oulders of his companion,
said fiercely, "For God's sake, Harry, don't talk like that; it makes
me feel like going back and choking the life out of both of them."
While he was speaking, a flash of lightning, more vivid than its
fellows, shot across the prairie and revealed the two troubled figures
to some of the laborers who were in the act of leaving Shuter's store,
and their hearts--unluckily for Shuter--hardened against him for the
part he that night had played.

The deep thrill in Joe's voice went to Harry's heart like a balm, and
he said gratefully, "You're an awful decent fellow, Joe, and it's too
bad of me bringing my troubles into your life in this way."

Joe's only reply, as they again hurried along, was to hug the little
arm more closely. When they finally reached their tent Joe uttered an
exclamation, for one of the flashes revealed that it was at least two
feet deep in water. Groping his way into the tent, Joe lit a candle,
and holding it high above his head, looked around. "This is hard
luck," he said to his companion, who was standing in the opening;
"we've pitched the tent in a little hollow, and the water's drained
into it. There'll be no sleeping here for us to-night; we shall have
to move the tent and stretchers to higher ground."

Half an hour later the tent was pitched several acres away. Had the
lightning not died away, they would have seen that they were near two
other tents of exactly the same size as their own.

It was about five o'clock when Joe awoke, and looking out of the tent
saw the sun was already casting a warm glow in the east. Seeing Harry
showed no signs of waking, he slipped quietly from his stretcher,
dressed, and stealing past his mate, left the tent. Signs of life were
already visible in camp. In another hour the entire camping outfit
would be loaded on the waiting flat-cars and taken to the end of the
track--which again stretched over two miles westward--and a new
camping-ground found, after which breakfast would be served and the
phenomenal track-laying be again continued.

"It's a great country," Joe muttered, as his gaze swept across the
broad expanse, "and if it hadn't been for the trouble my little mate's
had, I should have been happy out here."

Turning, he saw for the first time the two small tents, and at once
recognized them as the ones Shuter and his daughter slept in. While he
was thinking how queer it was that above all other spots they should
have chosen this t