nclusion. "I am sorry for those of you who feel hurt, but while there
is bad blood in the air every man must choose between one camp or the
other. You men chose Jim Duff, and you'll have to abide by your choice."

"But we haven't any money," declared one of the men sullenly.

"Now you're just beginning to understand that Jim Duff won't be a very
good friend to a penniless man. Didn't you know that when you shook all
your change into his hat?"

"Are you going to let us starve?" growled the man.

"You won't starve, nor need you be out of work long," Tom retorted. "Any
man who can do the work of a railway laborer in this country doesn't
have to remain out of a job. Now, I'll ask you to get off the railroad's
ground."

Tom turned and went back to the office, while Payson and the other
foremen saw to it that the discharged men left the railroad's property.
In less than half an hour the disgruntled ones were back in the worst
haunts of Paloma, spreading the news of Tom Reade's latest outrage.

When Tom reached the office he found Mr. Ellsworth inside.

"I saw what you did, Reade, though you didn't know I was about. You
handled it splendidly. You made it plain enough, too, to the men that
they had joined the enemy and thereby declared against us."

"Message, Mr. Reade," called the operator from the doorway.

"The construction material train, the first one, will be here within two
hours," cried Tom, looking up from the paper, his eyes dancing. "Now we
can do some of the real work that we've been waiting to do!"

CHAPTER IX. THE MAN-KILLER CLAIMS A SACRIFICE

In the days that followed Tom Reade and Harry Hazelton were more
continuously and seriously busy than they had ever been before in their
lives.

Sometimes it happens that engineers come upon a quicksand that
apparently has no bottom. It will be filled and apparently the earth
on top is solid. After a few days there will follow either a gradual
shifting away or a sudden cave in, and the quicksand must once more be
attacked.

This condition had been experienced more than a dozen times with the
Man-killer before Tom and Harry had been called to solve the problem.

There is no definite way of attacking a quicksand. Much must depend
upon the local conditions. Where it is a small one, yet of seemingly
considerable depth, it is sometimes quickest and cheapest to cross
it with a suspension bridge, the terminal pillars resting on sure
foundations. Some quicks