--eight hours!

"I want skinners, muckers, hard-rock men for Washington. I want
lumberjacks for Washington--long job--good pay! I want hard-rock men
for Alaska--the harder the better. And I want----"

Here Orr Tweet grasped the enthusiast's sleeve. "How about those
jerkline skinners for southern California?" he asked. "Saw it in the
paper."

"I'll see, old-timer--I'll look that up for you right away. Just step
inside, please--you and your pal. Let you know all about it in two
minutes. Line up for a good job, boys! Get out and make a stake!
Just a minute, boss man. Step right inside."

Inside a railing, where many clerks were at work, the applicants were
turned over to a sallow young man, who, being informed of what they
wanted, consulted certain memoranda. Then he swiveled toward the two
and gave them the particulars.

"Gold Belt Cut-off," he said. "Buildin' across the desert in southern
California. Good camps--good pay--good grub--good water----"

"Cut all that," dryly interrupted Orr Tweet.

"All right, sir," replied the clerk cheerfully. "Main contractors,
Demarest, Spruce & Tillou. Want fifty muckers and fifty skinners--two
jerkline skinners--must be A-1. Fifty-five a month and found. Fee two
dollars. Ship you out one o'clock to-morrow. On?"

Tweet nudged Hiram and nodded, and Hiram tendered four silver dollars.

"Just a minute," said the clerk--though accepting the money. "This
office can't afford to get in bad with big contractors like Demarest,
Spruce & Tillou. They've specified A-1 jerkline skinners, to skin
eight, ten, and twelve over the desert and mountains. Are you there?"

"We are there," replied Orr Tweet.

The clerk looked doubtful. "Well, guess we'll have to take your word
for it. Chances are you'll break away when you get to where you're
makin' it, anyway. This is kind of a special job, though. Demarest
himself wrote a personal letter about the two jerkline skinners.
They're not for him, it seems--just to be shipped down with the other
skinners and muckers and hard-rock men we're sendin' him. The jerkline
skinners are for 'Jerkline Jo.' Ever heard that name? If you're
jerkline skinners that have followed railroad work you ought to've
heard o' Jerkline Jo. Usta be monakered 'Gypo Jo.'"

"We're not railroaders," said Mr. Tweet glibly. "We're from Mendocino
County--the big woods you know. But we can skin 'em for Jerkline Jo or
any other man."

"I'll take a ch