ir eyes, and stealing moments between trips to stand where the
keen lake breeze could cool them. Another half-hour or so should see the
last stick on the piles, and Bannon had about decided to go over to the
office when he saw Vogel moving among the men, marking their time in his
book.

"Here, Max," he called, adding, when Vogel had reached his side: "Just
keep an eye on this, will you? I'll be at the office. Keep things going
just as they are."

There was a light in the office. Bannon stepped into the doorway, and,
with a suppressed word of impatience, stood looking at the scene within.
The desk that Peterson had supplied for the use of his clerk was
breast-high from the floor, built against the wall, with a high stool
before it. The wall lamp had been taken down; now it stood with its
reflector on the top of the desk, which was covered with books and papers.
A girl was sitting on the stool, bending over a ledger and rapidly footing
up columns. Bannon could not see her face, for a young fellow stood
leaning over the railing by the desk, his back to the door. He had just
said something, and now he was laughing in a conscious manner.

Bannon quietly stepped to one side. The girl looked up for a moment and
brushed her hair back from her face. The fellow spoke again in a low tone,
but beyond a slight compressing of her lips she did not seem to hear him.
Without a word, Bannon came forward, took him by the arm, and led him out
of the door. Still holding his arm, he took a step back, and (they stood
in the outer circle of the electric light) looked him over.

"Let's see," he said, "you're the man that was clerking here."

There was no reply. "And your name's--what?"

"Briggs."

"Well, Mr. Briggs, did you get a message from me?"

"I don't know what you mean," said the young man, his eyes on the ground.
"Max, he come around, but I wanted to wait and see you. He's a mean
cuss--"

"You see me now, don't you?"

"Yes." The reply was indistinct.

"You keep out of the office after this. If I catch you in there again, I
won't stop to talk. Now, clear out."

Briggs walked a little way, then turned. "Maybe you think you can lay me
off without notice--but you'll wish--"

Bannon turned back to the office, giving no heed to Briggs' last words:
"I've got you fixed already." He was thinking of the girl there on the
stool. She did not look like the girl he had expected to see. To be sure
her hair was red, but it was not of th