H. Irving Hancock

“ Fully fifteen hundred cartridges did the machine gun deliver up and down that line.
Then, suddenly, Dave Fulsbee swung the gun around, delivering a hailstorm of bullets against the bald knob rock and the bushes to the right of it.
“There’s the answer!” gleefully uttered Hazelton, who had just handed the glass back to his chum.
The “answer” was a fluttering bit of white cloth tied to a rifle and hoisted over the bushes at the right of the bald knob.
“Who do you suppose is holding the white cloth?” chuckled Tom.
“I can’t guess,” Harry confessed.
“Our old and dangerous friend Peter,” Tom laughed. ”

“ Nor had he gone very far with the soap and water when Harry Hazelton was beside him.
“Tom, Tom!” breathed Harry in ecstacy. “Do you blame people for loving the Rocky Mountains? This grand old mountain air is food and drink—-almost.”
“It may be for you. I want some of the real old camp chuck—-plenty of it,” retorted Reade, drawing a pocket comb out and running it through his damp locks while he gazed into the foot-square camp mirror hanging from a tree.
“May we come in?” inquired Tom, pausing in the doorway of the engineers’ mess tent. ”

“ Snatching up his sombrero, Bad Pete vanished into a clump of brush.
Jack Rutter leaped up from his haven of safety, advancing swiftly to his cub assistant.
“Reade,” he exclaimed, with ungrudging admiration, “you’re the coolest young fellow I ever met, without exception. But you’re foolhardy, boy. Bad Pete is a real shot. One of these days, when you’re just as cool, he’ll fill you full of lead!”
“If he does?” retorted Tom, again bending over his transit, “and if I notice it, I’ll throw a bigger stone at him than I did that time, and it’ll land on him a few inches lower down.” ”

“ The poor reading of a course is one of the frequent faults of new or careless engineers.
“Here is a magnifier for the vernier,” continued Rutter, just after Tom had started to make his reading.
“Thank you; I have a pretty good one of my own,” Tom answered, diving into one of his pockets and bringing to light a small but powerful reading glass with an aplanatic lens.
“You carry a better magnifier than I do,” laughed Rutter. “Hazelton, do You carry a pocket glass?”
“Yes, sir,” nodded Harry “I have one just like Reade’s.”
“Good! I can see that you youngsters believe in good tools.” ”

“ Tom rose eagerly, followed by Harry. As they left the tent and hurried outside they beheld two rows of men, each before a long bench on which stood agate wash basins. The toilet preceding the evening meal was on.
“Gentlemen,” announced Mr. Blaisdell, as the two chums drew near, “I present two new candidates for fame. One is named Reade, the other Hazelton. Take them to your hearts, but don’t, at first, teach them all the wickedness you know. Reade, this is Jack Rutter, the spotted hyena of the camp. If he ever gets in your way just push him over a cliff.” ”

“ You realize at last—-eh?—-that you’ve lost your train and your charter—-your railroad?”
“I wasn’t thinking of the train, or of the road,” Tom groaned. “What I’m thinking of is the train, traveling at high speed, running into that blown-out place. The train will be ditched and the crew killed. A hundred and fifty passengers with them—-many of them state officials. Oh, Black, I wouldn’t dare stand in your shoes now! The whole state—-the entire country—-will unite in running you down. You can never hope to escape the penalty of your crime!” ”

“ When he finds that a man can really do the work that he’s paid to do I imagine that Thurston is well satisfied and not afraid to show it.”
“What’s that noise?” demanded Harry, trying to peer around the corner of their tent without rising.
“The field gang coming in, I think,” answered Tom.
“Let’s get up, then, and have a look at our future mates,” suggested Harry Hazelton.
“No; I don’t believe it would be a good plan,” said Tom. “We might be thought fresh if we betrayed too much curiosity before the crowd shows some curiosity about us.”
“Reade!” sounded Blaisdell’s voice, five minutes later. ”

“ Outside, near the door of one tent, stood a transit partially concealed by the enveloping rubber cover. Near another tent stood a plane table, used in field platting (drawing) . Signs of life about the camp there were none, save for the presence of the newcomers.
“I wonder if there’s anyone at home keeping house,” mused Tom Reade, as he jumped down from the wagon.
“There’s only one wooden house in this town. That must be where the boss lives,” declared Harry.
“Yes; that’s where the boss lives,” replied the Colorado youth, with a wry smile. ”

“ Tom retorted. “In my opinion only a coward carries a pistol.”
“Then you think Bad Pete is a coward, young man?” returned the chief.
“If driven into a corner I’m pretty sure he’d turn out to be one, sir,” Tom went on earnestly. “A coward is a man who’s afraid. If a fellow isn’t afraid of anything, then why does he have to carry firearms to protect himself?”
“I don’t believe that would quite apply to Pete,” Mr. Thurston went on. “Pete doesn’t carry a revolver because he’s afraid of anything. ”

“ Tim Thurston has been making a long yell at the New York offices of the company for engineers. Knowing the little that they do, our New York owners take anyone who says he’s an engineer, and unload the stranger on us.”
“I hope we prove up to the work,” sighed Harry.
“We’re going to size up. We’ve got to, and that’s all there is to it,” retorted Tom. “We’ve been thrown in the water here, Harry, and we’ve got to swim—-which means that we’re going to do so. Mr. Blaisdell,” turning to the assistant, “you needn’t worry as to whether we’re going to make good. We _shall_!” ”

“ Once outside, and strolling slowly along, Reade confided to his chum:
“Harry, you can see what big fellows we two youngsters are going to be in a Rocky Mountain railroad camp. We haven’t a blessed thing to do but play marbles until the chief can see us.” ”

“ This trick proceeds from the fertile mind of some clever, well-paid scoundrel who is employed in the opposition railroad’s gloom department. It is a cleverly thought-out scheme to make us lose three or four days of work, which will be enough to prevent us from finishing the road on time. So, the enemy think that we must lose the charter, sir.”
“That trick will never work,” declared Mr. Newnham angrily. “Reade, there are courts, and laws. If the State of Colorado doesn’t protect us in our work, then we can’t be held to am count for not finishing within a given time.” ”

“ Harry murmured. “How would Black, by turning in some wrong backsights and foresights, expect to delay the building of the road, even if he wanted to do it?”
“How?” repeated Tom Reade, showing an amount of heat and excitement that he rarely displayed. “Why, Harry, this same old Section Nineteen is one of the hard spots on the road. A lot of excavating has to be done before the tracks can be laid here. It’s not a mere matter of scooping up dirt and removing it, either. A large amount of solid rock has to be blasted out here before the roadbed can be laid.” ”

“ Bob, looking uneasy, started to do so, but Blaisdell waved him away. At that instant Jake Wren came back into the tent.
“For the present, Jake,” went on the assistant engineer, “serve only for seven in this tent. Pete is leaving us.”
“Do you mean——-” flared Pete, leaping to his feet and striding toward the engineer.
“I mean,” responded Blaisdell, without looking up, “that we hope the chainmen’s mess will take you on. But if they don’t like you, they don’t have to do so.”
For ten seconds, while Pete stood glaring at Blaisdell, it looked as though the late guest would draw his revolver. ”

“ The sheriff solemnly closed his fiery speech by demanding Dave’s official badge.
“That’s funny, but don’t mind, Dave,” laughed Tom, as he witnessed the handing over of the badge. “You won’t be out of work.”
“Won’t be out of work, eh?” demanded Sheriff Grease hotly. “Just let him wait and see. There isn’t a man in the county who wants Dave Fulsbee about now.”
“Then what a disappointed crowd they’re going to be,” remarked Tom pleasantly, “for Mr. Newnham is going to make Dave chief of detectives for the company, at a salary of something like six thousand a year. ”

“ Tom retorted, his face clouding, “I don’t believe I’d take any interest in the salary question. Money is a fine thing, but the game—-the battle—-is twenty times more interesting. However, I’m going to predict, Mr. Newnham, that the road WILL operate on time.”
“I believe you’re going to make good, Reade, no matter what a small coterie of politicians at Denver may think. I never met a man who had success stamped more plainly on his face than you have. By the way, I shall ask you to keep Mr. Howe as an assistant. You still have the appointment of one other assistant, in place of Mr. Blaisdell.” ”

“ You know what to do,” went on Mr. Thurston hurriedly. “You know what to do——eh? Pay you well.”
At the last three magic words the aged squaw rose and hobbled quickly forward.
“Take boy him tent,” directed the Indian woman.
“I can walk,” remarked Tom.
“No; they take you. Heap better,” commanded the woman.
Instantly Mr. Thurston and Rutter took hold of Tom, raising him into their arms. Through the flap of his tent they bore him, depositing him on his cot. The Indian woman followed them inside. ”

“ From the time that they parted in the morning, until they started to go back to camp in the afternoon, Tom and Harry did not meet the next day. Each, with his chainmen, was served from Bob’s burro train at noon.
“Did you see Bad Pete today?” was Harry’s greeting, as they Started back over the trail.
“No.”
“Did you hear from him or of him in any way?” pressed Hazelton.
“Not a sign of any sort from Peter,” Tom went on. “I’ve a theory as to what’s keeping him away. He’s on a journey.” ”

“ Rutter was merely trying us out over surveyed courses,” laughed Harry.
“If you don’t know how to do anything other than transit work,” Rutter declared, “the chief can use all your time at that. He’ll be pleased when I tell him that you’re at least as good surveyors as I am. And, Reade, I see from your notes that you knew how to measure across a pond that your chainmen couldn’t ford.”
“Mr. Price taught me that trick, back in Gridley,” Tom responded.
Suddenly Jack Rutter sprang to his feet sniffing vigorously.
“Boys,” he announced, “an adventure is coming our way. Can you guess what it is?” ”

“ He now made good for his omission, while Fulsbee led his young men away, stationing them in hiding places along the westward edge of the camp. Each man with a rifle was ordered not to rise from the ground, or to show himself in any way, and not to fire unless orders were given. Then Dave hurried back to the wagon. Something else was lifted out, all canvas covered, and rushed forward to a point just behind a dense clump of bushes.
“Reade, I want to apologize to you,” cried the man from Broadway, moving quickly over to where Tom stood surveying the hills beyond through his glass. ”

“ Tom Reade and Harry Hazelton, however, had found that their aspirations pointed to the great constructive work that is done by the big-minded, resourceful American civil engineer of today. Bridge building, railroad building, the tunneling of mines—-in a word, the building of any of the great works of industry possessed a huge fascination for them. ”