too,
were Gautier employees, and they had pickaxes on their shoulders. They
heard the agent's last remark, and one of them, stepping forward, said:
"A good many of us are working cleaning up the town. Do you want us to
leave that?"

"It isn't necessary for you to work cleaning up the town," was the
reply. "There are plenty of people from the outside to do that who came
here for that purpose. Now, boys, just give your names so we can find
out how many of our men are left, and all of you that can, go down and
report at the lower office."

All the time the members of the decimated Gautier army were filing into
the muddy-floored office. They came in twos and threes and dozens, and
some bore out the idea of an army reforming after disaster, because they
bore grievous wounds. One man had a deep cut in the back of his head,
another limped along on a heavy stick, one had lost a finger and had an
ugly bruise on his cheek. J.N. Short, who was the foreman of the
cold-rolled steel shafting department, sat in the office, and many of
the men who filed past had been under him in the works.

Mutual Congratulations.

There were handshakes all the more hearty and congratulations all the
more sincere because of what all had passed through. When the wall of
water seventy-five feet high struck the mill and whipped it away like
shot Mr. Short was safe on higher ground, but many of the men had feared
he was lost.

"I tell you, Mr. Short," said J.T. Miller, "I'm glad to see you're
safe."

"And how did you make out, old man?"

"All right, thank God."

Then came another man bolder than all and apparently a general favorite.
He rushed forward and shook Mr. Smith's hand. "Mr. Smith," he exclaimed,
"good morning, good morning."

"So you got out of it, did you, after all?" asked Mr. Smith.

"Indeed I did, but Lord bless my soul, I thought the wife and babies
were gone." The man gave his name and hurried away, brushing a tear from
his eye.

Mr. Shellenberger, one of the foremen, brought up the rear of the next
platoon to enter. He caught sight of Mr. Smith and shouted: "Oh, Mr.
Smith: good for you. I'm glad to see you safe."

"Here to you, my hearty," was the answer. "Did you all get off?"

"Every blessed one of us," with a bright smile. "We were too high on the
hill."

He was Tired of Johnstown.

A little bit later another man came in. He looked as if he had been
weeping. He hesitated in front of the desk. "I am a Gautier em