The Road Builders

ere sitting about the table in the office tent. Scribner, the

e come to stand at the front for certain very unpopular qualities. Carhart had faith in Tiffany, but the railroad's chief engineer was one man in a discordant organization. Railroad systems are not made in a day, and the S. & W. was new, showing square corners where all should be poli

-president had in turn talked with Peet, who explained that the materials were always sent forward as rapidly as possible, and added that certain delays had arisen from

ring which these bronzed, dusty men sat looking at the flickering lam

his pocket and tossed it across the table.

ain started this morning, however. Regret inconvenience, as by order

W.

Superin

he doesn't say how long the train has been on the

in Scribner, "what are we

ll grading,"

ut

This is a council

hirsty work in this sun, and we haven

is due wi

but you told him not to come b

night, voices sounded, a

s now," sa

the same dust color as his clothing, straggled down over his forehead below his broad hat. He nodded at

ecognize the limitations of the human frame, spo

een ba

!" The other men

elder brother, "that's no

ll we c

t you look

em"-he fumbled at his watch-"an even eighteen hours to get back to-night." And he add

ly. "Did you have any trouble

nodded.

losed and his muscles relaxed, he gathered h

d Carhart. "What ar

e wagons. The men-some of them-aren't standing it well. Some are 'most cr

Gus," said the chief. "I'

way from the restrain

und the water wagons in oppressive silen

called, "wh

llenly out of

the engineer gave his orders incisively, in a voice that offered no encouragement to insubordination. "You two, there, go over to the tra

nor reproof from Young Van; but his manner, as he turned his back and, pausing only to light another cigarette,

rolled-up map in his hand, and watched his assistant. He took it all in-the cowed, angry silence of the men, the unfailing authority of the young engineer. No one felt the situation more keenly than Carhart, but he had set his worries aside for the moment to observe the methods of the younger man. Once he caught

Dimond," sa

man li

hat do y

he boys want to know if t

o-night," repl

" Dimond

the tent, found his canteen where he had drop

I have a right to give anybo

he canteen over his shoulder a

Paul Carha

dn't see

omething of a

ce of a time on the ride, and Dimond really tried, I think, to keep the men within bounds. They

and drawing him toward the tent, "it's time

lking in low tones. Carhart rejoined them. Young Van dropp

the pay-slips came in

t a system of paying by the piece. When the locomotive whistle blew at night, each man was handed a slip stating the amount due him. At the

ave a right to

them. But here's what happened. When the whistle blew and I got out my satchel, nobody came. I called to a couple of them

" exclaim

r was his assistant, the one they call Charlie. He had the rest. I called some of

them the wh

ry c

an who can clean out the camp in less than a we

cribner, to his sleeping tent. And then, for an hour, Paul Carhart sat alone, his elbows on the table, a profile of the line spread out before him. Outside, in the night, somethi

w, caught sight of him, and paused. While they stood huddled together he made out a pair of broad shoulders

Then, without speaking, the men br

camp was silent, then he

till, then he got up and looked out. Down the knoll he could see a dim light, and after a little he made it out as c

ed it out, laid it across two of the water bar

ith cheap tobacco and with the hundred odors that cling to working clothes. The eyes of the twenty or more men were fixed feverishly on the greasy cards, and on the heaps of the day's pay-slips. By a simple process of elimination the ownership

nally, tossing the cards on t

ious laugh, gathered in two-thirds of the slips and pocketed them. It was

im clear of the ground, one in each hand. The lower part of his face was half covered with his long, ill-kept mustache and the tuft of hair beneath his under lip. The blue shirt he wore had unmistakably come f

"let me have one of

e threw a suspicious glance across the

ip near the lante

tered, "eighty cents-a

y," a labo

nd the poor devil get

othing, you'd better say. Dimond

the slip over in his hand. "That devil hounds you like niggers for five hours in the hot sun-he drives you

y. We was only getting one-

s masterly eye swept the group. "You was getting one-fifty, and now you're thankful to g

e muttered, 'and f

re, Jack, wh

imond's face it was plain that he was waking to the suggestion. The slips that he had won to-night were wor

of you. This man Carhart offers you one-fifty a day to come out here into the desert and dig your own graves. Why did he set that price on your lives? Because he knew you for the fools you are. Do you think for a minute he could get laborers up there in Chicago, where he comes from, for one-fifty? Not a bit of it! Do you think he could get m

the cards. His face was flushed. Flagg saw that the seed he had planted wa

s pay-slip scheme so's you will kill yourselves for the chance of making ten cents more. And you stand around and let him do it-never a pe

with a quick breath, "

a hurry. If he was to find out, all of a sudden, that he couldn't drive you poor devils any farther; if he was to find out that you had just laid down a

bunch of you and makes you ride three days to get water, and then he stacks the barrels around his tent, where

ain, Jack," he said in a low voi

the game," he replied, and went on half absently, "Let's see.

ars," cri

tice that to-day, when I was a-walking up that way. Those iron-squad boys was out with picks and shovels, a-doing the same work as the rest of you, only they was doing it for forty cents

here was a l

g is right. If it costs Carhart two per for the

ps and plans and reports and figures. At ten o'clock on the following morning he

ble up ahead,

t is

hey demand an increase of

, let them

. He said no, we shou

ay to let them ha

he order. Carhart quietly res

eived the chief's me

know that this is only the tip of the wedge. They'll

ree in the afternoon the demand came; and for the second time that day

at I told you, isn't it! Now, I suppose you st

ger brother, firmly, "o

apidly back to the camp. The laborers, meanwhile, covered with sweat and dust, tantalized by the infre

smile, at sight of the dusty figure be

ertainl

ose any time, do they

t more. What

it to

rig

, Gus. Who's t

mon

hart frowned.

n hanging around a good d

's all. Go ahead; giv

elf, to the younger engineers, to the men, to the mules, he was merciless. And foot by foot, rod by rod, the embankment that was to bear the track crept on into the desert. The sun beat down; the wind, when there was a wind, was scorching hot; but Old Van gave no heed. Now an

hart spent an hour on the grade, and saw with some satisfaction that the time was not wholly lost; then he went back to the operator's tent and

od thoughtful. Then, "Shut off the despatcher. Wait-tell him Mr. Carhart is

ll rig

pply train pass you o

hen-did supply-trai

at does

west-bound.' There, you see, it didn't leave on Tuesday

he said to the operator, "that will do." And as he walked slowly and thoughtfully out into the blazing sunligh

voice of Old Vandervelt,

s-w

mean to do with

d the

at I could. They've

r ten p

r ten p

m twenty per cent since yes

have-

o be about enough

nt my opin

ing them all up here by the train. Tell

obey the order; and as he walked away Carhart caught the muttered words, "

oing precisely what he meant to say and do. Dimond was not certain of his own ability to stand directly between the men and Paul Carhart. There was something about the cool way in which they were ordered before him that

who appeared unconscious of the excitement in the air. The elder Vandervelt stood apart, scowling at the performance. The younger scented danger, and, climbin

y breathed on them, wiped them, and replaced them.

you?" he said in a voice which, though it was n

the laborers, or those who were not

e iron squad, uncertain whether to continue their work, had paused, and now they were gazing back. As the seconds slip

as pulled down until it half concealed his eyes. He stood motionless. At his elb

step o

ey were oddly like a room full of schoolboys as they stood silently waiting for Flagg to obey. The giant cook himself was very like a schoolboy, as he glanced uneasily

e. Carhart waited. Flagg took a few more steps, then paused again, with the look of a man

e engineer in charge-and very thin and short Carhar

ound his head, and caught Jack Flagg squarely on his deep, well-muscled chest. The cook staggered back

e started forward, swearing copiou

elt that the safety of them all lay with himself. Accordingly he leaped to the ground

he cried.

in a disgusted voice

llen, hesitated; t

ing to one side, "you clear out. You'd better do

rom face to face. He was keen enough to take in the situation, and in a

ng his revolver, "it didn't take you

rd his young assistant. "To begin it, you'd better say." Then he compos