The Ekalaka eagle. [volume] (Ekalaka, Mont.) 1909-1920, 1916-03-24

Charlesworth fell in beside him ana
odd his tale. The path was narrow.
the grass dewy. and tho American had
shown pretty plainly that he took his
orders from one master only. Incian
dropped behind and meckly held his
peace. 1t appeared that a lad who
had been injured was demanding COM
pcnsation. CharlcSwortll. who was
ready to give. had refused to concede.
and IL little dispute hau
sprung up. which was breeding BAD
blood between him and the men. Add
cd to this. they were asking higher
wages.
IL couldn't put up with him. and
that's the square truth" tharlesworth
frankly acknowledged. of he'd come
to me and said. 4 was knocked silly,
and I've lost a couple Of weeks. l
know I'd no business to be where |
was and l deserved all | got. but can
you do anything for me? Then don't
say but what I might have urn to
and helped him out: that's talking.
But when lie swaggers up and says,
SHOW us the color of your money ana
be hanged to you. else III make you.
why, then l tell him that he's at lib
erty to 60 to hadcs if he likes, but not
Il red cent shall he get from me. l
don't know whether that's your way
OF doing business, sir. but l guess it's
mine"
"My dear fellow, I'd not have you
back down, don't think it! I've a
preference myself for fighting things
out. When was this:'
F%aruuhar's words We're exemplary,
but his face was less discreet. 1t was
manifest that he did prefer to fight
things out. and Charlesworth, who laid
no claim to the Christian grace OF
meekness. hailed a spirit akin.
"This evening, after pay time. l
came right round to YOU"
"What's the next move to be-
"Well." said Charlesworth deliber-
atcly. II guess it's me they've got a
down ON now, but when the time
comes they won't stop to sort us out.
They're pretty sick about your new
tangled machinery for one thing. II
then there's the business about he
Britishers. Taking one thing with an
other. and this compensation racket
on the top. you may bet they're sure
enough mad. And I've no use for a
funeral at present. SO before we go
any further. sir. Id ask o to come
round to the works. for there's a job
there Id like you to see.
He would not explain any further,
and the trio walked on past the gold
lit windows of the hotel toward
the quarry. All was silent there and
dark save for the signal lamp of the
Waterman. sparkling on the brow of
the pit among the consultations high
in the dark sky. like a topaz among
diamonds. Picking their way among
the truck lines, which c%onverged like
SO many silver cords from all direc-
tons toward the mouth of the quarry.
they came up to the splendid block. OF
granite marked out by CharleSWOrth
for their first serious essay in carving.
Its rich, even color and fine grained
texture made it very valuable. \ pill
lar hewn from it, overrun by curly tail
ed dragons and roses of strange de-
, sign. was assigned to stand in a tenn
pie of the I'lowcry Land. Another
) part was to misrcpresent tho king in
the market place of a country town,
and they had accepted other orders
as we'll. for the whole mass weighed
some thousands of tons. Upon the fui-
, fllment of these conditions the future
of the quarry depended. For three
l weeks past they had been hard at
work loosening the granite from its
bed and getting it free from the Other
blocks which wedgcd it in. an opera
ton involving nice calculation and ac
! curate obedience. Under Charles.
worth's directions shot holes three feet
2 deep and six inches apart We're bored
along the line of cleavage. cleaned out
charged With a cartridge and filled VI
or tampcd with clay. With each car
Z fridge q length Of slow fuse was con,
nected. the different strands being
. gathered together in a metal case call
ed the igniter. Sc that the cartridges
: could be fired simultaneously Some
: use electricity to explode the charge
Charlesworth did not. The operator
generally himself. had to hetakc him
self nimbly out of the way while thu
| fuse burned on at three feet per min
ute till it came to the cartridge All,
g finished its work. Already severe
G small blasts had taken place. prepare
il tory TO the large final explosion wlicl
was to dissevcr the whole block from
its bed.
II guess that's what they've got thci1
t eye on" said Charlesworth. coming IL
a stand in front of the cliff.
f Farquhar thrust his hands into hi:
n pockets and said nothing.
G "Dmitri D%mitriyevitch vows to h,
avenged of his enemies" suggested
o Lucinn at his ear.
r "What's that: Shut up. De SAUNA
req, I'm doing Il little thinking. SO yol
0 think they mean to spoil the stone. eh
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