Calumet K""

office, passing out the checks. His sister was continuing her work of the night before, going over what books and papers were to be found in the desk. Ban

pear lower-so close to the tops of the posts that were to support the cupola frame that Bannon's eyes spoke o

it lay, two hundred thousand feet of it-not very much, to be sure, but enough to keep th

ing from the tool hou

orers have yo

ax, who had just passed out his last

came for checks," he said,

ut keep the names of the old men, and if they show up in the morning, take them back on the job. Now, boys"-to Peterson and Max-"pick up the men you see hanging around and send them over. I'll

his coat. When Bannon was at last ready to enter the office, he paused again to look over the ground. The engines were now puffing steadily, and the rapping of many hammers came through the crisp air. Gangs of laborers were swarming over the lumber piles, pitching down the plank

Bannon entered the office. He pushed his h

he asked. "Do we know h

ked up,

s a little mixed in some places, but

long enough to ta

otebook, saying, with a nod towa

through the heap o

moving around and drawing our salaries. To MacBride & Company, Minneapolis, Gentlemen: Cribbing is now going up on elevator and annex. A little over two feet remains to be done on the elevator beneath the distributing floor. The timber is ready for framing the cupola. Two hundred thousand feet of the Ledyard cribbing reached here by steamer last night, and the balance

our coat tails on this job? There's somebody trying to hold us back, all right. Had a little fuss with a red-headed walking delegate

ur

NN

e paused and looked around. The typewritten letter to MacBr

ss any letters or papers about

there is nothing her

went to the door and called to a la

him if he will please come

sat on the corner of t

moved rapidly up c

Those G.&M. people were after us in earnest. If the

look

that weren't doing a thing but waiting for our cribbing, so I caught a train to Blake City and gave the Division Superintendent some points on running railroads. He was a nice, friendly man."-Bannon clasped his hands about one knee and smiled reminiscently-"I had him pretty busy there for a w

turned on

ok his

uperintendent not to give us cars. That was all I wanted to know. So I told him how sorry I was th

s looking out

d not give us ca

on s

em," he said. "I got a

loaded her up and

non. Ledyard isn't on the la

for a step sounded outside the door

d to talk to me, d

about this C. & S. C. business. You sa

oving his hat, with a side glance at Miss Vogel, "not t

t wa

at section boss was around, but I told him how things was, and h

slowly unfolding it and looking it over. When P

o going on the annex. We're going to make her jump

ors. "Do you remember having any letters, Pete, about our agreement wi

er and tried to remember. After a

eh?" sai

ething may have come in while

you'd

around my way before

on the doorstep, "you haven't seen anyt

shook h

round, you may as well th

son g

d him up good last night, when he was blowi

turning back, with a hand on the knob, when Peterson, who was

she's all rig

nd Peterson jerked his

air before that was up to the mark. Ain't s

uess

m. It's funny about her looks. She don't look any more like Max than

he office. He sat down and ad

eir tracks. Can't we have an understanding with them before we get ready to put

velope and tosse

ng his chair back, "didn't y

ing across the lake," she repli

in the work p

off. And I guess the service is pretty bad all around. I was figuring on something like that as soon as I had a look at things. So we got up a poster and had it printed, telling what they all think of the G.&M.

ed it across i

ess w

it a go

going we went after the General Manager and gave him a bad half hour; so I sho

fice, at the mud-tracked floor and the coated windows, and at the hangi

house a little. There's not much danger of putting a shine on things that'll hurt your eyes. We ought to be

our boarding-house. I think th

elephone and cal

eceiver. "Will she bring her own scrubbing things, or are we

gel was

guess. When she comes, would yo

a good job of it. I've got to go out now, b

x. Already the bins and walls had been raised more than a foot above

ted from the working floor to the top, one hundred and sixty feet above the ground; until engines, conveyors, and scales should be working smoothly a

gh to look like something, so we can f

g on all right,

we be working

mor

(they had started toward

nt. "Why, we can'

e pile of cribbing, where the carpenters had been at work

ace remaining between the cribbing and the tops of the posts. He had yet to become accustomed to

ffice when Max said, with

ing to take hol

st-c

eyes s

ou give her. Her head'

reply, but as they paused ou

e now and then during the day. Any time you know I'm

no

any trouble about your getting off long enough to see

ble, stood Peterson, apparently too absorbed to hear the two men come in. Bannon gave him a curious glance, for no blue prints were needed in working on the annex

arlie. Going u

es

his conversation was a little forced, and he laughed occasionally at cer

large bundle under one arm and in his hand a wooden box with a slot cut in the cover. He found the scrubwoman har

not going to be able to keep it all clean; there'll be too many coming in.

rolled a door mat, which he

paper, and sitting on the table, printed the placard: "Wipe your feet! Or put five cents in t

l do it,"

's no danger that

as for swearing. Every time anybody swore he put in a nickel, and the

top the swea

days every week it was the best crowd you ever saw. But we won't spen

ew hours' work in the morning would bring the rest of the house to the same level, and then work could commence on the distributing floor and on the frame of the cupola. Before the middle of the afternoon he had started two

a carpenter, rods away on the cribbing, put out a hand to catch his cap as it tried to whirl past on a gust. The river wound away toward the lake, touched with the color of the sky, to lose itself half a mile away among the straggling rows of factories and rolling mills. From the splendid crimson of the western sky to the broken horizon line of

nd hatless as usual, with sleeves rolled up, was at work with the men, swinging a hammer here, impatiently shouldering a bundle of planks there. And Bannon sa

in through the gate and stood at the desk beside her to have the light of the

ld be no confusion in the books; the cashier of a metropolitan bank could not have issu

n as blackened, splintered planks could be made; even the

is business. And we'll

stool and was looking at hi

ently trying not to l

t his feet. He glanced down and saw a row of black footprints leading from the door to where he stood, one of them squarely i

the whistle just then gave a long blas

about the younger man that Bannon had observed at noon. Half a day was a long time for Peterson to keep to himself something that bothered him, an

lot of themselves,

s pencils; he was sittin

and everybody. I thought she looked pretty civil, and I

ons. After waiting to

on wen

I know a fellow that has tickets. It'd be just as quiet as anywhere-and speeches, yo

y you asked her to

and

his hand, and Peterson, after one or two atte