though, he's meaner to handle than frozen dynamite. I expect to be
white-headed before I'm through with that man Grady."

"Is he a rascal?" she asked.

"He's as bad as you find 'em. Even if he'd been handled right----"

Bannon broke off abruptly and began turning over the blue prints.
"Suppose I'd better see how this next story looks," he said. Hilda had
heard how Pete had dealt with Grady at their first meeting, and she
could complete the broken sentence.

Bannon never heard whether the agent from the carpenters' union had
looked further into Reilly's case, but he was not asked to take him back
on the pay roll. But that was not the end of the incident. Coming out on
the distributing floor just before noon on Thursday, he found Grady in
the act of delivering an impassioned oration to the group of laborers
about the hoist. Before Grady saw him, Bannon had come near enough to
hear something about being "driven at the point of a pistol."

The speech came suddenly to an end when Grady, following the glances of
his auditors, turned and saw who was coming. Bannon noted with
satisfaction the scared look of appeal which he turned, for a second,
toward the men. It was good to know that Grady was something of a
coward.

Bannon nodded to him pleasantly enough. "How are you, Grady?" he said.

Seeing that he was in no danger, the delegate threw back his shoulders,
held up his head, and, frowning in an important manner, he returned
Bannon's greeting with the scantest civility.

Bannon walked up and stood beside him. "If you can spare the time," he
said politely, "I'd like to see you at the office for a while."

Convinced now that Bannon was doing everything in his power to
conciliate him, Grady grew more important "Very well," he said; "when
I've got through up here, ye can see me if ye like."

"All right," said Bannon, patiently; "no hurry."

During the full torrent of Grady's eloquence the work had not actually
been interrupted. The big boom bearing its load of timber swept in over
the distributing floor with unbroken regularity; but the men had worked
with only half their minds and had given as close attention as they
dared to the delegate's fervid utterances. But from the moment Bannon
appeared there had been a marked change in the attitude of the little
audience; they steered the hoist and canted the timbers about with a
sudden enthusiasm which made Bannon smile a little as he stood watching
them.

Grady could not