"Who's your foreman?" asked the checker, a young fellow named Royal

"Payson--if it's any of your business." replied the workman roughly.

The others, seeing him take this attitude, were willing to let him talk
for all. Superintendent Hawkins had rounded up the foremen, and now sent
them to the checker's hut to deal with the men.

"Some of you are my men," said Payson, looking the lot over. "You're
discharged."

"What's that?" roared the same indignant spokesman, a big, bull-necked,
red-faced fellow.

"Discharged," said Payson briefly. "All of you who belong to my gang.
Checker, I'll call their names off to you."

While Payson, and then the other foremen, were calling the names, the
workmen stood by in sullen silence. When the last name had been entered
the same bull-necked spokesman flared up again.

"Have we no rights?" he demanded. "Is there no such thing as the right
of appeal in this camp, or are we under a lot of domineering, petty
tyrants like you?"

"I'm a poor specimen of tyrant,"' laughed Payson good-naturedly. "All
I'm doing, Bellas, is following orders. Any man who feels that he was
justified in being away, and that he ought to be kept on the pay rolls
here, may make his appeal to Mr. Hawkins, Mr. Hazelton or Mr. Reade."

"I'll see Reade!" announced Bellas stiffly. "That youngster is doing all
the dirty work here. I'll go to him straight."

"I'll take you over to his office," nodded Foreman Payson.

"I'm going, too," announced another workman.

"So'm I," added another.

"One at a time, men," advised Payson. "I think Bellas feels that he's
capable of talking for all of you."

The other foremen restrained the crowd, while Mr. Payson led Bellas over
to the headquarters shack.

Tom looked up from a handful of old letters as the two men entered.

"See here, you!" was Bellas's form of greeting.

"Try it again," smiled Tom pleasantly.

"You're the man I want to talk to," Bellas snarled. "What do you mean
by--"

"What's your name?" asked Reade quickly.

"None of your--"

"We can never do business on that kind of courtesy," smiled Reade. "Mr.
Payson, show the man out and let him come back when he's cooler."

"There isn't anyone here who can show me out!" blustered Bellas,
swinging his big arms and causing the heavy muscles to stand out.

"If you don't care to behave in a businesslike way, and talk like a man,
we'll do our best to show you out," Tom retorted, still with a pleasant
smile