e thin dough-faced lad of fourt

, if you mean that you're hungry," Tom re

d the youngster. "That'

un to dawn upon the bronzed, athletic young engineer, but

arry the makings?

" Tom retorted. "Just what are yo

fting uneasily to the other foot. "You said you'd pay me f

t is necessary to li

re necessary to me,

ening his eyes wider. "Wh

moker," returned the b

m. "At your age? Why

ded the younger American. "Just pass over the papers and the

ny boy with that low-down habit, and I'm glad that I'm not in position t

ted once more

year," he

a whole year? No; I won't say 'lived,' but you've kept pretty nearly al

makings?" wh

e he

rather timidly,

m not going to spank you, though so

rist between his thumb and f

doctor?" sn

nce enough to know whether a puls

ut

face expressed nothing in particular as he kept the tip of

gineer, a few moments later, a

eh?" questi

n authority on such subjects, but I believe a boy of your age ought to have a norm

hurt me,"

g himself up to his full height of five-feet-eleven

revealed, and the bronze on his face seemingly inches deep, Tom Rea

ook as healthy as I

tted Alf. "But y

on with your cigarettes you'll be an old man before I get through wi

est Reade looked a go

an a twentieth cent

med in his efforts t

dily. Draw in your stomach and expand your chest. Fill up the upper pa

t development that young Reade displayed so easily. Then the boy tried to fill the uppe

are affected already, and you'll carry the work of destruction on rapidly. Alf

d folks say so,

idn't beli

don't

u ever take

oke," argue

t I think I catch the drift of your idea. If you smoke you th

ly, if men do i

men see you smoking cigarettes, they immediately imagine you to be one of them? C

with intense enjoyment. At las

t question, Drew, I

rry them and n

en?" queried Alf, in

er. I don't use tobacco. For you

oke," argued Alf. "Jim

your part if a 'kid' like you would call him 'Mr. Ferrers.' But

bet he

ll s

of the tent, Alf making way

Oh, Mr.

e of a man who was invisible o

ase," Tom c

much bronzed, rather thin man of middle age. Ferrers had always worked hard, and his b

now what ails this

"You hired him for a chore-boy, to help m

solemnly. "I've just heard the youngster's sad st

d Ferrers disgustedly. "Th

y, "just what men think of a lad who tri

s, with a guffaw. "Men don't smoke cigar

n smoking, Jim Ferrers?" dem

uested Tom, when he saw t

wenty-four years old. Hang the stuff, I wish I had never begun, either. But I didn't smoke at your age, papoose. If I had done so, the men in the camps would

rers, we'll have to take young Drew in hand and try

I'm going to like th

be pulling my freig

u'll have to go some distance to find other human

f scorn Ferrer

ternoon, take a walk with me, in this fresh air and the good old sunshine. Let's drop all talk of cigarettes, and give a little thought to brains and a strong body. They

him start. But Reade had no intention of

long this mountain tr

Nevada. Soon the puls

in great breaths of t

soon p

ter you've rested a couple of minutes I'm going to show

nt." Alf, however, didn't succeed very well.

m gravely. "Alf, you've simply got to turn over a new

ellow consumption!" retort

rms take hold best in a weakened part of the body, and your lungs, Alf, are weak enough for any germ to fi

k like a

never allowed any white-papered little 'coffin-nails' to fool around me. Bad as your lungs are, Alf, they're not one whit worse than your nerv

e it," muttered t

now me yet. You haven't any idea how I can hang to a thing until I win. I'm

m," retorted Drew. "There wouldn't

ready sympathy. "Then all the more reason

o down and through that

slowing

y n

ake

fraid of s

e ki

t ki

tlers, f'r

hat kind on this par

ejoined. "Come

rew went along, though he didn't wish to. The two were just at the fringe

cl-cl

, going whiter than ever as he turned

matter?" dem

cl-cl-

again," cried

e you talking abo

dread sound

perspiring from fear. "

trong clutch on the boy's shoulder, thoug

ted. "You just imagine such things. Th

ou hear the

ing sound rose clearly on the air. "See here, Alf, rattlers, whatever t

Alf easily until he could clutc

" Reade ordered. Drew sat on

hat clump of brush," Tom proposed, and forthwith stepped i

shivered Drew. "

igarettes are destroying 'em. There! I've beaten up every bit of this brush and you see that I've not bee

und. No sooner, however, had his feet touched the

iot!" howled Alf.

. "They're so bad that I'll overlook yo

m?" asked Drew, sullenly. "I was almost bitten b

ry nervous about them, especially in a part of the country whe

ne now," sighed

e?" Tom inqui

rse not! A

rget those soul-destroy

're going to become a

how much more fun it

r instead of stifli

m!" mutter

re of it," said

-cl-c

led Alf, jumping

with you?" inquired Tom

dn't hear the rattler

fie

re? We're crossing open ground now. There is no place within three h

-cl-c

eld back,

er step," he insisted. "This

mp, then, if your ne

prop

tle sounded, seemingly just in front of Alf, though t

and started off at right angles to his

ake?" demande

u be so foolish--so nervous? In other words, why do you

l-cl

embling so that he

is place," he shivered. "The ground is full of

ly. The disturbing

ange," Alf all but sobbed, his breath catchi

a store where you ca

e qu

" moaned the young vict

young engineer retorted. "Just see how unstrung you are. Every st

," proposed Alf, "that you haven't he

ke off the trembles. Let me take your arm. Now, walk briskly with me. Inflate your chest with all the air you

ew obey. Tom put him over the ground at as good a gait as

to Tom Reade and Harry Hazelton. Our readers of the "Grammar School Series" know Tom and Harry as two of the member

fortunes of Tom Reade and Harry Hazelton, through all their triumphs

tments to the United States military Academy, and their a

Naval Academy at Annapolis, and what befell them ther

the extraordinary work of these young men at railroad building through the mountains wilds. In "The Young Engineers in Arizona" we h

urroundings in which their professional lives had been passed had been such as to sup

y had come ere solely in search of a few weeks of rest. Rest? There was anything but

f Gridley. While there they had encountered Dick Prescott and Greg Holmes, their old school chums, at that time cadets at the United States

r first steps in the study of metallurgy. They had succeed in ma

t in Nevada, taking a little more rest just because no new e

gh, Harry, we simply must know a good deal abo

it, they had brought with them a small furnace and the re

r breakfast Harry Hazelton had borrowed the only horse in camp, belongi

d happened along. He asked for "a job." There really wasn't one for him, b

, how long the job wil

hour break camp

til after the noon meal had the little fellow re

up that habit, Alf" Tom u

retorted young Drew.

ghts over you I'm afraid I'd turn you over my knee and spank

to bounce me, ar

mehow, and before very long, I'm going to break you from your cigarettes.

commonly solemn, b

t from under a line of trees and stood at the edge of a low

-" began Tom Rea

ulously. "There's going to be

nly looke

d close together. More than a dozen people, all but two of whom were dressed in "eastern

tern," had drawn revolvers, and now stood facing four sullen-looking

g with women and children standing a