little about an engine than this thoughtless
act.

The youth reached the valve-gear at the same time, and the hands of both
grasped the wheel.

"What are you going to do?" cried Larry, holding on with all his
strength, for the other was trying to turn the wheel.

"I'm going to start the engine. Didn't you hear the whistle? What are
you waiting for?" snapped Croly.

"That was the quarter-whistle; it isn't time to start up yet. And if it
was, you would blow out a couple of cylinder-heads for me by letting on
the steam in that style!"

Larry's face was pale, partly because he thought that the other would
have succeeded in doing the mischief in spite of him. But the determined
face of the boy, coupled with his words, made Croly pause, although he
still allowed his hand to rest on the valve-gear of the great engine.

"You think I don't know enough to start this machine, I suppose," he
said.

"I think if you did know, you wouldn't try to blow out the
cylinder-heads to start with," Larry rejoined.

"You're trying to bluff me now, but you ain't quite old enough to do it.
Just wait till the five-minute whistle blows, and see if I can't start
the machine. I know enough to know that if you let the steam into the
cylinder, she's got to start."

"Something would start, that's certain," said Larry, drily. "But," he
continued, "I don't think you will let the steam on this time. Now, let
go!"

"You're a pretty heavy man to put in as boss of this plant," replied
Steve.

He let go of the valve-wheel, but did not step back. Larry divined that
the fellow intended to wait until he was momentarily away from the gear,
and then persist in his attempt to start the engine.

"I told you to go out," he said, pointing at the door.

"I'm going after the engine is started, and not before," persisted
Croly.

"You know you have no right in this part of the works. They wouldn't
have me loafing in your department, and you must keep out of this!"

"I don't try to send anybody away from my department."

"You would if you had charge of it. In yours there is a foreman and
fifty or sixty men; in this there is only the fireman, under the
engineer, but the engineer is just as much a foreman as the boss of your
department is there."

"You're a boy," sneered Croly, "and when the Tioga Iron Works has boys
put in as bosses, they'll have to turn off the men and run the whole
business with boys. That's all there is to it."

"Would you come h