aloma, who were
sober, decent American citizens engaged in the proper walks of life.

But Jim Duff and a few others held an indignation meeting that night.

"We've been robbed!" complained one indignant saloon keeper.

"Gentlemen," observed Jim Duff, in his oiliest tones, though his face
was ghastly white, "you have a new enemy, who threatens your success in
business. How are you going to deal with him?"

"We'll run him off the desert, or bury him there!" came the snarling
response.

"I can't believe that boy, Reade, will ever succeed in laying the
railroad tracks across the Man-killer," smiled Jim Duff darkly within
himself.

CHAPTER IV. SOMEBODY STIRS THE MUD

The next morning only a few of the men, some of those who had refused to
open bank accounts, failed to show up at the railroad camp.

"There is really nothing to do this morning," Tom remarked to
Superintendent Hawkins. "However, I think you had better dock the
missing men for time off. If you find that any missing man has been gone
on a proper errand of rest or enjoyment, and has not been making a beast
of himself, you can restore his docked pay on the lists."

"That's a very good idea," nodded Hawkins. "It always angers me to see
these poor, hardworking fellows go away and make fools of themselves
just as soon as they get a bit of pay in their pockets. Still, you can't
change the whole face of human nature, Mr. Reade."

"I don't expect to do so," smiled Tom. "Yet, if we can get a hundred or
two in this outfit to take a sensible view of pay day, and can drill
it into them so that it will stick, there will be just that number of
happier men in the world. How long have you been in this work on the
frontier, Mr. Hawkins?"

"About twenty years, sir."

"Then it must have angered you, many a time, to see the vultures and the
parasites fattening on the men who do the real work in life."

"It has," nodded the superintendent. "However, I haven't your gift with
the tongue, Mr. Reade, and I've never been able to lead men into the
right path as you did yesterday."

Over in the little village of tents where the idle workmen sat through
the forenoon there was some restlessness. These men knew that there was
nothing for them to do until the construction material arrived, and that
they were required only to report in order to keep themselves on the
time sheets. Having reported to their foremen and the checkers, they
were quite at liberty to go over int