alked slowly toward his friends.

"What's in the wind now? Is he making any more threats?"

Looking around quickly Fred saw Sam Thorpe, who had just come up the
slope with Bill Thomas.

"Skip is afraid the shutting down has some connection with the doings of
the regulators. Isn't it queer to stop the machinery so soon when Mr.
Wright was anxious to keep everything a secret?"

"I heard him say that the pumps were out of order. One set got choked
this morning, and it wouldn't be safe for the miners to stay in the
lower level till they were repaired."

Sam winked meaningly as if he thought the matter had been arranged very
skillfully; but Fred was yet at a loss to understand how anything could
be gained by this move.

"Why were all hands thrown out?"

"There are some general repairs to be made, and it was better to do the
whole at the same time."

"Then there's no reason why Brace should hide any longer."

"He mustn't so much as show his nose. Come over by the slope and watch
Billings and his crowd. They are in a peck of trouble, expecting that
Brace will be found, and since no one is allowed to enter the mine
matters begin to look tough for them."

Fred followed his friend and saw those who had intended to cause a
terrible disaster clustered around the mouth of the slope in a feverish
state of excitement.

"This is a nice way to treat honest men," Billings was saying as the two
approached. "We work for starvation wages, an' then get laid off
whenever the bosses like, without so much as a notice. It's time we did
something to show we're men."

"I'm told the pumps are choked," an old miner said, "an' if that's the
case Mr. Wright oughter shut down. Farley's never has had a very good
name; but one or two stoppages like this'll show it's worked on the
square."

"What a fool you are!" Billings cried angrily. "Haven't you got sense
enough to see that this thing has been done so's we'll run deeper in
debt at the store, an' have to submit to a cut down when Wright gets
ready to put the screws on?"

Several of the bystanders loudly expressed their belief in the
correctness of Billings' theory, and instantly the greatest excitement
prevailed. The group increased in numbers each moment, and Billings took
upon himself the office of spokesman.

One proposed they march in a body to the superintendent's house and
demand that the machinery be started again. Another insisted on forcing
their way into the mine to ascert