bill of cribbing. You're Mr. Bannon, ain't you?" Bannon nodded.
"Peterson had a telegram from the office saying to expect you."

"You're still expecting that cribbing, eh?"

"Harder than ever. That's most all we've been doing for ten days.
There's Peterson, now; up there with the sledge."

Bannon looked in time to see the boss spring out on a timber that was
still balancing and swaying upon the hoisting rope. It was a good
forty feet above the dock. Clinging to the rope with one hand, with
the other Peterson drove his sledge against the side of the timber
which swung almost to its exact position in the framing.

"Slack away!" he called to the engineers, and he cast off the rope
sling. Then cautiously he stepped out to the end of the timber. It
tottered, but the lithe figure moved on to within striking distance.
He swung the twenty-four pound sledge in a circle against the butt of
the timber. Every muscle in his body from the ankles up had helped to
deal the blow, and the big stick bucked. The boss sprang erect,
flinging his arms wide and using the sledge to recover his balance. He
struck hard once more and again lightly. Then he hammered the timber
down on the iron dowel pins. "All right," he shouted to the engineer;
"send up the next one."

A few minutes later Bannon climbed out on the framing beside him.

"Hello, Charlie!" said the boss, "I've been looking for you. They
wired me you was coming."

"Well, I'm here," said Bannon, "though I 'most met my death climbing
up just now. Where do you keep your ladders?"

"What do I want of a ladder? I've no use for a man who can't get up on
the timbers. If a man needs a ladder, he'd better stay abed."

"That's where I get fired first thing," said Bannon.

"Why, you come up all right, with your overcoat on, too."

"I had to wear it or scratch up the timbers with my bones. I lost
thirty-two pounds up at Duluth."

Another big timber came swinging up to them at the end of the
hoisting rope. Peterson sprang out upon it. "I'm going down before I
get brushed off," said Bannon.

"I'll be back at the office as soon as I get this corbel laid."

"No hurry. I want to look over the drawings. Go easy there," he called
to the engineer at the hoist; "I'm coming down on the elevator."
Peterson had already cast off the rope, but Bannon jumped for it and
thrust his foot into the hook, and the engineer, not knowing who he
was, let him down none too gently.

On his way to the offic