The Greenville journal. [volume] (Greenville, Ohio) 1850-1918, 1917-05-17

3
really didn't think 1t necessary TO
practice, but II you trust me with one
I believe l can manage IT."
Old Vandeventer leaned back in his
chair in the Office and looked care
Iessly away from Meade to all appear
ances. He clasped his hands back Of
his head and seemed lost in thought.
Suddenly he began humming a little
/ scrap of verse about another college
which Cambridge men sing with zest:
/ I'm a physical wreck.
From the grand old Tech.
But a h of an engineer!
! He stopped abruptly, whirled about
in his swingchair, and shot a quick
glance ut Meade. 1t was a trap. And
as he sprang 1t Vandeventer surprised
the ghost of smile, repressed quickly
hut there, on Meade's lips. The chief
! engineer was satisfied. Before this,
little things had betrayed a fellow
alumnus, or at least a fellow student
OF the old Lawrence Scientific school.
Vandeventer was pleased at his adrOit-
ness. He did not, however, refer to
It.
There's q new transit in that box
on the floor there" he said, reSuming
| his Indifferent manner. I've had the
case opened, but haven't taken it out.
Get it, and Wen go outside and see
what you can do with it,"
Now transit, for all 1t is used In
rough fieldwork, is one of the most
expensive and delicate Of instruments.
| 1t is capable of the most accurate ad-
| iustment, and If it is to be of any
real use, the refinement Of these ad-
| iuStments must not be impaired in any
degree by unskilled and reckless pack
ing. The boxes in which the instru-
ments are shipped are very carefully
constructed in accordance with the
principles which experience has shown
to he necessary, and each one Is espe-
cially fitted to the particular instru-
ment to be contained therein. The
box is complicated thing and the
transit cannot be taken out or replaced
except in one way. With a knowledge
of the combination, so to speak, 1t Is
comparatively simple to take transit
from the box; without that knowledge,
which none but an expert transltman,
or the packer himself can have, it is
rather difficult without running a risk
Of running the instrument.
This command was another of Van
deventer's tests, therefore. Meade
knew this as we'll as his superior. In
spite of himself, he would have to be-
tray his familiarity. Well, he had
brought himself to the conclusion that
he could not continue his work with
out very soon disclosing the fact that
he had been an engineer. And In case
of the inevitable, the sooner the bet
ter. So long as he had to betray him
self, he would have all the advantages
as well as the disadvantages. He un-
! locked the door of the box, slid the
instrument out quickly, accurately,
without a moments hesitation, and
rapidly unscrewed the head from the
Slide-bOard, and screwed it carefully
on the tripod. Vandeventer's eyes
sparkled.
"COme outside" he said, leading the
way to the side of the hill, "and set 1t
up there over the tack In that stake
and level it,"
Beginners have been known to take
ten minutes to get transit set up,
leveled and Centered. 1t is good work
if 1t Is done inside Of a minute; thirty
seconds is very fast. In forty-fve sec
onds Meade reported "all ready, sir"
He could have done it in less, but he
was little out of practice, he said
to himself.
Look here" said Vandeventer you
can't pull any more bluff on me, Rob
erts; you're an engineer all right"
81 know something about the practi-
cal side of 1t, sir" answered Meade,
turning little pale and wondering
how far Vandeventer would press his
questions and what he would learn.
But the engineer was n man.
"Practical, yes, and theoretical too,
I'll be bound, but I don't seek to pry
into your antecedents. It's enough for
me If you do good work for me here"
an do my best, sir"
"Good; the instrument is yours"
That was the first step and the next
step came very shortly after. when,
having further demonstrated his ca
pacity in other ways, Meade was Civ
en- charge of the work on the east end
of the dam.
II don't care who he is" said Van
deventer to his chief subordinate, "he
knows what he's about, and If you
watch him you'll see. He's keen on
handling men. The other section fore
men will be hard put to keep up with
him. He keeps watch on himself. He's
got some secret he won't betray. He
doesn't mlngle with the crowd, but
every once in while something slips
out. What he doesn't know about en-
gineering nobody needs to know, TIL
wager"
"How do you account for his being
out here?"
ooh, it's the old story, l suppose;
he's come cropper somewhere
down and out and wants to begin
again, and can't do anything but this.
It's not our business, Stafford he does
good work for us and we're satisfied"
CHAPTER XIV.
The Former and the Latter Rain.
The work on the dam was progress
ing splendidly. Vandeventer, driving
his men hard, shared in all their furi-