s wholly good-natured.

"Mr. Duff, You are unusually clever at reading other's motives," he
replied.

"I went to school as a youngster, and learned how to read the pages of
open books," the gambler confessed modestly. "So you have, as yet,
no plan for compelling the young engineers to fail and quit at the
Man-killer?"

This was such a direct, comprehensive question that Fred Ransom remained
silent for some moments before he admitted:

"No; as yet I haven't been able to form a plan."

"Then engage me to help you," spoke Jim Duff slowly, coolly. "I know the
country here, and the people. I know where to lay my finger on men who
can be trusted to do unusual things. I shall come high, Mr. Ransom, but
I am really worth the money. Talk it over with me, and convince me that
your company will be sufficiently liberal in return for large favors."

"Oh, the Colthwaite Company would be liberal enough," protested Ransom,
"and quick to hand out the cash, at that."

"I took that for granted," smiled Duff, showing his white teeth. "Your
people, the Colthwaites, have always been accustomed to paying
for favors that require unusual talent, some courage-and perhaps a
persistency of the shooting kind."

Then the two rascals, who now thoroughly understood each other, fell to
plotting. An hour later the outlook was dark, indeed, for the success of
Tom Reade and Harry Hazelton.

CHAPTER II. DUFF ASSERTS HIS "RIGHTS"

"We've a hard afternoon ahead of us, Harry," remarked Tom Reade, as the
engineer chums finished the noonday meal in the public dining room of
the Mansion House.

"Pshaw! We'll have more real work to do after our material arrives,"
rejoined young Hazelton. "We're promised the material in four days. If
we get it in a fortnight we will be lucky."

"That might be true on some railroads," smiled Tom. "But Mr. Ellsworth,
the general manager of the A., G. & N. M., is a hustler, if I ever met
one. When we wired to him what we needed, he wired back that enough of
the material would be here within four days to keep us busy for some
time. I believe Mr. Ellsworth never talks until he knows what he's
talking about."

"Well, I hope you can find some work for the men to do this afternoon,"
murmured Harry, as the two young engineers rose from table. "Hawkins,
our superintendent of construction, has about five hundred mechanics and
laborers who will soon need work."

"Yes," agreed Tom. "The men took the jobs with the unde