en a
severe test of endurance and loyalty in which none had fallen short and
no one among them had worked with more tireless energy than Smaltz, or
his erstwhile friend but present enemy, Porcupine Jim.

There was amazingly little damage done to the submerged machinery, and
when the last bit of iron was unloaded on the bank, the years which had
come upon Bruce in the weeks of strain and tension seemed to roll away.
Unless some fresh calamity happened, by September, surely, they would be
"throwing dirt."

Now, as Bruce changed the lumber from the raw spot on his right shoulder
to the raw spot on his left shoulder he was wondering how much more of a
chance was due Jennings, how much longer he could hold his tongue. A
more extended acquaintance with his "practical man" had taught him how
easily a virtue may become a fault.

In his insistence upon solidity and exactitude he went beyond the point
of careful workmanship and became a putterer. He was the King of
Putterers. He could out-putter a plumber. And when he had finished it
was usually some unimportant piece of work that any man who handled
tools could have done as well in half the time.

Bruce had a favorite bush, thick, and a safe distance from the work,
behind which it was his wont to retire at such times as the sight of
Jennings puttering while the crew under him stood idle, became too much
for Bruce's nerves:

"He'd break the Bank of England!" Bruce would exclaim in a vehement
whisper behind the bush. "If he'd been on the pay-roll of Rameses II,
they'd have dug up his work intact. It's fierce! As sure as shooting I'm
going to run out of money."

Yet so long as Jennings _was_ in charge, Bruce would not listen to
attacks upon him behind his back, and Jennings had succeeded in
antagonizing almost all the crew. With the same regularity that the sun
rose he and Woods, the carpenter, had their daily set-to, if over
nothing more important than the mislaying of a file or saw--no doubt
they were at it now.

Bruce sighed. It seemed eons ago that he had had time to watch the
kingfisher flying to his nest or the water-ousel ducking and teetering
sociably at his feet. They never came any more, neither they nor the
black bear to his service-berry bush and Old Felix had learned in one
bitter lesson how his confidence in man had been misplaced. Nothing came
any more but annoyances, trouble, and thinking of trouble. Bruce
wondered what was the matter with Toy. He had looke