get much to eat. Supper's just the pickings from dinner."

"Well, the dinner was all right. But I wish you had a bigger bed. I ain't
slept for two nights."

"What was the matter?"

"I was on the sleeper last night; and I didn't get in from the Duluth job
till seven o'clock Saturday night, and Brown was after me before I'd got
my supper. Those fellows at the office wouldn't let a man sleep at all if
they could help it. Here I'd been working like a nigger 'most five months
on the Duluth house--and the last three weeks running night shifts and
Sundays; didn't stop to eat, half the time--and what does Brown do but--
'Well,' he says, 'how're you feeling, Charlie?' 'Middling,' said I. 'Are
you up to a little job tomorrow?' 'What's that?' I said. 'Seems to me if
I've got to go down to the Calumet job Sunday night I might have an hour
or so at home.' 'Well, Charlie,' he says, 'I'm mighty sorry, but you see
we've been putting in a big rope drive on a water-power plant over at
Stillwater. We got the job on the high bid,' he says, 'and we agreed to
have it running on Monday morning. It'll play the devil with us if we
can't make good.' 'What's the matter?' said I. 'Well,' he says, 'Murphy's
had the job and has balled himself up.'"

By this time the two men had their coats on, and were outside the
building.

"Let's see," said Bannon, "we go this way, don't we?"

"Yes."

There was still the light, flying flakes of snow, and the biting wind that
came sweeping down from the northwest. The two men crossed the siding,
and, picking their way between the freight cars on the Belt Line tracks,
followed the path that wound across the stretch of dusty meadow.

"Go ahead," said Peterson; "you was telling about Murphy."

"Well, that was the situation. I could see that Brown was up on his hind
legs about it, but it made me tired, all the same. Of course the job had
to be done, but I wasn't letting him have any satisfaction. I told him he
ought to give it to somebody else, and he handed me a lot of stuff about
my experience. Finally I said: 'You come around in the morning, Mr. Brown.
I ain't had any sleep to speak of for three weeks. I lost thirty-two
pounds,' I said, 'and I ain't going to be bothered tonight.' Well, sir, he
kind of shook his head, but he went away, and I got to thinking about it.
Long about half-past seven I went down and got a time-table. There was a
train to Stillwater at eight-forty-two."

"That night?"

"Sure. I