and came floundering up the soft soil of the railroad
embankment, scrambling toward the little group of engineers.

"It's Dominick," said Searles. "There seems to be a little more work cut
out for you in your side line of philanthropist."

"I do it whatta you say," screamed the man as his head came over the
edge of the embankment. "Nice! Good! All good to eat. But they want
mucha more--too mucha!"

He struck himself repeated blows on the breast with one fist and pointed
with the other hand at the men who came swarming up the side of the
graded road bed.

"You coma look--look to the nice br-read, meat all good, beer--plenty
much to eat, dr-rink!" the padrone gasped in appeal, as he circled about
Parker to put him between the rioters and himself.

The men who came after, screaming and cursing, jerking their arms above
their heads, rolling back their lips from their yellow teeth, were
apparently so many lunatics whose frenzy was not to be stayed. But
undisciplined natures whose excesses spring from lack of self control
are all the more ready to respond to the masterful control of others.

First of all the men recognized in Parker the champion who had won their
first rights from the padrone.

They stopped their shrill vituperation and, crowding about him, began to
bleat their explanations and appeals. But he threw out his arms, pushed
them back a safe distance from the panting Dominick and roared them into
silence, brandishing his fists, as he would have quelled a noisy school.

When they understood that he wished them to be quiet they were silent,
all leaning forward, their eyes shining, their lips apart, their fists
clinched as tho they were holding their tongues in leash by that
means, their dark, brown faces alight with wistful, almost palpitating
eagerness. The regard they fixed on his face was baleful in its
intentness.

"Looka what they do," yelled Dominick rushing to his side. He had
stripped his sleeve back from his arm. Blood was trickling from a knife
gash.

Then the tumult broke out again from the crowd. Two men leaped forward
shaking their hats in their hands and screaming assertions and pointing
quivering fingers at bullet holes in the crowns.

"Shut up!" barked the young man. The presence of the satiric and
unsympathetic old engineer nerved him to settle the dispute, if he
might. The hint from the other that he had been meddling in what was
outside his business gave him an uncomfortable sense of