as out of adjustment, sir," he said simply.

"Out of adjustment! I thought you told me everything was in perfect
order before you left this morning."

"I thought so, sir, but I find the screw was too loose. That would
account for the call not reaching us."

"Too loose! Humph!" The superintendent looked steadfastly at Hazeltine,
then at the operators, and then at the electrician once more.

"Mr. Hazeltine," he said at length, "I will hear what explanations you
may have to make in my office later on. I will attend to the testing
myself. That will do."

Captain Eri silently followed his young friend to the back door of the
station. Hazeltine had seen fit to make no comment on the scene just
described, and the captain did not feel like offering any. They were
standing on the steps when the big operator, McLoughlin, came out of the
building behind them.

"Well," he said gruffly to the electrician. "Shall I quit now or wait
until Saturday?"

"What?"

"Shall I git out now or wait till Saturday night? I suppose you'll have
me fired."

Then Hazeltine's pent-up rage boiled over.

"If you mean that I'll tell Mr. Langley of your cowardly trick and have
you discharged--No! I don't pay my debts that way. But I'll tell you
this,--you and your sneaking friends. If you try another game like
that,--yes, or if you so much as speak to me, other than on business
while I'm here, I WILL fire you--out of the window. Clear out!"

"Mr. Hazeltine," said Captain Eri a few moments later, "I hope you don't
mind my sayin' that I like you fust-rate. Me and Perez and Jerry ain't
the biggest bugs in town, but we like to have our friends come and see
us. I wish you'd drop in once 'n a while."

"I certainly will," said the young man, and the two shook hands. That
vigorous handshake was enough of itself to convince Ralph Hazeltine that
he had made, at any rate, one friend in Orham.

And we may as well add here that he had made two. For that evening Jack
McLoughlin said to his fellow conspirators:

"He said he'd fire me out of the window,--ME, mind you! And, by thunder!
I believe he'd have DONE it too. Boys, there ain't any more 'con' games
played on that kid while I'm around--Parker or no Parker. He's white,
that's what HE is!"

CHAPTER V

THE WOMAN FROM NANTUCKET

Conversation among the captains was, for the next two days, confined to
two topics, speculation as to how soon they might expect a reply from
the Nantucket female an