and they said it was your orders.
You'll come to smash that way, sure as a gun."

"Not if they don't take more than I told 'em to and if they're careful.
They have to do it to keep up with the carpenters."

"Well, it's running a big risk, that's all. I don't like it."

"My God, don't I know it's a risk! Do you suppose I like it? We've got
something to do, and we've got to do it somehow."

Pete laughed uneasily. "I--I told 'em not to pick up more than two sticks
at a time till they heard from me."

"I think," said Bannon, with a look that was new to Pete, "I think you'd
better go as fast as you can and tell them to go on as they were when you
found them."

Late on Tuesday afternoon the hoist broke. It was not easy to get from the
men a clear account of the accident. The boss of the gang denied that he
had carried more of a load than Bannon had authorized, but some of the
talk among the men indicated the contrary. Only one man was injured and he
not fatally, a piece of almost miraculous good luck. Some scaffolding was
torn down and a couple of timbers badly sprung, but the total damage was
really slight.

Bannon in person superintended rigging the new hoist. It was ready for
work within two hours after the accident. "She's guyed a little better
than the other was, I think," said Bannon to the foreman. "You won't have
any more trouble. Go ahead."

"How about the load?"

"Carry the same load as before. You weren't any more than keeping up."

CHAPTER VIII

Five minutes after the noon whistle blew, on Saturday, every carpenter and
laborer knew that Bannon had "pulled a gun" on Reilly. Those who heard it
last heard more than that, for when the story had passed through a few
hands it was bigger and it took longer to tell. And every man, during the
afternoon, kept his eyes more closely on his work. Some were angry, but
these dropped from muttering into sullenness; the majority were relieved,
for a good workman is surer of himself under a firm than under a slack
hand; but all were cowed. And Bannon, when after dinner he looked over the
work, knew more about all of them and their feelings, perhaps, than they
knew themselves. He knew, too, that the incident might in the long run
make trouble. But trouble was likely in any case, and it was better to
meet it after he had established his authority than while discipline was
at loose ends.

But Hilda and Max were disappointed. They were in the habit of talking
over t