The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1920-11-19

Arrived at the mill office, he entered,
took down the telephone, and called
up Shirley Sumner.
'Mademoiselle," he said, Jules
Rondeau speaks to you. / have for
you zee good news. Bryce Cardigan.
she puts In the crossing today. One
man of the law she comes from San
Francisco with papers, and Msieur
Sexton say to me: Rondeau, we are
whip. Deesmess your men, So l have
deesmess doze men, and now dees-
mess myself. Mebbeso bimeby 1 go
to work for Msieur Cardigan. For
Mademoiselle have no weesh to make
trouble to fire me. / queet. / will
not fight dose dirty fight some more.
Au revoir, mademoiselle. l CO."
And without further ado he hung
up.
Whats this, what's this?" Sexton
demanded. You're going to quit!
Nonsense, Rondeau, nonsensei
II will have my time, Msieur," said
Jules Rondeau. II go to work for
man. Mebbeso I am not woods boss
for heem, butt work."
You'll have to wait until the Col
onel returns, Rondeau."
II will have my time," said Jules
Rondeau patiently.
"Then you'll wait till pay day for
it, Rondeau. You know our rules.
Any man who quits without notice
waits until the regular pay day for
his money"
Jules advanced until he lowered d.
rectly over the manager. II tor
M'sieur would have my time" he
repeated once more. SIS M'sieur
deaf in re ears?" He raised his right
hand, much as bear raises it's paw;
his blunt fingers worked little and
there was smoldering fire in his
dark eyes.
Without further protest Sexton
opened the safe, counted out the
wages due, and took Rondeau's re-
ceipt.
THANK you, M'sieur," the woods
boss growled as he swept the coin
into his pocket. "Now I work for
Msieur Cardigan; so, Msieur, 1 will
have zee switch engine weeth two
flat cars and zee wrecking car. DoZe
dam trash on zee crossing-M's ieur
Cardigan does not like, and by gar 1
take heem away. You understand,
M'sieur? / am Jules Rondeau, and I
work for M'sieur Cardigan. La la,
Msieur" The great hand closed
over Sections collar. Not zee pistol
no, not for Jules Rondeau."
Quite as easily as woman dresses
a baby, he gagged Sexton with Sex
TOMS own handkerchief, laid him gent
ly on the floor and departed locking
the door behind him and taking the
key. AT the corner of the building,
where the telephone line entered the
office, he paused, jerked once at the
wire, and passed on, leaving the brok-
en- ends on the ground.
In the roundhouSe he found the
switch engine crew on duty, waiting
for steam in the boiler. The with
drawal of both locomotives, brief as
had been their absence, had caused
a glut of logs at the Laguna Grande
landings, and Sexton was catching up
with the traffic by, sending the switch
engine crew out for one trainload,
even though it was Sunday. The crew
had been used to receiving orders
from Rondeau, and moreover they
were not aware of his recent action
hence at his command they ran the
switch engine out of the rOundhouse,
coupled up the two fiat cars and the
car, and backed down to the
crossing. Upon arrival, Jules Ron
deau leaned out of the cab window
and hailed Bryce. "M'sieur," he said,
'do not bozzer to make zee derrick
[ have here zee wrecking car--all you
need; pretty soon we lift him off zee
crossing, tell you, eh, M'sieur Cardi-
yanT
Bryce stepped over to the switch
engine and looked up at his late en-
envy. "By whose orders is this train
nere?" he queried.
Mine" Rondeau quickly answered.
'M'sieur Sexton / have tie like one
eetle pig and lock her in her Office.
work now for M'sieur."
And he did. He waited not for a
from his new master but
proceeded to direct operations like
the born driver and leader of men
that he was. With his late employ
rs gear he fastened to the old cast
ngs and the boiler, lifted them with
The derrick on the wrecking car, and
swung them up and around onto the |
Hat cars. BY the middle of the after
noon the crossing was once more clear
Then the Cardigan crew fell upon it !
while Jules Rondeau ran the train
back to the Laguna Grande yards, dis
missed his crew, returned to the mill
office, and released the manager.
you'll pay through the nose for
this, you scoundrel," Sexton whim-
pered. "Tll fix you, you traitor"
"You feex nothing. M'sieur. Sexton"
replied imperturbably. "Who
IS witness Jules Rondeau tie you up?
Somebody see you, no? I guess you
1on' feex me. Sacre! / guess you
Ion try"
CHAPTER XVIII.