"Hmmm!" smiled Tom, then passed the message over to Superintendent
Hawkins.

"Your newly made enemies have gotten after you quickly, Sir," commented
the superintendent grimly.

"Yes," nodded Tom. "And, of course, I can't follow any course that isn't
approved by the general manager. I'll wire him the truth and see what he
has to say. Operator!"

"Yes, Sir," replied the young man, turning and coming back.

"Wait for a message," directed Tom; then seated himself and wrote the
following reply:

"Ellsworth, General Manager.

"Have not interfered in any way with honest merchants of Paloma. Men are
at liberty to spend their money any way they choose. I did give the men
a talk about the foolishness of spending their wages in buying liquor
or in gambling. Result was that men banked about two thirds of the total
pay roll with the bank people you sent on pay train yesterday at my
request. Also drove off a gambler who tried to erect two tents on
railroad property in order to fleece the men more speedily.

"(Signed) READE,

"Chief Engineer."

"That will tell the general manager about the kind of merchants
that I've been injuring," smiled Tom, first showing the sheet to
Superintendent Hawkins and then handing it to the waiting messenger.

"I hope Ellsworth, will be satisfied," nodded Hawkins. "Good will is an
asset for a railway, and your enemies in Paloma may be able to stir up a
good deal of trouble for you. Mr. Reade, I stood with you yesterday,
and I'm still with you. If Ellsworth is so cranky that you feel like
throwing the job here, then I'll walk out with you."

"Oh, I'm not going to give up the work here," predicted Reade
cheerfully. "I'm too much interested in it. Neither am I going to
have my hands tied by any clique of gamblers and dive keepers. If Mr.
Ellsworth isn't satisfied, then I'll run up to headquarters and talk to
him in person. I'm not going to quit; neither am I going to be prevented
from winning and deserving the friendship of the men who are here
working for us."

"Telegram for Mr. Reade," grinned the operator, again looking in at the
doorway.

After reading it, Tom passed over to Hawkins this message from General
Manager Ellsworth:

"Unable to judge merits of case at this distance. Will be with you
soon."

"That's all right," Reade declared.

"It looks all right," muttered Hawkins, who knew something about the
ways of railroads.

Up the track the whistle on a stationary engine blew t