The San Francisco call., 1904-11-15

u
* hood spoke more eloquently
than words his utter WEAKNESS
Of soul.
Three months before, when
the boss had called him into his of1ce
and after a few complimentary re-
marks had placed him in charge OF
construction gang known as the bad
job" of the road, he had hailed the OPP
portunity with Joy. The road wished
to construct a short spur into Mexico
to afford an outlet for some silver
mines When the concession had been
secured from the Mexican Government
ona of the conditions had been that the
labor should be done by the natives of
the region through which the line was
to be constructed.
This had seemed a simple matter,
but two years had now passed and the
work was far from finished. One man
after another had been sent to take
charge Of the work, and with the great
est regularity, they had asked for a
change of work at the end of the first
month. In case this request was not
granted they had promptly resigned
TO seek service with another com
pany.
"Mr. Maxwell" his chief had said,
Il want you to take charge of that
work and get it out somehow and
some time. 1 should advise you, by
way of equipment for the undertak-
ing, to take along the biggest six
shooter that you can get"
When Bud had reached the con-
struction camp he had found it de-
serted. He went back to the little
town of Rigas and recruited a gang Of
some twenty men. Everything moved
along peacefully until Saturday night
Then they all bade him a respectful
"adios" and started back toward
Rigas. Expostulation was in vain.
Why should they work longer? Had
they not earned the remarkable wages
of one and a half dollars for each of
six days? And was that not enough to
support themselves and their families
in plenty for weeks to come? No. No!
They would not work any more. So
they all left except Tomasso, the COM
bined engineer and fireman, who had
once served on a yard engine in st.
Louis and had acquired more
abiding taste for work.
Bud seated himself on a deserted
bunk and thought the situation over.
He sat so long that Tomasso, mildly
solicitous, ventured to suggest to him
that it was very multissima late.
"Tomasso, what are those greasers
doing over at Rigas?"
La vina, senor."
Talk American TOmassO."
I'm American-the booze"
Thought so! Tomasso, I've got an
idea"
Tomasso was politely curious.
IF I get those fellows out here
they will stay another week, won't
they? I heard something about its
being bad luck to stop in the middle
of the week"
Tomasso thought they would stay.
In fact he was sure that they would.
Late Sunday evening Buds plan
took shape The old engine was coupled
to a fiat car and backed down to Rigas.
Bud disappeared in the rear of the
hotel and soon reappeared bearing a
very limp and passive citizen of that
metropolis in his arms. He deposited
his burden on the car and then re-
peated the trip. In a short time his
working force was complete and To-
masso received orders to steam Back
to the camp. A very satisfactory
amount of work was done that week
and during each Of a number of sue
ceeding weeks, thanks to a continued
desecration Of Sunday evening siestas.
There remained only a few miles Of
road to complete and Bud was feeling
much encouraged. The successful COM
pletion of the work meant promotion
for him, a good salary, and besides,
when he had a good position, and
well, Tomasso's daughter, Maria, was,
to say the least, mighty pretty girl.
She had been away to school some
where in California, and admitted to
him that 1t seemed very nice to hear
real English again. She did so like
to talk English. Bud rather enjoyed
1t, too, and .as a result they talked
occasions he was perilously near to
overcoming a colossal bashfulness and
saying what she, being a twentieth
century Eve, knew that he wanted to
say.
But now Bud was utterly and ab-
jectly disheartened. Cerves, the local
dispenser of liquid refreshments, at
last had discovered why his weekday
sales had become so ridiculously
small. And so one Sunday evening
Bud was unable to recruit his gang of
laborers in the usual manner. Instead
Of sleeping off the effects of their po-
T. %Aa Of "a
cording to the established custom Of
the place, they were all securely dis
posed in Cerves' cellar under lock and
key, where the Americana could not
get them. Bud threatened, he de-