can see, I'm currying a horse."

"Stop that sort of nonsense with me, right at the start," flashed
Black angrily, striding closer. "I don't allow boys to be fresh
with me."

"Where's the boy?" drawled Tom, turning slightly, for a better view \
of the stranger's face.

"You're one," snapped Black.

"What are you?" Tom asked curiously.

"I'm an engineer."

"If that is anything to be chesty about, then I'm an engineer also,"
Reade replied, rising.

"Sit down, boy!" commanded Black angrily.

The trace of frown on Reade's face disappeared. He smiled
good-humoredly as he observed.

"Black, I'm a bit uncertain about you."

"_Mister_ Black, boy!" warned the other, his dark eyes snapping.
"Why are you uncertain about me?"

"I'm wondering," purred Tom gently, "whether you are just _trying_
to be offensive, or whether you don't know any better than to talk
and act the way you do?"

"You young puppy, I'll teach you something right now," cried Black,
stepping closer and raising a clenched fist.

"Look out," begged Tom. "You'll upset my drawing table."

Eugene Black closed in, striking out. Reade who felt that the
situation didn't call for any fighting, retreated, still smiling.

Whether by accident or design, Black, as he made a half turn to
start after the cub engineer anew, brushed a corner of the unstable
drawing table hard enough to tip it over. A bottle of drawing
ink fell, too, splashing ugly black blotches over Tom's carefully
drawn outlines of a map.

"Now, you've done it!" exclaimed Tom.

"I haven't quite finished," snapped the stranger, rushing after Reade.

"I'm going to box your ears soundly, boy!"

"Are you, indeed?" demanded Tom, halting. He was still smiling,
but there was a stern look in his eyes. Tom no longer retreated,
but stood awaiting Black's assault.

Blanks fist shot out straight, but Reade didn't stop the blow.
Instead, he ducked low. When he came up his arms enveloped Black's
legs in one of the swift football tackles that Tom had learned
with the Gridley High School football team.

"You annoy me," drawled Tom, and hurled the fellow ten feet away.
Black landed on his back with an angry roar, followed by cursing.

"Profanity is always objectionable to a gentleman," declared Tom
dryly, running over ere the newcomer could regain his feet. Once
more Reade bent and rose. As he did so, Eugene Black shot through
the tent doorway, landing on the ground a dozen feet beyond.