o. It's not anything so satisfyingly material that I wanted to talk
about. I wish it were, because--well, the fact is, now that you are
here it appears I may have considerable trouble in making you believe
that I'm not merely developing a most womanish case of nerves. Cold
feet, I suppose, might not be far from correct, if we put it in the
proper gender. No, it's not the work itself. You know the first few
miles at this end afford pretty plain sailing. We figured on that: or
we wouldn't stand any chance of finishing the job. And we are quite
nicely ahead of our schedule, so far. But have you--I was wondering if
you, by any chance, have noticed any signs of discontent in your own
squad at Thirty Mile?"

Elliott eased himself back into his chair at the finish of the
question. Repugnantly he jerked a thumb in silent invitation toward a
plate of sandwiches. It indicated most clearly the state of his
appetite--that gesture--and Steve could not help but smile a little as
he refused.

"No more than the usual disturbances," he answered. "I have more or
less trouble holding them--some of them--over the week-ends, of course.
But then that's always to be expected. They aren't the sort of men
that go to make up the general run of construction squads. One of my
main reasons for wanting them was the fact that they were rivermen,
hardened to swamping and white-water work and that kind of thing. In a
pinch they're good for twenty-four hours a day, over stretches that
would take the heart out of most gangs. I don't know of anything that
can beat a lumber-jack on a squeeze job, once you get him to realize
that he's up against long odds. It's this ten-hour-a-day thing and too
much ready money every pay-day; it's a town too temptingly close that
makes them a--a trifle temperamental, Mr. Elliott. Is that what you
mean?"

Elliott pondered for a moment.

"That entirely duplicates what McLean said just a day or so ago." On
any other lips Elliott's deliberate neatness of phrase might have
sounded solemnly funny. "Thoroughly logical, of course,--thoroughly
possible. And yet, somehow it doesn't fit the case. We've had the
usual Monday morning vacancies, right along, as you know; but the
delinquents always turned up before the five o'clock whistle blew, or
at least reported Tuesday morning. But this is the end of the week and
we're short right this minute very close to thirty men. They aren't
coming back, Mr. O'Mara; on