The San Francisco call., 1908-11-29

the special picked up the gang or sur
facers just turning out to the day S
work. An Irish foreman was in COM
mand, and to him Gallagher appealed.
lucidly but not too gently The reply
was volley of abuse and a caustic re-
fusal to lend his men to the track
laying department.
Gallagher turned to Adair with his
red apple face wrinkling dismayfully
'"Tis up to me to push thot felly's
face in, Misther Adair; and what wild
two nights and day shtandin,' and
wan fight wild a bully twice me size,
I'm not man enough
Adair tossed away the stump of his
cigarette
you're quite sure that is what is
needed?" he queried.
ITO knock a grain av sinse into thot
Wicklow MANI queried Gallagher.
"Sure, it is" And then whispering:
But not for you. Misther Adair; he'd
ate you in two bites. Lave me have a
thry wild him..
But Adair was off and fronting the
surly Marlborough foreman.
I'VE need a dozen of your men and
some TOOLS he said quietly. do We
get them?"
mot by fistfuli" retorted the surly
one. Maybe you think you're enough
of - to take 'em2"
I am a better man than you are
was the even toned rejoinder.
Prove it. then"
Gallagher. leaning from his cab
window, fully awake now, and chuck
ling and rubbing his hands together
softly saw the blow 1t was clean
cut, swift as the Iightning's flash. true
to fingers breadth, and the sound of
it was as bone upon bone. At its I'M
pact the Wicklow man bounded into
the air. arched his back like bow,
and pitched on his head in the ditch.
WhS.i ne rose up, roaring blasphsnies
anu doubling his huge fists for the
fray, the quiet voice was assailing him
again. DO we get the men and tools?
Not"
Again the lightninglike passes of the
hands. and the Wicklow man sat down
forcibly and gasped. The Italian sur
facers threw aside their picks and
shovels and made ring. dancing ex-
citedly and jeering. The big foreman.
whose scepter of authority was COM
monty pickhandle for the belaborins
of offenders. was not loved
"Kick-a da shin-kick-a da shin
he Ikea da nigger-mans." suggested
one of the Italians, but there was no
need Being safely out. of range of the
catapult fists the foreman stayed there.
Take your track gang and be
damned to your he snarled-
Adair made forward step and stood
over him.
"Are you quite convinced that I am
the better man2T he asked very gently.
Its trick" growled the wicklow
man savagely. Il could get onto it in
another whirl or two"
Get up said the gentle voice
You'll never have a better chance TO
learn the trick" But the foreman had
the saving grace to shun anti-climaxes.
"G'wan! Take the men, l say; all of
EN-, if you like"
Thanks" said Adair pleasantly.
Wen do it, and we'll take you, as we'll
Ito answer for their good behavior,
Let me help you up" and he stopped
and snapped the big one to his feet as
a man would collar a reluctant boy.
Great Judgment" gasped the fore
man. Say Mister Cock o. the Walk
where do you hide all that muscles"
And without waiting for an answer
he piled a dozen of his men upon the
engine and followed them, still NUT
tering.
1t was a partly surfaced 10 miles
over which the special train Numbered
for the third time since dawn breaking,
and Gallagher took the last wheel turn
out of the 956. None the less. the sun
was reddening the western mountains
when the Italians took ground at the
mysterious gap. The rails were 1ouhu
in the stream. as Adair had predicted,
and it was work of minutes only
to snake them up the embankment
and to spike them lightly into place
But when Adair. for the healing OF
wounds, had thrust banknote
into the hand of the WICKLOW man.
and the special was once more
on its unhindered way westward
the sun had fairly topped the
eastern range. and Johnson. the porter
of the "01." was shouting across the
rocketing tender that breakfast was
served
The young man in the London cut
clothes might have climbed back TO the
car over the coal: or Gallagher would
have stopped for him. But he elected
to stay in the cab. and he was still
there, hanging from the open window
on Jackson's side, when the one car
special woke the echoes with its whistle.
ciattered in over the switches at Horse
creek, and came to stand opposite
the MacMorrogh commissary.
1t was Brian MacMorrogh who came
across the tracks to greet Adair, and.
since this was their first meeting. he
made the mistake of his life in calling
the young director by name.
"The top of the morning to you. Mis-
ther Adair Is it Misther Colbrith you'd
be looking for?''
1T is said Adair shortly, not falling
to remark that the barrel bodied. black
bearded man seemed to recognize and to
be expecting him.
"'Tis two hours gone they all are"
was the oily voiced explanation. Up
the grade and over TO Copah. But
they'll be back tomorrow. heaven savin'
thin. and We'll make you comfortable
here-as comfortable as we cam
That will be quickly done. said
Adair swinging down from the engine
step. lust give me a horse and tell
me which way they have gone, and I'll
overtake them"
But here the barrel bodied one spread
his hands helplessly.
'''Tis just our luck he protested. in
the keenest self-reproach. There isn't
a horse or a mule in camp that you
could get a mile an hour out OF. In
fact, I'm thinking there isn't amy
horses at alli''
CHAPTER XXI