Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1907-09-12
his second pay envelope he did not

MS second pay envelope he did not
commence crossing the street to the
restaurant for a noon lunch. When he
sal down for a few minutes at the
noon hoU:. he did not double over in a
tremulous heap as he had done at first,
and. though his face was whittier and
thinner, its flesh was firmer than when
he first came, and his eyes were clearer.
The boss looked at him with more
approval now and was beginning to
see that the man knew things outside
the working Of his hands and that even
their ineficiency would be overcome in
time by his determination. For the
most part the men were illiterate, and
many of them among the foreigners
could not even read or write. AS Pen.
nington's hands acquired a working
knowledge Of the materials and his
mind began to more thoroughly GRASP
the details the boss gave him occa'
sional jobs of oversight or authority
Tor he seemed the best nan at hand
for them. at first it was an hour o.
two Of keeping the mems time, the
stock taking of some Of the materials
or perhaps a commission downtown te
purchase things that required inspec
tion and could not be ordered by ordi
nary messenger or phone; then, after
a year or so, he began to be left II
temporary charge during the enforced
absences of both foreman and boss
And by that time Pennington's hands
were as firm and hard as the average
workman's, and his thin face and mar
row shoulders were filling out witt
good, solid flesh.
At the end Of three years the fore
man started out as an Independent
contractor, and the boss took his
place. Pennington would then have
become boss, but the new contractor
asked that he go with him as fore
man, and Pennington, with an ode
feeling of e%xultation and wonder, con
scented.
All this time the agent had heard
nothing, and an expression Of specula
ton was beginning to appear OIL hi
face. OF course Pennington must b,
dead, for he was a a who required
a great deal Of money, and being il
Europe made the money more impera
tive. The agent was in half mind t
communicate with the nearest rela
tive, but hesitated and concluded t.
wait q little longer.
A small portion Of Esther Kilton'
property consisted Of downtown tene
| monfc on6 IN tho loot fo- oh.
had become infected with the reform
movement and was remodeling then
with more regard for the inmates vel
fare than her rent roll. Several block
had already been rebuilt and occupied
and recently to hasten the work sh'
had given a block to a new contractor
When the old buildings were demol
ished and the new walls up q dozel
or more feet she went down to lool
at the work.
Men were springing up to the eros
timbers, dropping back and walkin,
about on the narrow beams carrying
heavy loads, and all with such uncon
Germ and fearlessness that she stoo'
looking at them, fearful and yet Ease!
mated.
Poised on the very end Of a timbe
almost above her was an alert, CON
pactly built man who seemed to b
directing the work. Something abou
him drew her gaze back again an
again, vet even while her eyes kindle
they filled mistily. He was SO like an
yet so unlike, so what the other nigh
have been and was not.
Presently the man sprang light
across to another timber, seven Q
eight feet away, explained somethin
about the work to a new man, the
crouched and dropped to the groun
twelve feet below.
AS he turned he stood facing th
owner, and they gazed for some mil